Here’s how Mightybytes operationalizes purpose and stakeholder governance based on new B Corp performance requirements.
Fueled by
Purpose
Under the new B Corp standards, Certified B Corps are required to adopt a clear company purpose aligned with a stakeholder governance structure. Here’s how Mightybytes complies with this performance requirement.
New B Corp standards requirements differ from company to company based on a variety of criteria, including company size, location, and revenue. The standards below reflect those required for a small service business with a minor environmental footprint, which is the category Mightybytes fits into.
Purpose & Stakeholder Governance as an Impact Topic stands as a key pillar for certified businesses, ensuring that businesses operate with a clear and meaningful purpose, backed by a stakeholder governance structure that considers the interests of all stakeholders—including workers, customers, communities, the environment, and shareholders.
— Brigitta Nemes, Senior Environmental and Governance Standards Manager, B Lab Global
By embedding these principles, companies contribute to an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy that serves both people and the planet.
1.1.1 The company establishes a purpose statement which:
- sets out the specific positive and meaningful impact the company intends to make on society or the environment, or both
- has business relevance and is integrated into its strategy
- is publicly available on the company’s webpage
- is approved by the company’s highest governing body.
Our Purpose
We’re on a mission to make the web more accessible, sustainable, and a better place for everyone.
Transforming the Economy
As an active member of the global B Corp community, we also share the movement’s mission to transform our economy to work better for all people and our shared planet.
2.1.1 The company identifies and prioritizes its stakeholders.
2.1.2 The company engages with its stakeholders and considers their interests in decision-making.
2.1.3 The following stakeholders are represented with one or more engagement mechanisms.
- Workers of the company or its subsidiaries
- Suppliers
- Customers
- Investors
- The community where offices or facilities of the company, its subsidiaries, its suppliers, or its investments are located
- The local or global environment
Engaging Stakeholders
Our company stakeholders include customers, employees, suppliers, the environment, communities in which we operate, and the web community at large.
We engage these stakeholders in the following ways:
- Content: mission-related content in all company communications with both internal and external stakeholders
- Collaboration: project retrospectives and quarterly strategy meetings with team and clients
- Transparency: customer satisfaction interviews and open door policies with stakeholders
- Education: events covering social and environmental issues with stakeholders as both participants and speakers
- Feedback solicitation: surveys delivered to the communities we serve
- Accountability: publicly available impact reports, policy docs, and other statements
- Advocacy: contribute to industry standards and advocate for more responsible tech legislation
Also, Mightybytes is a bootstrapped company. We don’t have any investors and generally don’t carry any debt.
Public Benefit Corporation
Solidifying our commitment to benefit society alongside our need as a corporation to pursue profit, Mightybytes became one of the first Public Benefit Corporations in Illinois when the legislation was passed in January 2013.
3.1.1 The company publishes a grievance form on its webpage or has another easily accessible way for stakeholders to raise a grievance.
3.1.2 The grievance procedure explains:
- grounds for accepting a grievance
- grievance process steps and targeted deadlines for managing a grievance
- how a resolution is facilitated
3.1.3 The company describes the processes and controls in place to protect stakeholders who raise grievances from any form of retaliation.
3.1.4 The company responds to stakeholder grievances by either:
- regularly communicating each step in the resolution process and its outcome to the complainant, and confirming when the grievance has been resolved
- explaining why it did not accept the issue as a grievance.
Grievances vs. Disagreements
We make a clear distinction between disagreements and grievances. Mightybytes embraces healthy conflict as long as the process moves us toward collectively agreeable shared outcomes.
Marketing tech, and the practices that accompany it, change all the time. It can be tough to keep up. I’d prefer to work with an agency that will guide us and work with us to navigate these changes rather than one that just wants to own all our marketing. This requires clear, ongoing communication and mutual trust.
It’s okay to disagree as long as we’re all working toward the same goal. Disagreements can be healthy and productive if they are conducted with mutual respect and a shared commitment to making the project a success.
— Jeff Marcous | Founder | Dharma Merchant Services
Our Grievance & Resolution Process
Mightybytes always appreciates feedback and is happy to accept input on how we conduct business.
Should a disagreement progress to a formal grievance, Mightybytes uses the formal Grievance Policy below.
3.2.3 The company demonstrates the effectiveness of the grievance procedure by either:
- recording evidence that a grievance has been resolved and closed
- demonstrating that they have the appropriate grievance procedure in place (inclusive of tracking), where a company has had no grievances filed.
3.2.2 The company has an employee with well-defined responsibilities for managing grievances.
Tracking Satisfaction
Mightybytes strives to nurture healthy, collaborative relationships based on mutual trust and respect. This is one of our strongest assets.
- We conduct customer satisfaction surveys on at least an annual basis.
- In the event that one or more grievances is filed, the President and Operations Manager review claims, work to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, and document outcomes.
4.1.1 The principles include the following specific references to the company’s marketing and public relations practices for environmental and social claims.
- It makes precise, verifiable, and substantiated claims based on reliable or scientific data.
- It is truthful, transparent, and accountable about the social and environmental impacts of the company’s operations, both positive and negative.
- It follows ethical guidelines when using sensitive marketing and public relations channels and practices.
4.1.2 The principles are communicated to company workers and available for them to access.
Ethical Marketing for Ethical Marketers
As both a Certified B Corp and digital agency that offers marketing services, it is critical that we verify any claims we make and adopt responsible and ethical policies and practices.
- Mightybytes makes clear, science-based, research-backed, truth-driven statements about the work we do and the change we seek. These claims are guided by our company Code of Ethics.
- We welcome feedback should you notice any unsubstantiated claims our outdated statistics in our communications.
5.1.1. At least once every year, the highest governing body reviews the company’s:
- progress on advancing its public purpose as defined under PSG1.1
- social and environmental performance
- stakeholder governance implementation.
Continuous Improvement
As part of our annual impact reporting process, company leadership and our team review progress toward social, environmental, and economic goals.
This process helps us identify areas for improvement and informs how we approach the upcoming year.
Related
Content
Finally, to help others, Mightybytes publishes articles on our website and on B the Change, the storytelling platform for the global B Corp community. We cover important lessons learned during our journey to run a successful social enterprise agency.
See the list below for content related to Purpose and Stakeholder Governance.
- Stakeholder Mapping: A Guide for Purpose-Driven Organizations
- Company Impact Reports
- Company Policies & Statements
- How to Find an Ethical Marketing Agency
- Sustainable Digital Marketing: Redefining Success
- Our Digital Greenwashing Guide
- Is Your Digital Marketing Strategy at Odds with Your Climate Strategy?
- Five Business Management Strategies we Learned as a B Corp
- How We Help Our Clients Make a Difference
Still have B Corp Questions?
Want to learn more about how Mightybytes uses our B Corp certification to create positive change across communities and ecosystems? Schedule a conversation with Tim.