Doing Better Newsletter 01 - Intro + Jobs

News + Jobs for B Corps, Benefit Corporations, & more delivered to your inbox

Jamil Sweis

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Doing 🅱️etter 🗞️

Welcome to the first newsletter focused on for-profit companies missioned with improving society for the better.

What’s in each newsletter? (click the arrow to expand)

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Highlight one interesting topic in this space 🧠⁠

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Spotlight one company that is hiring 📈⁠

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And link out to a few of the others 🙏⁠

If you're curious about this space, or looking to work in it, keep reading...

⚖️ Nonprofit or For-Profit?

In the simplest terms, you’d want to structure your legal entity based on where you expect your revenue to come from (yes, non-profits still need income to cover operating expenses).

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Non-Profit, or 501(c)(3)⁠

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If a majority of the revenue you generate will come from grants or donations, then structuring your company as a non-profit is the best route for tax and legal protection.

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For-Profit Enterprises⁠

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On the other hand, if you plan to generate revenue by engaging in economic activity, then you’ll want to structure it as a for-profit entity, as a C-Corp, S-Corp, or LLC

More on corporate motives...

While the above for-profit legal designations tie their firms to serving their stakeholders (read: investors, management, founders, customers) they don’t always ensure the firm considers their externalities, or impact on the broader society.

This is where B Corps & Benefit Corporations come into play- they attempt to impart social & environmental welfare considerations into firms’ decision-making processes

📊 Analysis Paralysis: B Corp or Benefit Corporation?

They are different

Compared to the average for-profit firm, both the B Corp certification & the Benefit Corporation legal structure introduce higher standards of accountability, transparency, and purpose for firms to follow...

As The

B-Lab explains the difference⁠

"The B Corp Certification is a third-party certification administered by the non-profit B Lab, based in part on a company's verified performance on the B Impact Assessment. The benefit corporation is a legal structure for a business, like an LLC or a corporation. Benefit corporations are legally empowered to pursue positive stakeholder impact alongside profit."

✂️ TL;DR

Both B Corps & Benefit Corporations are ensured to benefit society through enterprise at a minimum threshold - I wouldn't stress picking between the two.

Further in-depth reading on those differences

here⁠

Companies can be both a legal Benefit Corporation & a certified B Corp (

Patagonia⁠

Kickstarter⁠

are examples)

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