Through B Corp Networks, Business Leaders Take Collective Action
Collaboration is at the center of the Certified B Corporation community’s work to create a more inclusive economy. With a commitment to interdependence, B Corps prioritize shared learning and collective action as they pursue new ways to improve their social and environmental impact. And during B Corp Month, these businesses celebrate and share how they work together to go beyond the expected.
For B Corps in the United States and Canada, a variety of self-organized B Corp networks provide the opportunity to connect throughout the year with other purpose-driven business leaders based on job role, impact area, industry, identity, or region. While the networks serve a variety of purposes, they share a common goal: bringing together B Corp community members for open conversations, innovative learnings, and collective action for a more inclusive economy. They also help the many smaller companies that are B Corps tap into a broader community of expertise and innovation.
For the numerous small companies in the B Corp community, networks serve as a channel for connection, understanding, and innovation. The networks also work to share beyond their individual businesses as another way to use business as a force for good for all people and the planet.
As Kendra Peavy of the U.S. & Canada Marketers group says: “It takes so much time, energy and resources to be a responsible business, and we know that it continues to be a differentiator across all sectors. We want to empower and inspire businesses — large and small — to find new ways to marry purpose and profits for their sake and the sake of the B Corp community at large.”
B The Change reached out to U.S. and Canada B Corp networks to learn more about their events, resources, and other opportunities. Learn more below about B Academics, BIPOC Network, B Tourism, B EOS Network, HR Professionals, U.S. & Canada Marketers, and WeThe Change, and find additional opportunities for network engagement on the B Hive, an online community for the B Corp community.
B Academics: Connecting Educators, Students and Business Leaders Advancing an Inclusive Economy
With a goal of advancing the study of business as a force for good, B Academics brings together a global network of academics, students, and business practitioners to connect, share best practices, and identify opportunities for collaboration. Reflecting its continued growth, the group recently named Jessica Yinka Thomas as its first-ever Executive Director and Rachel Haynes as its Operations Director.
B Academics aims to bridge the gap between academia and the B Corp community while building awareness and creating opportunities for collaboration and innovation, Thomas says. “Engaging with B Academics is an opportunity for B Corp leaders to connect with researchers at the cutting edge of applied learning, educators innovating in teaching about B Corps, and benefit corporations and students who will become future B Corp workers, customers, and leaders.”
Opportunities to connect include the B Academics Roundtable, held in conjunction with Champions Retreat, where academics meet with B Corp leaders to share the latest in teaching, research, and engagement innovations. In addition, B Academics hosts quarterly events and an annual Global Community of Practice Conversation to bring together perspectives from academics and practitioners from around the world.
Thomas says this year B Academics plans to update and expand its Resource Repository, which contains over 400 research, teaching, and engagement tools that are accessible to B Academics members.
Connect with B Academics: Learn more in the latest B Academics Impact Report and stay up-to-date on events and other opportunities by joining the B Academics mailing list.
BIPOC Network: Building an Inclusive Economy and Providing Opportunities for Engagement and Connection
Launched in 2022, the BIPOC Network provides a space for B Corp leaders who identify as Black, Indigenous, or other People of Color to gather and learn. Like the larger B Corp community, the BIPOC Network builds on the strength of interdependence and the need for collective action to address systemic barriers and create a more inclusive economy.
BIPOC Network organizers Natasha Motsi and Ayannah Crawley say the group’s members prioritize engagement and connection, so they made both of those a reality during happy hour and breakfast events at Champions Retreat 2022 in Philadelphia. At that event, the group also developed a Community Agreement to guide members and serve as a model for the larger B Corp ecosystem.
“We believe that the BIPOC Network makes up a significant portion of all members of our B Corp community,” the group organizers say. “The work that we undertake cannot be done in isolation.” To support that in the year ahead, the BIPOC Network plans a continued focus on connection and engagement with virtual lunch-and-learns and an in-person event. These and other activities can help BIPOC Network members amplify their impact in their own communities and strengthen the larger movement for a more inclusive economy.
Connect with the BIPOC Network: B Corp community members who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color can connect through a shared Slack channel, where they can learn of upcoming events and schedule one-on-one virtual meetups with other community members.