When Compass Furnished Apartments joined Pledge 1% in 2023, giving back wasn’t new to the company.

Through Compass Cares, Compass was already using one of its greatest assets, housing, to support families during difficult circumstances. What began as a commitment to helping people traveling for medical care and other critical needs had demonstrated what was possible when giving was closely connected to the business.

The next step was figuring out how to build on it.

“Compass Cares had already shown us what was possible when giving was connected directly to our business,” shared the Compass team. “Joining Pledge 1% in 2023 felt like the natural next step, an opportunity to formalize that commitment and ensure giving continued to grow alongside Compass.”

Adding structure to an existing commitment

For Compass, taking the pledge wasn’t about starting a social impact program from scratch. It was an opportunity to bring more intention, measurement and structure to work already underway.

That approach has helped Compass Cares continue to grow. To date, the company has supported more than 900 families and provided thousands of discounted and complimentary nights to guests traveling for medical care and other critical needs.

Housing remains at the heart of that work. By starting with the resources and expertise already central to its business, Compass found an authentic way to make an impact and a foundation it could continue to strengthen over time.

“For Compass, turning compassion into action means looking at the resources we already have, our apartments, our expertise, our people, and our partnerships, and asking how we can use them to make a meaningful difference.”

A foundation for what came next

That structure took on new significance as Compass pursued another milestone: becoming a Certified B Corporation in 2026.

B Corp Certification recognizes companies that meet standards for social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. Compass earned certification in August with a verified B Impact Score of 93.9.

According to Compass, the work it had already done through Pledge 1% helped the company clearly define, document and strengthen its community initiatives during the certification process.

“Today, we see the two commitments as deeply connected: Pledge 1% helped provide the framework, while B Corp certification challenged us to build on it and look even more broadly at the impact Compass can make.”

The milestone reflects an evolution that began well before the certification itself: taking a commitment to give back and building the structure to make it an intentional, lasting part of the business.

Start with what’s authentic

Compass’s experience also offers a useful lesson for companies that are already giving back but may not have a formal social impact strategy.

Taking the pledge doesn’t require starting over, or having everything figured out. It can provide a framework for building on what is already working, tracking progress and making impact a more deliberate part of how a company grows.

For Compass, that has meant starting with what it does best, putting greater structure around its commitment, and continuing to build from there.

Compass’s experience is a reminder that taking the pledge doesn’t mean starting from scratch. It can mean building on what’s already working, bringing more intention and structure to your impact, and creating a commitment that grows alongside your business.

Whether your company is just getting started or already giving back, Pledge 1% provides a framework to turn that commitment into action and make social impact part of how you do business.

Read the 2025 Compass Cares Annual Compassion Report to learn more about the company’s giving initiatives and the communities it supports.

Technology and social impact leader will guide the global movement into its next phase of growth and impact

Originally published on PR Newswire.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, September 10, 2026 — Pledge 1%, the global movement inspiring companies to embed social impact into their business, today announced the appointment of Josh Jarrett as Chief Executive Officer, effective September 8, 2026.

Jarrett brings nearly three decades of experience at the intersection of technology and impact, spanning philanthropy, startups, and global organizations. He helped build the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s higher education initiative, co-founded Koru and InStride to expand access to education and careers, and most recently led Wiley’s Applied Research Intelligence business, where he developed AI-powered products built on trusted research.

He joins Pledge 1% at an important moment for both the organization and corporate impact. More than a decade after its founding, Pledge 1% has grown to a global community of more than 20,000 companies across 130 countries. At the same time, rapid advances in AI are reshaping business, creating new questions about how companies contribute to society and how corporate impact will evolve alongside them.

“Josh is a strong leader with experience across philanthropy, startups, and established businesses,” said Scott Farquhar, Board Chair of Pledge 1%. “His work at the forefront of applied AI is particularly relevant as AI transforms our membership base. Josh has the skills to build on Pledge 1%’s incredible foundation, evolve it for a new generation of companies, and grow the movement globally.”

“We’re at an inflection point with the explosion of AI and fundamental questions about who will benefit from the value it creates,” said Josh Jarrett, incoming CEO of Pledge 1%. “That’s what makes the opportunity at Pledge 1% so compelling to me. Companies have a huge impact on our society — creating opportunity and shaping our quality of life. I’m excited about what’s possible when we work with companies to expand the ways their success can benefit society more broadly.”

Pledge 1% began with a simple idea and framework: make giving back part of how companies do business by committing a portion of their time, profit, product, or equity. More than a decade later, the ways companies create impact continue to evolve, along with the expectations placed on business. But the core conviction behind Pledge 1% remains the same: companies can be a powerful platform for positive impact, and that impact is strongest when it is embedded into how they do business.

About Pledge 1%: Pledge 1% is a global movement to embed social impact into all businesses. Providing a simple, flexible framework for setting aside staff time, product, profit, and/or equity, Pledge 1% is on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower companies of all sizes to leverage their assets to create positive impact and meaningful change. Over the past decade, more than 20,000 companies in more than 130 countries have joined the movement, including top industry leaders like Salesforce, Atlassian, Twilio, Airbnb, Okta, Toast, Reddit, Canva, and many more, unlocking over $3 billion of new philanthropy in equity commitments alone. 

Media contact:

Min Yoo
media@pledge1percent.org
(415) 404-9289‬