IVHQ has always been about doing things differently. That’s why we are incredibly proud to announce that we have achieved recognition as a Certified B Corporation.
This means we think differently about how we define success. It means we operate transparently, and it also acknowledges that we meet the highest overall standards of social and environmental performance.
Certified B Corps are celebrated for using entrepreneurialism to help solve a range of global social and environmental problems. It’s like a Fair Trade certification except it certifies a company as a whole rather than just a bag of coffee or a carton of milk. The B Corp movement is all about identifying and recognizing ethical organizations that have a positive social purpose and use business as a force for good.
There are currently around 1,400 Certified B Corps globally and we’re delighted to be in the company of other innovative and like-minded businesses such as Kickstarter, Patagonia and Etsy. We’re the first volunteer travel provider to join the B Corp movement and we’re thrilled to be the 4th New Zealand business to make the grade.
Why did we become a B Corp? Ever since IVHQ launched in 2007, we’ve thought about our success in terms of the difference we can enable volunteers to make in communities, as well as the positive contribution we can make as a business. That’s why we’ve now helped more than 50,000 people to spend over 3 million hours actively supporting on community projects abroad and why this year we’ll invest more than $50,000 in community groups local to our New Plymouth headquarters.
Our organization can only do well if communities and the environment are also thriving and we became a Certified B Corp because we believe our own success depends on our ability to be a force for good. The B Corp assessment provides a unique and valuable way of examining and reporting on how we’re doing that.
Our founder, Dan Radcliffe believes “it’s no longer good enough for businesses to think about their success solely in terms of financial performance. I believe the companies who truly understand this will not only make the biggest positive impact in the world, but they’ll also become more attractive to customers and will be appealing to the very best talent. Understanding our success in terms of our wider social and environmental impact has always been a focus for us, so becoming a Certified B Corp is a no-brainer.”
We’ve got a big vision for the role that IVHQ will play in enabling people anywhere in the world and do something positive in the community, and this Certification is a symbol of our commitment to realising that vision in responsible and sustainable way. We hope other entrepreneurial businesses will be inspired to join the movement too.
Check out our B Corp profile for more information.
