Firms giving back: Coronavirus edition

April 1, 2020 12:02 PM

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact businesses and communities around the world, accounting firms have stepped up their efforts in giving back to those most affected. An ongoing, updated catalogue of these endeavors can be found below.

ARMANINO

Top 100 Firm Armanino announced that its charitable giving arm, the Armanino Foundation, is granting nearly $20,000 to local food banks to assist with grocery shortages following the coronavirus pandemic.

Grants will help food pantries re-supply necessary items for families in need.

“We are very moved by the generosity of the Armanino Foundation during this great time of need,” said Diane Stark, manager of foundation partnerships at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, in a statement. “Their support is helping us to open new ‘pop-up’ pantries and get more food to our community.”

“In times of crisis, it is more important than ever that everyone lends a helping hand where they can,” said Matt Armanino, the firm's CEO, in a statement. “With the current COVID-19 outbreak upending so many lives, food banks are being challenged to continue their essential welfare services. Thanks to generous contributions from both Armanino staff and partners, the Armanino Foundation has granted $1,500 each to help local food banks stock their shelves in our communities.”

The 13 food banks receiving grants include:

Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County, California
Food Bank of Contra Costa, Concord, California
Greater Vancouver Food Bank, Vancouver, Canada
Green Harvest Food Pantry, Plainfield, Illinois
Hunger Free Colorado, Denver, Colorado
Idaho Food Bank, Boise, Idaho
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Los Angeles, California
North Texas Food Bank, Plano, Texas
Orange County Food Bank, Garden Grove, California
San Francisco Marin County Food Bank, San Francisco, California
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, San Jose, California
Twin Lakes Food Bank, Folsom, California
West Seattle Food Bank, Seattle, Washington

For more on the Armanino Foundation, head to its site here.

BERDON

Top 100 Firm Berdon has substitudted its annual Bring Your Child to Work Day with “Bring Your Child to (Remote) Work,” as well as launching Berdon’s Kids Corner as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Berdon’s Kids Corner will look to entertain and educate attendees, introduce Berdon family’s youngest members to each other, and provide them and their parents with quality time during working hours.

Kids Corner is scheduled for every Friday, where a partner or department head will lead attendees in story time or an arts and crafts lesson.

“It is essential to support parents who are currently managing both working full time, parenting, and teaching. We hope that by launching Kids Corner, parents at Berdon feel seen, knowing that we recognize all of the responsibilities they have taken on,” said Rebecca Goodman-Stephens, Berdon's chief operating officer, in a statement.

BMSS

More than 250 staff and family members from Alabama-based firm BMSS ran together on May 2, keeping least six-feet apart, as part of the Keep Corona Calm 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run.

“One day, most of us were working in one of our four offices. The next, the lion’s share of us were at home, maintaining a steady work schedule while caring for our children and adjusting to a whole new work-life balance,” said BMSS CEO Don Murphy in a statement.

“We always strive to provide peace of mind to our clients and contacts," he added. "Over these few months, as businesses have faced the possibility of closing their doors permanently and banks have scrambled to fund PPP loans, this motto has become our laser focus amid so many unknowns.”

THE BONADIO GROUP

The Bonadio Group's office building in Buffalo, New York

New York-based firm the Bonadio Group announced that more than 130 of its staff member have raised over $10,000 for coronavirus-related nonprofits in just two weeks.

“During difficult times, the good and the bad in people is often revealed," said Bruce Zicari, Bonadio Group managing partner and CEO, in a statement. "Without a doubt, I’ve seen nothing but positivity and selflessness from the folks at this firm. This is just another example of our Bonadio Purpose in action and I’m incredibly proud to be a part of this team.”

Funds will be distributed to charities across New York State, including:

Foodlink, Inc.
Samaritan's Purse
Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless
Restoration Society, Inc.
Samaritan Center

“These organizations are making huge differences in our communities by providing assistance to those most in need,” added Zicari. “We’re just happy to be able to support them in any capacity we can."

BROWN SMITH WALLACE

Midwest firm Brown Smith Wallace has raised funds to aid local restaurants and food pantries.

