2004-2005 REPORTS RECEIVED FROM CHAPTERS
Abilene
The Chapter participated in two activities through the Coalition for Building
Financial Resources for Economic Empowerment, also known as FREE. One involved
providing brochures with TSCPA’s logo informing FREE participants about
the opportunity to open Individual Development Accounts and to receive
financial literacy training. The other consisted of training IRS Volunteer
Income Tax Assistance program workers, who provided free income tax return
preparation for taxpayers who qualified for the Earned Income Credit, and
making chapter volunteers available by phone to answer the preparers’
questions during the process.
To achieve its goal of helping attract a good number of high quality and
diverse candidates to the CPA profession, the Chapter hosted all senior
accounting students from the four area universities at a luncheon meeting that
included local CPAs. The Chapter also bestowed three scholarships in the amount
of $1,500 to a junior accounting major at each of the three universities in
Abilene.
Austin
The second annual Casino Night raised $3,000 for the newly created Austin CPA
Chapter Scholarship Fund, and the chapter matched that amount. To set
parameters for awarding the money, a task force was formed.
An advertising and public relations plan was developed by the Advertising/PR
Task Force. Included were an ad in the Austin Relocation Guide and one in the
arts community playbills, as well as t-shirts and bumper stickers with the
slogan “CPAs COUNT!”
To assist the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy, the Chapter provided
volunteers for the semiannual Swearing-in Ceremonies.
The Chapter provided 26 hours of CPE at no charge to members and offered six
courses in a high-growth suburb. Chapter meetings and networking events were
held, including two sponsored by the New CPA Group.
Amid all this activity, a move was made to a new Chapter office and training
facility. The relocation will generate significant savings.
Brazos Valley
The Chapter provided enough volunteers for two teams of four CPAs each to
participate in the Helping One Student To Succeed program in the Bryan
Independent School District. During each weekly visit, the Chapter’s teams
worked with 8th grade students whose math skills were on the 3
rd grade level.
To improve connections between students and CPAs, the Chapter hosted a panel
presentation on the campus of Texas A & M University. Member CPAs
represented the fields of government, public practice, industry and financial
planning. The presentation was aimed at non-Professional Program accounting
students not seeking employment in the Big Four accounting firms. As an added
benefit to students who joined as members, they could have their ré
sumés posted on the Chapter Web site.
Fulfilling an objective to obtain positive coverage for the profession in the
local media, the Chapter President-elect was interviewed by The Eagle
on topics relating to tax season issues.
Dallas
To provide a benefit to members, the Chapter developed a Free CPA Day, with
topics of interest to both public and industry members. More than 300 attended;
78 percent of those had not been active Chapter members.
There were three projects related to image enhancement. One was “Ask a
CPA,” which included radio spots on the local CBS affiliate and
participation in the station’s business trade shows. Another was providing
members to answer tax questions from the public through the
Dallas Morning News
tax hotline. In the four-hour period, 704 calls were answered by the
volunteers. A third was publicizing Chapter members’ participation in
charitable activities such as those organized by Love For Kids, Inc.
The Chapter’s Partners in Education Committee worked with USA TODAY
Education to help teachers in ten area schools promote financial literacy and
incorporate business concepts into their curricula. Labels on the front of
USA TODAY
newspapers put the Chapter’s name in front of teachers, students and
parents.
El Paso
Two projects achieved the Chapter’s goal of thinking regionally instead of
locally. One was development of a CPE course to include professionals from
Juarez. Topics included tax issues arising from U.S.-Mexico business
transactions. The Chapter arranged for a translator so that all could fully
participate. Another project involved buying a table for representatives from
the Chapter and the University of Texas at El Paso for the New Mexico State
University accounting student scholarship fundraiser, which featured AICPA
President and CEO Barry Melancon.
A Young CPA Involvement Committee was developed and became active. The group
put together a Meet the Partners dinner, which was attended by more than 60
members representing 10 firms. Also, the group worked with the Nonprofit
Enterprise Center to assist local organizations with accounting and financial
issues. And, members of the committee teamed up with UTEP Beta Alpha Psi
students to make career awareness presentations at area schools.
Fort Worth
Continuing professional education, CPA image enhancement and member involvement
were the focuses for Fort Worth Chapter programs in 2004-2005.
The Chapter conducted 76 CPE programs, attended by more than 1,900 members,
with WebView remote delivery systems bringing live two-hour courses to members
in smaller cities and towns throughout north Texas.
With assistance from TSCPA’s public relations staff, the Chapter partnered
with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
to provide a tax hotline in early March. Chapter volunteers answered more than
400 calls in four hours.
Member involvement emphasized participation by newer members of the profession.
A softball tournament in September brought out eight teams and an event held
jointly with the local bar association raised funds to complete a $40,000
playground building project at the Chapter’s adopted Fort Worth ISD
school.
Programs for members in career transition were provided. The Chapter conducted
an employer-
job seeker encounter in December and created an internship-student matching
program.
Houston
A significant area of emphasis for the Chapter during the year was in external
relations and image enhancement. New projects included development of an
ElderCare Committee, which sponsored its first symposium, and a Financial
Literacy Committee, which sponsored its first training program for members to
enable them to make presentations in the community.
