The Inside Story
Society Conducts Information Days at CPA Firms

By Ben Kaplan, Recruitment Specialist

For accounting professionals working in public practice, signing up to become a member of the NYSSCPA is usually a simple decision. Many CPA firms understand the inherent advantages and value in having active, plugged-in workers and are willing to reimburse employees for their membership dues.

For most employees, every benefit the Society offers—networking opportunities, continuing education, group benefits—usually makes the decision to join a foregone conclusion. However, getting other employees who work in public practice to sign up for membership is not always so easy. Many intend to sign up but simply forget. Some get swamped with work. Others have never even heard about the Society and the benefits it offers.

To draw more attention to the Society and its significance to the CPA profession, the NYSSCPA recently initiated “Information Days” at firms across New York state. An Information Day, or firm visit, is basically a day where Society representatives visit a CPA firm to explain the benefits of membership to employees. These visits usually are conducted during lunchtime for a two-hour period, allowing employees to drop by at their leisure. The Society simply requests that the firm let its employees know in advance about the visit and make available a conference room and a laptop with Internet access.

Information Days have wide-ranging benefits. Current members invariably find out something new about the Society, while nonmembers learn about the Society’s role and the services it provides to the membership.

Since implementing Information Days in July 2003, the Society has visited the following firms and organizations throughout New York state:

The Society has firm visits scheduled for Grant Thornton and a Weiser office in Long Island, as well.

So far these visits have helped yield a total of 355 employees joining the Society in a little more than a year’s time. These new members fall into the following membership categories: 203 CPA members, 70 associate CPA firm employees, 71 associate CPA candidates, 8 associate students and 3 international members.

While all of the Information Days have taken place at CPA firms, the Society is happy to visit private companies or any place of employment where there is interest in joining.

Please let the Society know if you think your company or firm is a good candidate for an NYSSSCPA Information Day. For more information, contact the author at 212-719-8362 or bkaplan@nysscpa.org.