The Business Case for Supporting Your Community

B the Change Weekly: July 6, 2018

Delivered on Fridays, B the Change Weekly delivers the most important and most relevant stories about people using business as a force for good. The newsletter features a weekly note from the B the Change team alongside insight and context on the stories we share here on Medium. Below is our latest roundup. To receive these insights directly in your inbox, sign up for B the Change Weekly today. Now onto the good stuff:

Whether it’s donating to our favorite nonprofit or finding a meaningful gift for a friend, giving makes us feel good.

More businesses are finding that feeling by incorporating philanthropic or giveback efforts into their financial models. But some companies go beyond that level by putting care for their community at the heart of their operations, whether it’s by making a donation with every purchase, nurturing relationships with suppliers, or breaking down barriers to employment.

The Best For The World: Community honorees have built caring for the community into their business models. By investing — through their time, money or actions — they build stronger, more sustainable relationships and businesses.

Advantage Media Services employees prepare boxes for a community Thanksgiving drive. (Photo courtesy AMS)

Beyond the First Job

Fulfillment is the theme on several levels at Advantage Media Services Inc. (AMS). The company, based just north of Los Angeles, distributes consumer products to the traditional retail sector and to consumers who have made orders via client websites.

While becoming a successful fulfillment company with annual sales of $45 million, AMS has discovered the benefits of employing a workforce of people facing life challenges. The company finds purpose in providing initial job opportunities, as well as skills training to take people beyond that first job.

“We employ approximately 300 individuals in our community, and what we discovered is that almost half of those positions are what we’d refer to as entry-level or possibly first-job opportunities,” says Ken Weisman, CEO and managing partner at AMS. “When you look at the population of individuals looking for those types of jobs, there are a lot of groups overlooked, challenged in getting their first jobs, and we wanted to start focusing on those groups.”

Read more on B the Change about how AMS has successfully reworked its hiring and training practices to be more inclusive, how it has benefited the company, and why it’s on the Best For The World: Community list.

In Aspiration They Trust

When it comes to banking, trust is vital. Yet only 8 percent of Americans trust their own financial institutions, according to Andrei Cherny, co-founder and CEO of Aspiration, a Los Angeles-based financial institution. With that in mind, Aspiration is developing unique products and methods to banking and investing.

“Financial institutions should serve their customers, not just their bottom line,” Cherny says. “That means building products and business models that are aimed at customer success rather than making money off fees when the customer falters. Banks and financial firms should also lend and invest with their customers’ values and future in mind.”

With the Aspiration Impact Measurement feature, customers can “vote with their dollars” and see how their daily spending is impacting people and the planet.

Learn more about Aspiration and its socially conscious financial options, available across the U.S., on B the Change.

The Power of Collaboration

Through partnerships with other Certified B Corporations, Bodhi Surf + Yoga strives to “act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another.” The Costa Rican surf and yoga camp says these alliances yield benefits for both businesses involved while strengthening the overall B Corp brand.

Dee Fitzgerald, a Brand Manager at Badger Balm, believes that Badger’s partnership with Bodhi drives forward B Corp ideals. “Our shared vision is of a healthier world where community-minded businesses with ethical and charitable social principles are the norm,” Fitzgerald says. “We couldn’t ask for a better partner than Bodhi.”

What does it take to be a good partner? For Bodhi, three actions are key: Create together. Share resources. Support local.

Read how Bodhi and its partners bring these actions to life on B the Change, where you can also find a roundup of several Best For The World: Community honorees’ best practices.

Book of the Week

If you have a specific suggestion, let us know at info@bthechange.com with the subject line “book recommendation.”

Fit Matters: How To Love Your Job

By Moe Carrick

“When people describe employee/employer pairings that fail, they often say, ‘S/he wasn’t a good fit.’ And people who leave companies often say simply, ‘I didn’t really fit in there.’ When the culture of your workplace doesn’t work for you, it is easy to feel like the awkward kid who just can’t find the right crowd to join in middle school and lies awake at night dreaming of simply and completely fitting in. But fitting in is not the answer when it comes to finding the right place to hang your star.”

How can you discover a job that really matches your needs? A job that provides meaning to your life? This practical guide is designed to help readers find a job they’ll enjoy at any career stage. Its tools and exercises are designed to help readers evaluate the fit between their needs and the culture of their current or prospective employer, assess and articulate what they really need to thrive at work, and develop options if they find themselves in a misfit company or job.