Volunteer With the VSCPA!

The VSCPA is seeking volunteers for the 2013–2014 membership year. Will you take advantage of this member benefit?

VSCPA members cite volunteer opportunities as one of the most satisfying aspects of their membership. VSCPA volunteer work provides networking opportunities, leadership development and a chance to represent your firm and your profession. In addition, all VSCPA volunteers are invited to the annual Leaders’ Summit, a free, two-day leadership training event which qualifies for CPE credit.

“I have grown tremendously personally and professionally through my involvement with the VSCPA,” VSCPA member Monique Valentine, CPA, said. “…The VSCPA has helped me grow in my current position … and has introduced me to so many great CPAs that I would never have had the opportunity to work with without my involvement at the VSCPA.”

Use your valuable professional skills to help your community or build your skills in an area where you don’t have as much experience. Your time commitment is up to you.

“I feel like volunteering is the best way to say ‘Thank you,’ to everyone that has helped give me opportunities to be successful in life and to try and provide those same opportunities to others,” VSCPA member Andrew Martin, CPA, said.

 

Visit the VSCPA Volunteer Opportunities page for more information. The deadline to sign up is Feb. 1, 2013.

Valentine Gives Back in Every Way

Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of profiles highlighting the diverse interests and careers of VSCPA members. Know a member (including yourself) who would make for an interesting profile? Email VSCPA Communications Specialist Chip Knighton.

The VSCPA is filled with high achievers, but Monique Valentine, CPA (right) has been remarkably active even among that group. She chaired the VSCPA Board of Directors in 2007–2008 and has held leadership positions with the VSCPA Educational Foundation and the VSCPA PAC. As it turns out, that love of service bled into her non-VSCPA work.

After starting in public accounting, Valentine transitioned into the nonprofit sector in 2000 and has worked for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), where she is now chief financial officer (CFO), and has been for 11 years.

“My first job in my nonprofit career was with a [501(c)(3)] organization that raised money for international relief and development organizations, and knowing that the money we raised went to help people in under-developed countries was very rewarding,” Valentine said. “We worked hard to keep overhead expenses to a minimum so that the majority of the money we raised was used to fulfill our mission.  It gave me a great sense of purpose knowing that the work I did was benefitting many other individuals.”

Valentine made partner in a Springfield CPA firm the same year she got married and began a lengthy commute from Front Royal around the same time. It didn’t take long before she realized that spending four hours a day in the car wasn’t conducive to a successful marriage.

“The thought of an increased commute and the long hours I was working helped me to decide that I either needed to divorce my job or my husband,” she said. “I chose to divorce my job.”

While work-life balance played a role in her move to the nonprofit world, the sense of working for a greater good let her know she made the right decision.

“I love working for an organization where I believe and support the mission and know that my work benefits more than just the owners of the business,” she said.

It’s that same sense of working for something bigger than herself that has driven much of Valentine’s volunteer work with the VSCPA and other organizations. In addition to the long list of roles she’s held with the Society, she’s given her time to the George Mason University Accounting Advisory Council, the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and Manassas Presbyterian Church. She started as a VSCPA volunteer with the Young CPAs Committee before taking on a greater role with the Society’s Northern chapter.

“The firm I worked for was a strong advocate for giving back to the profession and encouraged all staff to get involved with the local chapter and the VSCPA,” she said. “…I have grown tremendously personally and professionally through my involvement with the VSCPA. I never thought that I would have a leadership role at the VSCPA, but by getting involved early on and taking on a little more each year, I eventually felt that I had the knowledge and ability to serve in a leadership capacity. 

“The VSCPA has helped me to grow in my current position as the CFO for a large trade association and has introduced me to so many great CPAs that I would never have had the opportunity to work with without my involvement at the VSCPA.”

Becoming a volunteer has helped Valentine in her day job, too.

“By volunteering with the VSCPA and other organizations, I have had to become more efficient at managing my time, which is a skill we can all continually improve upon,” she said. “My volunteer work has also helped me to improve my communication skills, and has given me the ability to work in teams with fellow professionals with diverse and varying backgrounds. But most of all, I think my volunteer work has helped to build my confidence and to not be afraid to try new things by taking on new opportunities and challenges. The roles I have had with the VSCPA have helped me to improve all of these skills, which has led to my becoming a more efficient, productive CFO.”

Going into the nonprofit world after “divorcing her job” helped Valentine refocus on her family life. She has two children, Sara (15) and Ben (13) and enjoys taking them to the beach, on camping trips and to Washington Nationals games.

“My kids keep me sane and are my reality check in life,” she said.

