SAN FRANCISCO — Mission North has become a benefit corporation, legally weaving the firm’s commitment to social responsibility into the company.

“This is a natural evolution for Mission North," co-CEO Bill Bourdon said in a blog post on the company’s website. “From our early days, we’ve always prioritized making a positive social impact beyond just our bottom line. Being a benefit corporation now creates a legal platform to protect that mission long-term.”

While the designation won’t change Mission North’s operations (the agency has donated more than $1 million to community nonprofits), it will hold the firm more accountable when it comes to furthering its social impact goals.

“I think it will also motivate us to continue to push ourselves. We’ll publish an annual report to document our impact, establish benchmarks to work against, and set goals to help us continually improve,” Bourdon said. “As much as I’m proud of our impact so far, we’re still in the early stages of our journey.”

There are roughly 3,000 benefit corporations in the US, Mission North said, which are held to a higher standard of accountability and transparency than traditional for-profit businesses. They also must regularly report their progress.

A benefit corporation is not the same as a B corporation; The latter requires certification from a third-party B Lab, which assesses a company’s social and environmental performance. Mission North will be exploring B Corp certification in the future, an agency rep said.