Working with the Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, funds raised went towards the 100 BJC Health Care Heroes working to treat COVID-19 patients at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital and Missouri Baptist Medical Center. OG Hospitality is preparing and delivering the meals.

Remaining funds will be donated to Food Outreach, Circle of Concern, Jewish Family Services of St. Louis, and the Youth & Family Center food pantries.

“Supporting our clients, colleagues and communities is at the center of everything we do as a firm,” said Tony Caleca, managing partner of Brown Smith Wallace, in a statement. “Our role in this effort is minimal. It’s the least we can do for the St. Louis community, which has given us so much over the years.”

CROWE

Top 10 Firm Crowe has released a free Pandemic Response app for businesses. The app "aggregates external data, including government mandates, closures, virus cases and more, and correlates it with an organization’s internal data, such as employees, vendors, customers, products and facilities."

The app utilizes data visualization using Tableau, but organizations do not need to be Tableau customers to use the app.

"In a pandemic event of this scale, even the most equipped organizations may lack the data and tools needed for an efficient response plan,” said Gayle Woodbury, managing director in consulting services at Crowe, in a statement. “Here at Crowe, we’ve been working around the clock to develop an app that centralizes data, decisions and actions all in one tool, so executives can keep their focus where it matters most during this critical time — on their business and on their people.”

For more on the app, head to Crowe's site here.

DEAN DORTON

Dean Dorton staff members attend the new Women's Initiative Committee monthly breakfast.

Dean Dorton

Kentucky-based firm Dean Dorton Allen Ford announced it is adding short-term accounting assistance to its Accounting and Financial Outsourcing (AFO) list of services to help businesses and organizations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This marks the first time that Dean Dorton has offered a short-term accounting solution since re-launching the AFO Service Group in 2016.

The new service is available to any organization, regardless of what accounting method or software they use.

Short-term accounting services include: Financial reporting and analysis; board-management presentations; payroll administration; automated services; role-specific services; review of existing finance and accounting practices; and experts in Sage Intacct and QuickBooks.

DRUCKER & SCACCETTI

Philadelphia-area firm Drucker & Scaccetti has released its annual tax season video, with special attention given to COVID-19.

"This isn’t a normal April 15 and so our normal 4/15 video wouldn’t work," said Eric Elmore, marketing director at Drucker & Scaccetti, in a statement. "Instead, we asked our Tax Warriors to send us pictures and videos of them doing their favorite things during this pandemic. With Ron Beckman (a former partner at the firm) on piano, we hope you will enjoy our April 2020 video."

Additionally, firm CEO Jane Scaccetti will personally donate $1 (up to $20,000) to the PHL COVID-19 Fund for every view the video receives.

Watch the video on YouTube here.

EY

Kelly Kim, a senior tax manager at EY’s Los Angeles office, has helped donate nearly 9,000 masks to local medical professionals in need with the help of her team.

After hearing from her husband, a pulmonary physician, and her best friend, a doctor, on how desperate were for masks, she began researching which hospitals needed masks and Personal Protective Equipment and connected them to local stockpiles.

GRASSI

New York-based firm Grassi saw its executives and staff members volunteer for a Small Business Support Saturday session, held on May 2, 2020.

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Grassi advisors specializing in areas including emergency loans, tax, business consulting, HR, IT and marketing fielded questions in virtual meeting rooms, by phone and by email to help local businesses and nonprofits. Staff members spoke with more than 350 individuals in all.

“When the mission of your firm is driven by helping businesses succeed, not even a global pandemic can keep you from pursuing that goal,” said Louis Grassi, CEO and managing partner, in a statement. “Many of the people we spoke with on Saturday were trying to navigate emergency loans, workforce issues and cash flow challenges without any assistance, and these are decisions no business owner should have to face alone.”

The firm has additionally offered complimentary content and webinars, as well as a 24-hour

Crisis Response & Recovery

hotline that connects business owners to professionals who specialize in their area.

HERBEIN + COMPANY

Courtesy of Herbein

Reading, Pennsylvania-based firm Herbein + Company has announced the launch of its Herbein Helpers program to recognize immediate family members of staff making a difference during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Through this program, our firm proudly will honor the people who keep us safe and healthy,” said Herbein managing partner David Stonesifer. “Especially in these unprecedented times, we can always find people who are helping — and they’re right in our own homes. Like millions of U.S. families, our team members have relatives who are first/second responders, teachers, food, transportation and delivery workers, and provide many more essential services. These are the Herbein Helpers we will recognize.”

