What is a benefit corporation?

A benefit corporation is a for-profit business that has made a legal commitment to more than just making money. It is a business structure, recognized by most U.S. states, that requires companies to consider how their business decisions affect people and the planet, not just their bottom line. In a traditional corporation, shareholders are typically prioritized. A benefit corporation legally requires consideration of employees, customers, community, and the environment in business decisions.

What is the difference between a B Corp and a benefit corporation?

A benefit corporation is a legal business structure, like an LLC or a sole proprietorship, created by filing paperwork with a state. A B Corp is a certification issued by the nonprofit B Lab after a review of a company's social and environmental practices. Benefit Corporations for Good certification is also a third-party certification, similar to B Corp, but built with small businesses in mind. BCFG is one of only four standards recognized by the Oregon Secretary of State and is the only one based in Oregon.

Why did we start Benefit Corporations for Good?

Benefit Corporations for Good was created because small businesses deserve a way to prove what they stand for. Many purpose-driven business owners are already doing right by their people and their community, but need a trusted and recognizable way to show it. BCFG was created as a certification that is meaningful enough to matter while being built for real small businesses, not only large companies with full-time sustainability teams.

Who is certification for?

Certification is for small businesses that care about their employees, their neighborhood, and the wider world they operate in. Certified businesses include law firms, solar companies, marketing agencies, wine bars, and other industries. Applicants do not need to be perfect, but they need to be serious about their commitment. The process includes a 60-question assessment across eight standards, followed by a short interview. For businesses with five or fewer full-time equivalent employees, the fee is $299.

What Are Strategic Business Practices in BCFG Certification?

Benefit Corporation leaders gathering at Happy Hour for Good.

Strategic Business Practices is one of the 8 standards BCFG certification evaluates. It’s focused on whether purpose is actually built into how a business plans, not just how it talks about itself.

What this standard evaluates

BCFG looks for businesses that build real strategic structure around their purpose, including:

Developing strategic plans with stakeholder input
Establishing thought leadership in their space
Creating a brand manifesto that explains the business’s purpose and reason for being
Fostering staff alignment with organizational values

Why it matters

Plenty of small businesses have a mission statement. Fewer have a structure like a real strategic plan or an advisory council that keeps that mission connected to actual decisions. This standard rewards the structure, not just the statement.

Where does BCFG fit?

Strategic Business Practices is where BCFG’s Triple Bottom Line of people, planet, and profit gets operationalized. It’s the standard that asks whether purpose shows up in planning, not just marketing.

An informal advisory council looks different for a 2 person shop than a 50 person company, and BCFG’s evaluation accounts for that regardless of which state you’re certifying in.

Ready to learn more?

See how this standard compares to the other 7 on the certification standards overview, or move forward with certification. Members of the BCFG community can be a good first advisory council if you don’t have one assembled yet.