“A Diverse Profession” was an eight-page insert in the
Houston Chronicle
business section that contained articles written by CPAs in a variety of
fields. Providing an “Advice from CPAs” brochure to go with
neighborhood newspapers in selected area communities was another activity. The
Chapter cosponsored a nonprofit accounting workshop with a United Way group and
Texas Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts. CPAs Helping Schools distributed
almost $15,000 in grants to area schools for special programs.
To bring home the benefits of membership, the chapter organized one satellite
group and began the process of beginning another.
Permian Basin
The Chapter made a multi-year commitment to participate in the TSCPA Accounting
Career Education program and began its involvement by arranging for TSCPA
staff to conduct a volunteer training workshop in the area. Members learned
techniques and resources for making presentations at schools.
To increase public awareness of the accounting profession and enhance the
positive image of CPAs in the community, news releases about Chapter activities
and about members’ attendance at TSCPA meetings were placed in area
newspapers. The newspaper published photos of Chapter members presenting a
scholarship check to representatives from the School of Business at the
University of Texas at Permian Basin. There also were pictures showing members
presenting sponsorship checks to three nonprofit organizations.
Member participation was emphasized throughout the year and new volunteers
became involved. Because there were a larger number of players than in the
past, the golf tournament generated additional scholarship funds for the School
of Business at UTPB.
Rio Grande Valley
To benefit members, the Chapter provided 80 hours of CPE, including a CPE Expo
that offered 12 course topics. CPE participants were given the option of a
“first-class” section with more seating space. An unlimited CPE
season pass was made available to members at a discounted rate. A new project
was cosponsorship of a conference on fiscal management, designed for local
government and school district officials and finance directors.
Another benefit for members was a redesigned chapter directory that was made
more useful by incorporating it into a reusable day planner with member contact
information, chapter information, a calendar, and quick tax facts.
The Chapter initiated a business etiquette luncheon for accounting students,
with presentations on interview skills and table manners. Student ré
sumés were displayed and distributed at CPE courses to help connect
employers and job seekers. Student members were also given the opportunity to
display their résumés on the Chapter’s Web site.
San Angelo
Many of the Chapter’s projects were aimed toward attracting a
significantly increased number of high-quality, diverse candidates to the CPA
profession. A relationship with the Angelo State University Accounting Society
was re-established. Students were treated to a special luncheon that served as
an icebreaking event. They also assisted CPA members in proctoring the annual
24® Game competition. Several joined the Chapter as student members and
several were hired by local firms.
To begin making younger people aware of the profession, the Chapter
participated in an area
Careers on Wheels Day. Although the event was mostly designed for machinery,
the Chapter’s table and laptop computer attracted attention. Students
could estimate how many items were in jars that were filled with prizes such as
TSCPA pens, ACE career guides and bookmarks.
Members’ needs were met with three one-hour CPE lunch & learn
meetings. There was also an eight-hour CPE tax update course.
San Antonio
The SACPA Education Foundation Academic Matching Gifts Fund was increased by
35%. Growth was accomplished through corporate and member donations, a gift
from the San Antonio Area Foundation, and $13,500 in proceeds from the first
annual SACPA Golf Tournament. The Foundation was able to increase gifts to the
accounting departments of eight area universities by $250 each.
A new Financial Literacy Committee that involved many first-time volunteers was
organized. The committee’s first project was to team-teach money
management classes for residents of a transitional living facility. Residents
were formerly homeless individuals and families struggling to turn their lives
around.
The Chapter expanded the pool of volunteers for Accounting Career Education
projects to more than 200 CPAs. Members participated in first-time classroom
visits and career fairs that included six school districts.
To engage new members, their names were added to the CPA Involvement Committee
distribution list. On average, two were at every committee meeting.
Texarkana
Texarkana Chapter meetings during the year included presenters and topics of
interest to area CPAs. A feature writer for the Texarkana Gazette
helped members improve their writing, speaking and listening skills. There was
an update by a representative of the Internal Revenue Service regarding new
rules and tax season issues. The executive director of the regional Better
Business Bureau talked about resources offered by the BBB and how consumers can
protect themselves from identity theft.
Because Texarkana is a chapter of both the Arkansas and Texas CPA societies,
there were visits from the executive directors of both groups. One provided an
update on the financial literacy program being implemented by Arkansas CPAs
through the AICPA. The other was a report from the Texas Society’s Annual
Meeting and a discussion of opportunities to serve.
Members actively participated in activities such as fundraising for United Way
and a golf tournament for Chapter members, clients and prospects.
Wichita Falls
Members served as liaisons between the Chapter and the Midwestern State
University Accounting Society. They attended Accounting society meetings and
talked to students while providing a meal or refreshments, fostering
relationships with the students as well as promoting the CPA designation and
TSCPA membership. Students and MSU accounting department faculty were invited
to the Chapter annual meeting to meet leaders of the Chapter and TSCPA. The
students in attendance were given salary guides, Financial Literacy
stress-relief sponges and career information booklets.
As a complement to the member discount programs available from TSCPA and AICPA,
the Chapter developed its own in conjunction with a variety of merchants in
the area. Each member received a plastic wallet card with the Chapter name and
a list of participating vendors.
The Chapter participated in the Red Cross Bowl Across Texas fundraiser and
obtained TV coverage through an interview with the Chapter president-elect
during the event.