LODESTONE COMMUNICATIONS BUILDS TOWARDS GOALS ON 1ST B CORP CERIFICATION ANNIVERSARY
Last year, Lodestone Communications became the first specialist public affairs agency to join the global community of businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental impact through the B Corp certification.
One year on, they’ve exceeded each of their initial impact goals within one year of becoming certified – across all three pillars (People, Planet, and Purpose). They’ve met their goal to generate 80% of their revenue by supporting underserved communities and purpose-driven clients and have become majority female owned, becoming one of the UK’s largest female-majority owned independent public affairs agencies.
Lodestone have achieved their goal to strengthen their position as a responsible employer and agency, introducing enhanced HR policies and achieving a 140% staff retention rate over the past 12 months as well as a client retention rate of 91%.
Additionally, they developed initiatives that represent their commitment to giving back, including the launch of their Social Action Academy, which offers all employees hours each year to work on a pro-bono basis towards causes that they care about. They’ve also demonstrated their commitment to the B Corp values by committing to key mandates such as the UN Global Compact, the Better Business Act, and pledges to support women in the workplace through the Workplace Menopause Charter and Pregnancy Loss Pledge.
Martha Dalton, Co-Founder and Managing Director, said: “Last year, we committed to delivering on the three B Corp principles: People, Planet, and Purpose. Through cross-team efforts and a commitment to our founding idea that its actions- not words- that drive engagement, advocacy, and change, we’ve exceeded our initial goals and have made critical steps towards our future targets.
We’re incredibly proud of the work we’ve completed to accomplish and surpass our year one goals and are thrilled to announce even more ambitious targets for the future across the three pillars of people, planet, and purpose. We look forward to another year of continuing to drive value and impact for our clients, while acting as a force for good alongside our B Corp network.”
People:
At the time of certification, Lodestone generated over 60% of its revenue by supporting underserved communities and purpose-driven clients, with a goal to increase this number by 20% to hit 80% of all revenue by our 1st B Corp birthday in October 2023. They have reached this goal, generating exactly 80% of revenue from purpose-driven projects or clients supporting underserved communities over the past 12 months.
They remain a London Living Wage employer and continue to invest in its people through employees receiving a profit share as part of a bonus scheme, a rolling London Living Wage paid internship programme and an annual training budget to support personal and professional development. Lodestone aims to maintain this level of purpose-driven clients as they continue to grow.
Purpose
This year, Lodestone launched their ‘Social Action Academy’- Lodestone supported the All Stars group, a grassroots community organisation, who use a performance-based approach to transform the lives of young people. They dedicate their time to working with young people from London's poorest boroughs, encouraging them to use performance to open new possibilities. Lodestone supported the inspiring young leaders on building confidence and preparation for interviews and public speaking.
All Stars London Trustee and Co-Organiser Brian Mullin said:
"This new connection with Lodestone feels like such a perfect fit for the work we do. All Stars' Young Leaders are training to 'perform their lives,' meaning that they can walk into any professional environment and present the best version of themselves. As experts in communication, Lodestone's team offered them a huge range of insightful, practical advice about how to get their messages across, which will no doubt help them as they move into future opportunities in higher education and the world of work.”
They’ve also ramped up work another pro-bono initiatives including Homes for Ukraine and RegistHERtoVote, a charity set up to amplify the voices of women in the political debate by encouraging them to register to vote.
Their future Purpose goals include growing the Social Action Academy to enhance its impact. In 2024, their focus will be on pro- democracy work in the lead up to the next General Election.
Planet
Making substantial leaps towards minimising their environmental impact, Lodestone has begun work to specifically track all carbon emissions, water waste and single-use plastics. They are on track to be carbon positive by 2025. They are also proud members of the UN Global Compact and have made the SME Climate Commitment, agreeing to halve their greenhouse gas emissions before 2030, achieve net zero emissions before 2050, and disclose progress on a yearly basis.