Do you know the critical information people are looking for on your website? Is it a strong value proposition? Is it a solid “about us” page? Is it social proof about your product or service claims?

All are important for sure.

But we’ve discovered that after working with dozens of small purpose-driven businesses over the past 5 years, three critical content pieces for stakeholders are absent from most purpose-driven small business websites.

The reasons for these content pieces are backed by plenty of industry specific research. In fact, younger generations are seeking them out the moment they arrive on your website. And if they don’t find them those prospective employees or customers quickly move on.

That’s because these three documents provide solid evidence of your company’s purpose and DNA.

Document #1: Tell Them Why You Exist: Start with a Compelling Brand Manifesto

You know your business stands for something special in the world as a benefit corporation. But do your key stakeholders? Your partners, customers and your employees? Your community and civic leaders?

Do they understand your plan to make a difference...to help create an equitable world? Can they feel the passion that fuels your fire, serving others and making the planet a greener, healthier place to live?

That’s why your business needs a brand manifesto. It’s your reason you get up in the morning. The manifesto is right-brain and emotional. And it shows your stakeholders the heart of your business’s purpose. A brand manifesto describes your purpose and helps create deeper connections with your stakeholders—you employees, your customers, your partners—and helps attract and retain top talent.

According to Deloitte, purpose-driven companies witness higher market share gains and grow on average three times faster than their competitors, all while achieving higher employee and customer satisfaction.

Here are 5 key things you’ll find in a compelling brand manifesto:

1. Communicates Your Deep Emotional Principles. What is your business's reason for existence?

2. State Your Core Values. What is it your business stands for? People? Environment? Integrity?

3. Speaks the Truth. Are you authentic? Does your language and ideas reflect that?

4. Relates to Your Audience. Are you using emotion to touch your audience's core?

5. Differentiates. How does your business differ from others appealing to your audience?

Document #2: Show Them Your Commitment to the Planet: Craft a Sustainability Statement

Do your stakeholders understand what you’re doing for the planet? Do they know what sustainability practices your business has in place?

You need a strong sustainability statement crafted to show your company’s commitment to environmental impact. It helps you build trust with your stakeholders. It serves as a metric to reveal how your business is doing year after year.

A strong sustainability statement identifies what environmental practices you as a company have identified and practice. What do you look for in your supply chain? How do you and your team members lessen your carbon footprint?

Here are some examples of how to start your sustainability statement thanks to the Green Business Bureau.

Make a declarative sentence using the following as your opening sentence:

• We will…

• Our mission is…

• Our goal is…

• We are committed to:

The core of your mission statement will describe what you will actually do. Here are some examples:

• Eliminate waste and pollution

• Make products more sustainable

• Be energy efficient

• Use clean energy sources

• Recycle everywhere possible

• Treat teammates fairly

• Be diverse and inclusive

• Partner with sustainable companies

The final part of your sustainability statement is to communicate your goals.  Here are a few suggestions:

• To preserve the environment

• To protect the planet

• To improve our community

• To minimize our carbon footprint

• To get to zero waste

• To become carbon neutral

 To make your sustainability statement even stronger, think about adding metrics goals and a timeline for meeting those goals.

 Finally, state the specific measures your business is taking to make certain your business stays sustainable both now and in the future.

Document #3: Prove It To Them: Write an Impactful Benefit Report

When you become a benefit corporation, you must follow certain standards identified by your Secretary of State's office. One of these requirements is to create and post publicly an “Annual Benefit Report.” You'll find each state varies but the basic information to be reported revolves around business efforts to demonstrate social and environmental impact or "public good."  