Even that sanity check hasn’t stopped her from scratching the volunteer itch. In addition to her work with her church, she serves as the treasurer for Ben’s middle school.

“I am always volunteering my time because I love it,” she said. “The word ‘no’ is not part of my vocabulary.”

Give Back to Your Community During CPA Day of Service: September 21, 2012

In honor of “Virginia Certified Public Accountants Week,” CPA firms and individual CPAs across Virginia are uniting together on the CPA Day of Service, Friday, September 21, 2012, to volunteer for an organization of their choice.

Hosted by the VSCPA, this single day of volunteer service represents the CPA profession's ongoing commitment to serving the communities where its professionals live and work. Associate members, CPA staff, students and friends are also welcome to participate!

Purchase your CPA Day of Service T-shirt here — as an additional way to give back! This year, proceeds benefit the VSCPA Educational Foundation!

Sign up today at www.vscpa.com/DayofService and tell us how you plan to get involved.

Click here to see a video of last year's successful event, then sign up to be a part of CPA Day of Service 2012!

Giving Back: Jim Shepherd, CPA

Jim Shepherd, CPA, doesn’t lack for professional honors. He’s one of the most accomplished financial planners in the Richmond area and has the awards to prove it, having earned a spot on the Virginia Business “Super CPAs” list several years running.

But it’s in the community where Shepherd (right), co-founder of Kuehl Shepherd Kozlowski & Associates, has made perhaps his greatest impact. His passion for helping other people and using his accounting skills to do so found a natural outlet with the VSCPA. He’s held just about every leadership position possible at the Society, including a term as Vice Chair of the VSCPA Educational Foundation Board of Directors and his current spot on the Society’s Board of Directors.

Shepherd got his start as a VSCPA volunteer with the Society’s Richmond chapter. He served as president of that group before moving on to the Educational Foundation.

“I really met some wonderful people who are still lifelong friends and wonderful acquaintances who I deal with in business situations,” he said. “The Richmond chapter gave me an opportunity to be involved in some great aspects.”

The leadership qualities Shepherd has exhibited with the VSCPA haven’t gone unnoticed by outside observers. In addition to his shelf full of “Super CPA” awards, the Financial Planning Association of Central Virginia honored him with the John H. Cecil, Jr. Lifetime Service Award in 2008.

The VSCPA has benefited greatly from that service. Shepherd has helped shape Society and Foundation decisions for years and has thrown himself into other VSCPA opportunities with gusto. He’s worked as a presenter for the Society’s annual Ethics course, echoing a large reason he got into accounting in the first place.

“I thought this profession had more ethics and more wonderful people than any of the other people that I worked with in business, so I really thought it was a great area to be involved in,” he said. As a result, volunteerism just became a natural outgrowth of that. It was such a wonderful thing to be able to provide opportunities and give back and meet other people who are actively involved in this profession.

“…I’m always astounded by how much the quality of this profession shows through among the people.”

Shepherd’s volunteer efforts have extended far beyond the VSCPA. He’s a former president of the South Richmond Rotary Club and has served on boards and committees for the International Hospital for Children, the Chesterfield Health Center Commission (where he served as chairman) and the Byrd Theatre Foundation.

Through it all, he’s kept perspective on the reasons he donates so much of his time.

“It's nice to be able to see some wonderful things come together that wouldn't be possible without the talents of people volunteering their time,” he said. “It truly makes a difference in the profession and in the community as well.”

Interested in a volunteer position with the VSCPA? Visit www.vscpa.com/Volunteer and sign up by the Feb. 3, 2012, deadline.

Volunteer with the VSCPA!

The Virginia Society of CPAs (VSCPA) is seeking volunteers for the 2012–2013 membership year! VSCPA volunteers span many different backgrounds, interests and professional concentrations. Your time commitment is up to you!

You can use your valuable professional expertise to help your community or gain experience in an area where you're not so familiar. Volunteer opportunities are available in the following areas, among others:

• General Committees
• Task Forces
• Leadership Appointments
• Conference Planning
• Public Service
• Legislative

The deadline to sign up is Feb. 3, 2012. Thanks for helping the VSCPA!

Video: CPA Day of Service 2011

Thanks to all of the more than 700 volunteers who took time to serve their communities for CPA Day of Service on Sept. 23! Here's a video summing up our members' efforts:

CPA Day of Service: T-shirt Deadline August 13!

CPA Day of Service is right around the corner — September 24.

At last year's inaugural CPA Day of Service, more than 600 volunteers pitched in to help communities across the state. On September 24, plan to roll up your sleeves for CPA Day of Service 2010!

