Have you been thinking about the social impact of your business? Is doing social good important to you as a business owner? The MeasureUp Finger Lakes program aims to inspire positive change and have a collective impact on workers, communities, and our environment right here in Upstate New York.
Jeff Leenhouts, Principal of Home Leasing, a certified B-corp, says, “We are pursuing the Ethics Awards for the same reason we went after B-Corp status. We want to make sure we are never satisfied in our drive to be better stewards to our team members, customers, community, and our environment. The B-Corp Assessment challenges us to document what we believe and keep us accountable to all our stakeholders.” Local business owners are joining the movement to consider their impact and constantly improve.
The MeasureUp program is run by the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute at RIT, and they guide values-driven companies through a simple four-step process to figure out how they measure up against their peers. The steps include:
- Compare – Take a business impact assessment that helps you figure out where you stand with regards to your peers.
- Compete – Attend events or join peer groups that help you strengthen your business.
- Improve – Connect with subject matter experts who can assist you in making improvements.
- Repeat – Keep iterating and improving to maximize your company’s positive impact.
Companies that measure their impact see many positive effects, like boosting employee attraction, retention, and engagement, learning and applying best practices, and enhancing their community and environment.
As Marc Cohen, Chief of Staff at the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce says, “The role of business in society continues to grow and expand, making the embodiment of responsible business practices more critical than ever before. Programs like MeasureUp help companies to realize more than just financial gain. MeasureUp promotes environmental sustainability, cultural awareness and advancement, reductions in inequality and inequity, and leads to an overall improvement of workplace morale and output.”
If your values-driven company wants to take the next step, NextCorps will be hosting a workshop on February 28th where you can take the Quick Impact Assessment, receive guidance from MeasureUp partners, and learn from your peers and other technical resources on how they’re measuring up and you can too. The workshop is free; register now to reserve your spot.
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