B Impact Clinic

The work and scope of projects vary from each group and client company. Work completed for your client shouldn’t exceed 1-3 hours per week.  

The commitment to course logistics is like any class at UNH, with a 1 hour, 20-minute course session that meets weekly.

We also hold three in-person events per semester with the participating clients:

• Client Kick-off: Clients present their businesses and goals for the semester to the student consultant teams.
• Mid-semester meeting: A chance to meet in person with your client to reflect on the progress you’ve made and plan for the final few weeks.
• Final Presentation Showcase: Each team shares their completed work and the lessons they learned from the Clinic in a 10-minute presentation to clients, UNH faculty and staff, family and friends, followed by networking.

While experience is a plus, it is certainly not a requirement.

A commitment to change and contributing to businesses acting as a force for good will make your Clinic experience successful! We’ll give a thorough introduction to the B Impact Assessment before you begin working with your client, allowing you to ease into the consulting process. Plus, you have the support of your Peer Mentor and Business Advisor.

We match students with clients based on preference and team workability. Our goal is for you to get your first or second choice. 

Student team sizes range from 2-4 and each team is led by a Peer Mentor and Business Advisor. The Peer Mentor is a student who serves as the group lead and chief student consultant – they’ve completed the Clinic in a previous semester, so are a great resource for you. The Business Advisor is a business professional who has experience as a local B Corp owner or independent consultant with years of experience in the sustainable business field, another great resource to help you succeed. 

You’ll gain many employable skills and get real-world experience – a great resume builder! From consulting experience, team building, responsibility for deliverables, communication and organizational skills, to a greater understanding of implementing sustainable business policies.  

You’ll become versed in the B Impact Assessment, the first step for a company to become B Corp Certified – a growing demand from companies and consumers – there's over 5500 companies now certified!  

You’ll also gain an understanding of what it’s like to work on a team of people from different academic backgrounds and have the chance to network with local business leaders. 

And if you've already completed the Clinic and want to repeat it, we not only encourage it, you're welcome to apply to be a paid Peer Mentor! The Clinic can only be used to satisfy major requirements once; however, it can be repeated for general credit. 

No, you do not need to be a PAUL student and we encourage students of ALL majors and backgrounds to apply! We strive to create interdisciplinary student teams to bring a wide range of knowledge and perspectives to the experience. 

Yes! This is a 2-credit course for ALL majors.
It also satisfies: 

• 670 B.I.P. credit for PAUL business students 
• An elective credit for the Sustainability Dual Major

Please note for participants who repeat the class: the Clinic can only be used to satisfy major requirements once; however, it can be repeated for general credit. 

I’ve also heard about the Carbon Clinic. Can I take both? 

Yes, however students are not allowed to take both Clinics in the same semester due to the nature of the Clinics and time conflicts that will arise. 

The Clinic has limited seats each semester. Because you'll be working with community businesses, we ask that you apply for the Clinic so we can understand your experience, interests and make the best matches. After you apply, we'll reach out to schedule a meeting with you to get to know you better, and then we offer seats to most applicants. We do have a waitlist if we have many more applicants than seats, or if all seats aren’t filled, we'll refer to our waitlist to fill any remaining seats.

Application due dates: 
To participate in the spring, apply by November 1 
To participate in the fall, apply by April 1

The B Impact Assessment is administered by B Lab, a nonprofit that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. The assessment examines a company's impact on their workers, community, environment, and customers along with the company's governance structure and accountability. To become a certified B Corp, a company must score 80 out of 200 available points.

Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.

B Corp certification is about a decade old. There are now over 5500 companies across 150 industries that are certified including Patagonia, Danone,  Ben & Jerry’s, Cabot, Seventh Generation and Eileen Fisher. New Hampshire is proud to be home to several leading B Corps including Stonyfield, W.S. Badger, Pete and Gerry's Organic Eggs, ReVision Energy, Veris Wealth Partners, and Mascoma Bank. 

Benefit corporations and Certified B Corporations are often confused. 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. Some companies are both Certified B Corporations and benefit corporations, and the benefit corporation structure fulfills the legal accountability requirement of B Corp Certification. Learn more about the difference.

The standards for B Corp Certification are overseen by B Lab's independent Standards Advisory Council. Members of the Standards Advisory Council bring industry and stakeholder expertise to bear during the three-year update cycle for the B Impact Assessment, complaints made against Certified B Corps, and material disclosures made by companies pursuing B Corp Certification.