Not all organizations are created equal. Some truly stand out by exemplifying honesty, integrity and excellence in all that they do. These organizations have the courage and commitment to do the right things for the right reasons, even when it’s not easy. They are true role models — and should be celebrated.
Honoring exceptional organizations for their dedication to integrity and ethical practices is exactly what BBB Serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming set out to do when we created the Torch Awards for Ethics in 1998. This annual awards program not only promotes the importance of building trust but also the willingness and efforts made by outstanding organizations to help contribute to an honorable marketplace.
Demonstrating ethics and integrity
Originally, the BBB Torch Awards for Ethics was only open to companies that had been in business for at least three years and were in good standing with BBB. In 2016, BBB Serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming broadened the program to include nonprofit organizations that had been in operation for at least three years and met the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.
Organizations of all sizes can compete for a Torch Award and must demonstrate adherence to four key factors: character, culture, customers and community.
Character refers to how the organization’s leader behaves intentionally and empowers staff to carry out the commitment to building and maintaining ethical practices. Organizations are then asked to illustrate how they’ve built a culture of trust by empowering employees, uniting their team around a purpose and identifying opportunities for growth. The ability to build better customer relationships is also pivotal and must be demonstrated through examples. Finally, organizations should be able to show that they are actively engaged with and support their community.
BBB has also introduced the Spark Awards for Entrepreneurship. This award was designed to celebrate startup businesses — those in operation for less than three years — that are committing to creating a culture of trust and ethics from the very beginning.
The Torch Awards are not just about honoring ethical organizations. Through our Ethics Scholar Internship Program, we’re also providing valuable, hands-on education to future business leaders.
Too often, business schools rely on lectures alone as the method for teaching students about the ethical challenges they will face in their careers. Unfortunately, until they see how a business ethics program operates in the real world, students cannot truly understand that ethics is not always easy or just common sense.
BBB Serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming partnered with then Colorado State University ethics professor O.C. Ferrell and his wife, Linda — also an ethics professor and bestselling author — to give students a real-world learning opportunity. Students were able to apply their education by evaluating the Torch Award nominees’ business ethics. The program initially started with students from CSU and quickly expanded to include the University of Wyoming and the University of Northern Colorado.
Each year, selected students from the three participating universities work directly with the businesses and nonprofits that were nominated for the elite BBB Torch Award for Ethics. Over the course of a semester, the interns research, advocate and work collaboratively with leadership, executive teams and employees to prepare a written analysis as to how the organization exceeds the award criteria. The interns give an oral presentation of their work to the Torch Awards judging committee, which then chooses the winners.
Now known as the Ethics Scholar Internship Program, this model of using students as evaluators is truly innovative and highly beneficial to all parties. Students gain an out-of-classroom ethics learning experience, where they’re able to see firsthand the benefits of having a strong ethical organizational culture. Business and nonprofit leaders have the opportunity to engage with the future workforce and demonstrate to the next generation the importance of doing the right thing.
By maintaining relationships with our former interns, BBB hopes to learn from them. We want to hear what ethical dilemmas they’ve faced as they navigate their careers, and what tools they learned in college and through the internship that helped guide them.
A rewarding quarter of a century
Twenty-five years ago, no one knew what an ethics award was. Today, nearly 120 businesses and nonprofits throughout our service area have earned this prestigious honor. They can proudly say to their customers, employees and communities that they hold themselves to the highest standards of ethical conduct. In a world where it’s becoming increasingly hard to know who to trust, Torch Award winners give us all something to believe in and aspire to.
On April 27, BBB Serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming will honor this year’s marketplace role models during the 25th Annual BBB Torch Awards for Ethics Celebration. Event details and tickets are available at bit.ly/TorchAwards2023. Nominations for next year’s Torch Awards for Ethics will be accepted beginning in May.
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