How LunarLab Does Policy Advocacy Work as a B Corp
When people find out we do policy advocacy work, the first question is usually some version of “Wait, a design agency does that?” It’s a fair question. For us, this work has been part of the job since day one, long before we ever became a Certified B Corp.
We think about it like this: we build technology for a living, and technology shapes people’s lives. So we care about the rules and conditions that decide who gets to build, who gets left out, and what happens to the communities around us. Policy advocacy is one of the ways we put that care into practice.
As a Certified B Corp, advocacy is built into how we run. We offer pro bono mentorship, we take part in collective action on tech and community policy, and we recently wrote and published our own responsible lobbying policy. Here is how we do it, why it matters for the products we build, and how your own business could start doing this work too.
Advocacy started with mentorship
We didn’t start out by meeting with federal agencies and advocating on the national level. Our first step was a little closer to home: looking around our community to understand what was most needed on the ground.
Offering pro bono mentorship has been part of our company from the very first day. Working in tech, we saw up close how founders from historically excluded groups get locked out of building successful companies, and therefore locked out of building generational wealth. Part of that is the old boys’ club network. Part of it is a simple lack of solid strategic guidance.
Over the years, our mentoring grew from something casual into a structured program. We partner with several nonprofits to offer free mentoring and business coaching to startups and small businesses. That still includes one-on-one sessions with founders, and it now also includes free community webinars, group workshops, mentor swarms, and a conference for LGBTQ+ founders, who have very little support here in Alabama. We also provide discounted services to nonprofits and to founders who receive grants through these organizations, so that high quality work stays within reach for the people who need it most.
Right now we are building a session with a local nonprofit that supports minority entrepreneurs, helping them identify the policy issues that matter to their businesses. For us, that one feels like a full circle moment.
You do not need a lobbying budget to have a voice
There is a common misconception that lobbying takes a pile of money to advance the topics you care about. As a small tech company, we are not aligned with Big Tech on policy, and we are never going to outspend anyone on paid lobbyists. We still need a way to stand up for our values.
This is where collective action does the heavy lifting. Industry associations and 501(c)(3) policy advocacy organizations are a great way to learn about policies that align with your values and to find real opportunities to engage. They tell you exactly what is on the table. Instead of “I don’t think companies should pollute,” you get “The Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act has been introduced in the House, and here is what we need to do to help it pass.” That specificity is what makes action possible.
A few of the ways we have shown up: volunteer lobbying, attending industry days, speaking at hearings, writing op-eds, writing to our representatives, signing on to group letters, and sharing policy information with our community.
How we decide what to stand for
We stay aligned to our values. As a tech company, we want technology that is created responsibly and without causing harm, and we want a level playing field so that founders from historically excluded groups have a real shot at creating wealth through innovation.
Industry associations and policy advocacy groups help us spot the specific policies that connect to those values.
A few organizations we love:
- ACT | Association for Competitive Technology – a global trade association representing small tech companies, shaping policy and supporting the connected technology ecosystem.
- RBIJ, the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice – an international non-profit organization that partners with companies to drive criminal justice reform and expand fair-chance employment.
- Alabama Arise – A statewide, member-led organization advancing public policies to improve the lives of Alabamians who are marginalized by poverty.
- PARCA, the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama – They provide amazing research for helping to understand the policy more holistically.
- CEO, the Center for Employment Opportunities – The nation’s largest reentry employment organization, providing immediate, comprehensive work and training services exclusively to individuals recently released from incarceration.
- Bronze Valley – a non-profit, CDFI-certified venture capital firm and accelerator based in Birmingham, Alabama, that invests in early-stage, high-growth startups founded by under-resourced and underrepresented entrepreneurs.
Sometimes we advocate for issues that sit outside our core mission, because they are simply the right thing to do. We have spoken up for SNAP benefits, for example. None of our work matters much if our neighbors are going hungry.
What it means to be a B Corp in Alabama
This work looks a little different here than it might elsewhere. Alabama only started allowing companies to become public benefit corporations a few years ago, and we were the third B Corp in the state. Most people locally have never heard of the distinction, and when they have, they sometimes assume it is a left-leaning political label.
So we have had to be ambassadors on the ground. A big part of the job is helping people understand that values-based business and policy work can be genuinely non-partisan. Everybody wants economic justice, food security, and clean air and water. When policymakers see that the social and environmental benefits we advance are good for everyone, and that a company can pursue them and still succeed financially, we are able to advocate far more effectively for the change we want.
We have also been told, more than once, that it is impossible to build a values-based business in Alabama, or that we would never get any work. Both of those turned out to be wrong. When a company shows up as an active part of policy work and stays deeply involved in its community, people see the difference. You can do good work for your community and run a healthy business at the same time.
Why this matters for the products we build
Here is the part that matters most if you are a client or thinking about becoming one. The care we put into our community is the same care we put into your product.
Because we think about impact and harm as a matter of habit, that lens comes with us into every engagement. We ask who a product includes, who it might accidentally leave out, and what happens downstream once real people start using it. Our B Corp certification holds us accountable to those questions with an outside standard, not just good intentions.
For you, that means a partner who is credible, who is transparent about how we operate, and who treats the impact of your product as part of the work rather than an afterthought.
Want to start policy advocacy work at your own company?
You do not need to be a B Corp to begin, and your policy does not need to be long. It just needs to match what your organization actually does and wants to do. A few steps that helped us:
- Take stock of what you already do that counts as collective action or advocacy, from mentoring to sharing research to writing to your representatives.
- Pick the actions you want to add, and start small.
- If you are a B Corp or want to become one, read the relevant standards for your company size
- Consider writing a responsible lobbying policy to guide your work. Have your highest governing body approve it, and loop in legal or HR as needed. Here’s ours!
- Operationalize it. We added our policy to our annual policy review, shared it with our team and stakeholders, created time tracking categories for collective action and lobbying, and committed to reporting on it publicly in our annual reports.
Our own advocacy and responsible lobbying policy is public, and we are always glad to talk through how we approached it.
If you are looking for a product partner who cares about the impact of what we build together, let’s talk.