Here's the specific language regarding the benefit company annual report requirement * in Oregon where our company is located:

Prepare an annual report identifying:

• The actions and methods used to provide a general or specific benefit to the public,

• Any circumstances that hindered or prevented a benefit,

• How well the benefit company met or exceeded the third-party standard

A "specific public benefit" may include the following:

• Assisting low-income or underserved individuals or communities with products or services

• Promoting economic opportunity for underserved individuals or communities

• Preserving the environment

• Improving community health, particularly among vulnerable populations

• Promoting equity, including enhanced education and awareness

• Accomplishing any other particular benefit for society or the environment

• Assisting organizations that provide the above

It is important to create a simple way to track these efforts throughout the year. An Annual Benefit Report can be created using this documentation and then posting publicly on your company's website.

(*Note: Most states refer to the "benefit corporation" versus Oregon's "benefit company." See your Secretary of State's website for specific annual report requirements.)

6 Keys Parts To Structuring Your Annual Benefit Report

We use a simple structure for our clients in developing and crafting their annual Benefit Report.

• Introduction describing your organization including when it became a certified benefit company (benefit corporation) and who the third-party certifier is

• Mission or Manifesto describing what your company stands for, what it believes in and what practices it follows (See above on how to create a manifesto.)

• Sustainability Statement discussing how you are creating positive environmental and social impact as well as lowering your business’s carbon footprint

• Summary Review of Year describing highlights of public benefit efforts for the year

• Key Metrics providing data points meeting third-party standards in regard to people, planet and profit

• Coming Year describing areas to focus and improve upon

• Closing providing a quick re-cap of the efforts for the year

How To Write Your Annual Benefit Report

Demonstrate authentic commitment to the principles of Benefit Corporations. Share real efforts to make an impact on people and planet. Don't just use words but describe real actions. For example, you can talk about community engagement (how did your business do that), improving your supply chain (more carbon neutrual), demonstrating empathy (did you modify your business contracts), showing compassion and promoting social justice.  

Communicate simply by keeping your audience in mind. If you're like most purpose-driven businesses, you have stakeholders. This includes employees, customers, prospects, community members and civic leaders.

Here are some tips to keep clarity in your writing:

• Your sentences should be short and simple (10 - 11 words or shorter is best).

• Your language needs to be jargon-free, e.g. stay away from industry terms.

• Your paragraphs should be 3-4 sentences long for easier reading and scanning.

Graphics should follow suit. Do not use complicated or complex visuals. Make sure your illustration or image is simple, clear and easy-to-understand. Resist all other embellishment.

If you use your company branding for your report (we recommend it), just make sure it's used sparingly. It's another way to keep your report "simple" and clean. You probably just need your logo in a couple of well-placed spots in your document or webpage.

How To Evaluate Your Benefit Report

We suggest asking a few good communicators you know to review your benefit report before publishing it. Our recommendation is to use at least two people, one from inside your organization and one from outside, to read through your report.

Ask them to evaluate the effectiveness of your report by answering two questions:

1.      Does the content clearly and easily explain your organization's efforts as a Benefit Corporation?

2.      Does every element (words and graphics) move the reader along without requiring her to leave the document and call on Google Search or Wikipedia?

If they answer an affirmative "yes" to these questions, you're ready to create your PDF document for public viewing. If either one gives you a "no," you need to go back to your document, make the appropriate edits and get things right.

How To Post the Benefit Report Publicly

The Oregon Benefit Company laws of incorporation require that you share and post the Benefit Report in a public venue.  Usually, the easiest and most logical place to post is on your company website. You can set it up as a tab on your home page or at the bottom of your home page. One other good place is on your “about us” page. Make sure it is easily accessible and not hidden.

If you do not have a website, there are other ways to share the report. You can post on a bulletin board at your worksite location or create a printed piece that can be distributed to shareholders and key stakeholders.

What's critical to remember is the Benefit Report is a public document. It shows you sincerely practice what you preach! You stand out as a business that contributes toward a public benefit in addition to making a profit.

And there you have it: three essential content pieces for your purpose-driven business. For additional tools to help you get started or for specific questions, please go to our contact page and submit your request or question so we can be of service to you.

~benefitcorporationsforgood.com~