Each Herbein Helper is asked to nominate an organization involved with COVID-19 response efforts, and the firm will donate a minimum of $1,500 to said organization.

“Our firm is 'all-in' on Herbein Helpers," added Stonesife. "I am very proud of the enthusiasm we are seeing for this initiative. We will match team member donations up to $15,000 to the program."

KPMG

The offices of KPMG in Chicago

Tannen Maury/Bloomberg

Big Four firm KPMG U.S. and its KPMG U.S. Foundation have announced to pledge over $2 million in donations to support nonprofit organizations impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“We remain deeply committed to serving and supporting our communities during this challenge our world is facing,” said KPMG U.S. chairman and CEO Lynne Doughtie in a statement. “I’m also proud of our many partners and professionals across the country who are stepping up to help their local communities at this time in so many different ways.”

Read the full story here.

MARCUM

Cindy Ord

Top 100 Firm Marcum and its Marcum Foundation are partnering with BurgerFi, a national better-burger restaurant group, to deliver up to 20,000 meals to hospital workers and first responders on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program launches May 14 in New York City, where the first meals will to go to Mount Sinai Hospital. Representatives from BurgerFi, Marcum and hospital administration will be on hand for the safe transfer of food. Nearly 5000 meals will be delivered to New York hospitals in all.

Up to 20,000 meals are planned to be distributed over a two-week period, culminating with deliveries at VA Hospitals throughout the U.S. caring for COVID-19 cases on Memorial Day.

“Marcum’s partnership with BurgerFi is an expression of our deep gratitude and admiration for the extraordinary contributions of our nation’s hospital workers and first responders to protect our families, neighbors and communities—often at great personal risk,” said Marcum chairman & CEO Jeffrey Weiner in a statement. “We are privileged to recognize them in this way and hope that these meals let them know how much they are appreciated. We applaud the sacrifices they are making on the country’s behalf.”

PROTIVITI

Global consulting firm Protiviti is currently offering content from its KnowledgeLeader subscription service free of charge in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

KnowledgeLeader hosts content on a variety of topics, including business continuity management, disaster recovery, cash flow management, supply chain risk, anti-fraud and change management.

“We know this is a very challenging time for everyone and we want to help organizations manage through it as effectively as possible,” said Cory Gunderson, executive vice president of global solutions at Protiviti, in a statement. “This small gesture of making the proven tools, policies and other useful materials available through KnowledgeLeader will help risk management, compliance, audit and operations professionals save time, expand their knowledge base and add value to their functions. We hope by making this content freely available to everyone now, we can enable them in making their operations more resilient and better able to face the future with more confidence.”

Content will be released free-of-charge every Monday through May 31, 2020.

For more information, head to KnowledgeLeader's site here.

PwC

Danielle Alston of Union City, Tennessee, center, talks on her cell phone outside the PricewaterhouseCoopers offices at 300 Madison Avenue in New York, Friday, August 25, 2006. Her mom, Beverly Alston, stands at left. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News.

Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

PwC has pledged $2.85M to coronavirus-related causes, including Feeding America, Direct Relief and local causes.

“We have never experienced a crisis like COVID-19,” said Yolanda Seals-Coffield, president of the PwC Foundation, in a statement. “The illness itself and subsequent disruption to people’s lives is dramatic and exacerbated by social distancing precautions that prevent us from getting out to volunteer as we have in the past. These donations allow us to have an immediate, positive impact while we innovate around new ways of engaging our people to give back virtually.”

Read the full story here.

RSM

Photo courtesy of RSM US LLP

Top Eight firm RSM is offering staff members a $50 per week per-diem charge on their expense reports through the week of April 15.

This is in an effort to help support local restaurants and businesses affected by coronavirus with meal delivery and/or groceries. The firm will additionally donate any unused funds to local food banks.

These donations supplement a $50,000 donation made by the RSM Foundation to food banks across the U.S. and Canada.

The firm has also set up a coronavirus hub on its site here.