Take a look at pictures from some of the participants from last year. And be sure to sign up by August 13, this Friday, to get your official, free T-shirt!

Get started today! Here are six easy steps to service:

1. Select your cause
2. Contact your charity
3. Sign up by August 13
4. Plan your event
5. Roll up your sleeves on September 24
6. Send us pictures

If you have any questions, please contact VSCPA Community Relations Coordinator Tracey Zink at tzink@vscpa.com or (804) 612-9427. See you in September!

VSCPA Tax Help Programs in Full Swing

Enhance the image of CPAs and the profession. Increase public understanding of the range of CPA services. Promote the integrity of the CPA designation. These are the goals of the VSCPA Public Relations Team. Basically, it’s our job to make sure the public knows what a great resource CPAs are.

Year round, hundreds of members volunteer for the VSCPA’s pro bono programs, which help increase the awareness of the diverse services that CPAs provide. Tax season is a great time to promote CPAs as the premier financial and tax experts because….you are!!

I’m really excited this year because the VSCPA tax programs are very popular among CPA volunteers and the public! Here are some of the activities that are keeping volunteers busy this tax season:

”Ask a CPA” E-mail Program
Through the “Ask a CPA” E-mail Program, VSCPA members provide free online tax advice to anyone filing federal or state tax returns in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Taxpayers can get answers to their questions by submitting an e-mail at http://www.financialfitness.org/. CPA volunteers provide answers to tax questions within three business days and have answered 31 tax questions so far this year.

NBC12 Tax Call-In
Also this year, VSCPA members are participating in the NBC12 Tax Call-In Program in Richmond. This is one of the first on-air programs staffed exclusively by VSCPA members. The NBC12 Tax Call-In allows viewers to receive free tax advice from CPA volunteers during the evening news broadcast. This live call-in is held every Wednesday night for six weeks. So far this season, VSCPA volunteers have answered more than 600 questions via phone and live blog.

Roanoke tax events
In February and March each year, a live tax interview is broadcast over the airwaves of the WVTF Public Radio Station in Roanoke. VSCPA members field calls from WVTF listeners and provide answers to tax questions on the air. The next show is scheduled in late March.

Tax Time is an annual program that combines a tax call-in with a lively panel discussion. This event is held in February on Blue Ridge Public Television (WBRA) in Roanoke. Check out these videos of your colleagues participating in this year’s program!

Media interviews
CPAs are really in demand this time of year, especially with the news media. With so many tax changes for the 2009 tax year, reporters need your expertise. VSCPA members have participated in 13 media interviews on tax-related topics so far this year.

As you can see, VSCPA tax experts are busy right now!! They’re helping clients and volunteering time to assist the public. These programs are only made possible by our members who generously volunteer their time. Thank YOU!

We would love to have you! The VSCPA welcomes new volunteers for tax programs and financial literacy programs year round. If you’re interested in volunteering, please fill out this online form.

Volunteerism as a Path to Leadership

A recent Journal of Accountancy article, “Teach Young CPAs Well: Partners, CFOs must instill leadership skills to find their successors,” demonstrates how valuable volunteering can be to a young CPA in his or her development into the future leaders of the firm and the profession. Volunteering is a great way to develop leadership skills — not only technical skills, but those “soft” skills like communication which are so valuable in today’s market.

This article also proves very timely to the VSCPA as we are currently offering our members more than 30 volunteer opportunities from which to choose for our 2010–2011 fiscal year. If you’re interested in using your skills to help Virginians, students or your community, please take a look at our volunteer opportunities here. Active engagement in extracurricular opportunities is a valuable time investment.

Soup Kitchens, Shelters and Schools...Oh My!

What do Antioch Academy Preschool, Fairfax County Library and the Warrenton Food Coalition have in common? They are all getting some CPA love on Friday, September 18, 2009 — CPA Day of Service.

Momentum is growing for this inaugural event, which unites CPAs across the Commonwealth in volunteering for organizations of their choice. As of this afternoon, more than 200 CPAs had signed up to give back, and we know there are several others out there who are participating and haven't told us yet.

Not only are CPAs signing up to give back (both individually and in groups), but they are also sharing some great stories about their connections to these organizations. Whether their children are involved in a nonprofit extracurricular program or they got their favorite four-legged friend from a particular shelter, it seems Day of Service volunteers are giving back to organizations that mean something to them — to specific missions.

Check out the volunteer page to see who's volunteering in your area and for what organizations, and don't forget to let us know if you're participating so we can accurately measure the collective impact the profession will make on CPA Day of Service!