We are proud to announce that Geneva Global has been recertified as a B Corporation and achieved a milestone B Impact Score of 160.7 for its social and environmental impact. B Corps are required to undergo the verification process every three years in order to recertify, as the movement focuses on continuous improvement that leads to long-term resiliency.
As we said back in 2017 when we first became a Certified B Corp, the private sector needs to be involved if we want to solve society’s toughest problems. Fast forward to today, the B Corp movement of people using business as a force for good® is even more important against a backdrop of growing humanitarian need and lagging progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. We are honored to be part of this innovative movement alongside brand names that you use every day, including TOMS, Athleta, Inc., Ben & Jerry’s, and more.
This year, Rachel Loomis, our Operations Manager, took the lead in a thorough six-month process to recertify. Recertification begins with a 200-question assessment asking how the company’s practices align with the five key pillars of the B Corp movement: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, and Customers. The company gains points based on its answers for each category, with a thorough vetting and verification process conducted by B Lab’s staff. After verification, B Lab finalizes the company’s score and provides them with a personalized report.
We gained 50.2 points since our last certification in 2020, an increase of 45.4%! The areas where we saw the most improvement were under Community and Customers. For the Community pillar, B Lab asks how each company gives back and contributes positively to the community. Some accomplishments that helped our Community score were:
- Our corporate social responsibility program that engages all employees in granting to local organizations or charitable causes.
- Our Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) efforts and bringing a JEDI lens in our day-to-day work. In recent years, this has included attending workshops (both individually and as a whole company), hosting Culture Club discussions, and providing staff with educational resources.
The Customers pillar evaluates how each company has a positive impact on their customers or beneficiaries’ lives. Geneva Global operates the Speed School program in Ethiopia and Uganda to provide out-of-school children aged 9 to 14 a “second chance” at formal education, equipping them with core knowledge, skills, behaviors, and motivation to continue and thrive in primary school and beyond. As of the 2022/2023 academic year, this program has benefited more than 400,000 out-of-school children in addition to their families, teachers, school leaders, and regional and central government officials.
Rachel reflected that the process required true collaboration across the organization – from HR to the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion staff-led cohort and the Design & Implementation team. This exercise gave the different teams an opportunity to come together and look at the organization’s work from an analytical lens.
“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made on our social and environmental impact since becoming a Certified B Corp six years ago. As a mission-driven company that helps our clients achieve positive social change, we understand the importance of transparency, collective action, and a mindset of continuous growth in both the B Corp community and philanthropy sector.” – Nathaniel Heller, Vice President and Managing Director for Geneva Global
