Impact Report

As we reflect on 2025, we recognize it has been a year of resilience, growth, and deepened commitment to our mission. Like many purpose-driven companies, we find ourselves navigating economic uncertainty, rising tariffs, attacks on DEI programs, and real threats to democracy — all while meeting the evolving needs of our clients, employees, and planet. While challenges remain, we are proud of how HigherRing has adapted — strengthening our foundation while staying true to our values.

Strengthening Our Ethical Foundation

Two milestones define 2025 for us. First, HigherRing achieved a B Corp recertification score of 99.4 — up from 88.2 in 2022 — a jump that reflects years of intentional improvement across every dimension of our business. We are deeply proud of this result, and equally excited about what lies ahead for the B Corp movement itself. As B Lab continues to raise the bar with more rigorous standards, we celebrate that evolution. We believe increasing rigor is the right direction — it strengthens the credibility of certification and separates genuine commitment from compliance theater — while we also hold space for the reality that transformation must remain navigable for the companies working hardest to do right by their people and planet.

Second, we launched profit sharing. For the first time, every member of the HigherRing team participated equally in a distribution of company profits — a tangible expression of our Open Book Management philosophy and our belief that the people who drive our success should share in it.

We also piloted international team expansion in 2025 — taking meaningful steps toward meeting our clients where they are, including where their budgets require flexibility, while maintaining the ethical employment standards that define who we are.

Environmental Stewardship & Team Giving

This year, we deepened our environmental commitments in meaningful ways. We expanded our carbon-neutral operations — recertified through The Climate Change Project — and added business travel offsets through Native, a peer B Corp. We also partnered with SeaTrees to fund two blue carbon projects: restoring kelp forests in Portugal and supporting Kenyan communities in protecting mangroves. These partnerships move us beyond simple offsetting toward actively investing in marine ecosystem restoration.

Our team contributed 66 hours of paid volunteer time to 1% for the Planet environmental partners, amplified by a new corporate volunteer match program. In 2025, we contributed $24,088 to 1% for the Planet, bringing our total contributions to $114,756.

Impact Beyond Our Internal Walls

Our commitment to being a force for good extends well beyond our own operations. In a year marked by significant political and economic pressure on sustainable business practices, we doubled down on helping clients transition away from extractive systems — moving them toward values-aligned alternatives in banking, email, and supply chain. We believe every procurement decision is a values decision, and we are proud to be the partner that helps mission-driven businesses act accordingly.

Through our placement program, we successfully transitioned two team members into permanent roles on client teams — proof that our "tested by you, trusted by us" model creates real pathways for our people while delivering lasting value for our clients.

Michelle continued her leadership as Engagement Chair for B Local Bay Area, advancing thought leadership on values-aligned vendor choices. Our team participated in local civic engagement initiatives, and three team members deepened their JEDI practice through Groundwater Institute's deeply impactful Racial Equity Learning Journey.

At the heart of everything we do is our team. Their hard work, adaptability, and shared belief in our mission fuel our impact. We invested 3,086 hours in their training and development this year — and the results speak for themselves. In our annual Employee Happiness Survey, 100% of respondents agreed that their manager always supports their work, that they feel they belong at HigherRing, that people from all backgrounds have equal opportunities to succeed, and that our leadership team models our values and mission. We don't take that for granted.

Looking Ahead

While the macro environment presents increasing challenges, we are thankful to exist within a purpose-driven community and remain confident in our approach: building an ethical, resilient, and impact-driven company that helps others do the same. In 2026, we are focused on expanding our global reach, launching new services in tax preparation and AI-powered process support, and continuing to advocate for business practices that put people and planet first.

We are grateful for the clients, partners, and team members who make this work possible. Here's to another year of using business as a force for good.