Community Impact - 2022 featured impact

Power of Love

Each year, our Power of Love program supports more than 100 charities across the U.S., Canada, India and El Salvador through both fundraising and volunteering.

In 2023, we expanded the Power of Love to our El Salvador office where they committed to fundraising and volunteering in support of Glasswing International, a charity focused on addressing the root causes and consequences of violence and poverty through education and health programs that empower youth and communities. Hosting their first Power of Love volunteer event at a local school, 40 of our people spent their time painting murals, gardening and cleaning. The volunteer event generated a Dollars for Doers grant that amplified their volunteer efforts and their fundraising efforts were matched by the RSM US Foundation.

At a Power of Love event, RSM volunteers painted murals at an elementary school in El Salvador.

“ As a team in a developing nation, we can make a strong, positive impact on our local communities. I am beyond proud of what we’ve been able to raise so far. The Power of Love has been an amazing experience and our people are more engaged than ever. Our efforts have a direct impact on the youth in our communities and it means so much to have the RSM US Foundation support us. We look forward to participating in the Power of Love for many years to come.”

– Carmen Martinez, managing director, El Salvador, RSM

Dollars for Doers

Our Dollars for Doers program supports our people’s passions by magnifying their gifts of time to charitable organizations that support youth in their communities.

Gus Springmann, office of risk management manager in the Chicago office, volunteers with Maroons of Character, a yearlong program for the University of Chicago football team that introduces participants to the language of character, deepens their understanding of character strengths crucial for thriving on and off the field, and provides them with the tools to cultivate those strengths. Gus not only mentors three football players but also serves as the program's director, leading programming and educational sessions.

“ Volunteering is important to me and I’m so grateful to have the RSM US Foundation’s Dollars for Doers program take my efforts a step further by providing much-needed grant funding to an organization that is near and dear to my heart.”

– Gus Springmann, office of risk management manager, Chicago, RSM

Our VALOR ENG hosted its second annual national initiative with Wreaths Across America (WAA) with more than 30 RSM offices across the U.S. In 2023, Kelli Pfister, revenue enablement manager in San Antonio, organized more than 450 volunteers who raised more than $89,000 for the purchase of wreaths and placed more than 5,000 wreaths in participating cemeteries nationwide. This effort was then amplified by a $23,000 Dollars for Doers grant toward the WAA TEACH program. Kelli plans to expand this effort to even more RSM offices in 2024 and beyond.

“ Wreaths Across America is a yearlong effort that unites our firm. It's not just about our VALOR members; every single one of our ENG groups is represented in each of those cemeteries. It's about coming together to raise funds for the wreaths and placing them in December while we remember and honor our veterans and teach our children about their sacrifice. This effort aligns so well with our values and I am honored to have the opportunity to lead this initiative across the firm.”

– Kelli Pfister, revenue enablement manager and military spouse, San Antonio, RSM

RSM volunteers from San Antonio pause for a photo after supporting Wreaths Across America.

RSM US Foundation scholarships

Each year the RSM US Foundation awards more than $390,000 in scholarships to talented and promising accounting, business and technology students in the U.S. and Canada through our Power of Inclusion, Power Your Education, First Generation and Power Your Transition Community College awards.

“ Inclusion is important. College seems out of reach for so many people. I am so appreciative of the RSM US Foundation for this wonderful opportunity to continue to pursue my dreams. I think it’s important for people to apply for these types of scholarship opportunities—ones that are specific to your major. I didn’t think I’d win, I just hoped for the best and it’s been life changing.”

– Yorlany Serrano, Power of Inclusion Scholarship recipient, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

“ My parents are from Ghana and I have three younger brothers. I had to take two years off between high school and college because there was no way my family could afford college tuition and other expenses. I wanted to be an example and inspiration for my younger siblings by being the first in my family to attend college. The First Gen Scholarship has had a profound impact on my academic journey and on my family's finances. Now I can focus on my studies without worrying how I'm going to pay tuition or fees. It's very liberating.”

– Badariah Umar, First Generation scholarship recipient, Minnesota State University, Mankato

University Impact Fund

Through the University Impact Fund, we build tomorrow’s middle market leaders by supporting programming, events and activities focused on innovation, technology and inclusion at colleges and universities in communities where our people live and work.

At the Accounting Institute at Temple University, high school students learned how challenging, rewarding and lucrative a career in accounting could be by participating in a robust curriculum, interacting with accounting professionals and participating in a case competition, all while having an on-campus college experience with a stay in the school’s dorms. Our funding, along with four other supporters, offered scholarships to students from underrepresented populations in the greater Philadelphia area so they can attend the two-week program for free.

“ The Accounting Institute at Temple University has a bold mission of introducing inner-city high school students to the benefits of a career in accounting through a summer camp program. With fewer accountants entering the profession, this program focuses on alleviating the shortage while also lifting kids out of the cycle of generational poverty.”

– Sudhir Kondisetty, consulting principal, Philadelphia, RSM

Accounting Institute students visiting our RSM Philadelphia office.

Junior Achievement

In 2019, RSM launched a relationship with Junior Achievement USA (JA), allowing us to expand volunteer and financial support of JA and enabling our people to educate and empower youth through financial literacy. In 2023 alone, we provided more than $680,000 to support special events, initiatives and programming to 28 local JA chapters across the U.S. and Canada. In addition to monetary support, RSM has nearly 300 people engaged in volunteering and 24 serving on JA boards.

In 2023, Junior Achievement of Greater St. Louis launched its first annual Stock Market Challenge student competition with the support of the RSM US Foundation and RSM principal and local JA board member, Chris Jones. The event featured 32 teams of two to four students each, plus numerous volunteers and local JA staff.

Chris Jones, RSM principal, with JA Stock Market Challenge students in St. Louis, Missouri.

“ The competition gave participants a chance to put their knowledge and skills to the test in a high-energy and fast-paced environment. The kids were having a great time and their competitive spirit really shined through. As a volunteer supporting the event, it was truly an invaluable experience for everyone.”

– Chris Jones, principal, RSM and LOCAL JA BOARD MEMBER

Boys & Girls Clubs of America

The Workforce Readiness program at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America provides critical education and skills to teenagers preparing to enter the job market. In 2023, RSM supported the program across six clubs, hosting 26 programs with more than 200 RSM volunteers and 840 youth participants.

“ Club members cannot be what they cannot see. Being able to introduce our club members to adults who are doing things in their careers helps cast a vision for who they can be in the future.”

– Jeremy Murphy, senior club director, Union League Boys & Girls Club

Active Minds

The RSM US Foundation has supported Active Minds, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization supporting mental health awareness and education for young adults, since 2020; this support has grown to include local efforts by our RSM professionals.

In August 2023, a group of RSM professionals volunteered for the Send Silence Packing^® exhibit at the University of Maryland College Park.

Volunteers at the Send Silence Packing exhibit in Maryland.

“ We were so proud to be a part of the exhibit and to continue the conversation to destigmatize mental health and support suicide prevention. It was powerful sharing the exhibit with thousands of students and encouraging to see how accepting students (and others) were of being part of the conversation around mental health. Our RSM volunteers left feeling proud and excited for the continued relationship between RSM and Active Minds.”

– Jack Holland, consulting supervisor, McLean, RSM

Community Impact Fund

Launched in 2022, the Community Impact Fund was created to enhance the stewardship efforts of our passionate owners and employees by matching team fundraising efforts and amplifying relationships with qualifying local charities through one-time grants. This application-based program boosts our commitment to our people by supporting charities that mean the most to them.

Hannah Simard, consulting senior associate from the RSM New York office, was only six years old when her father passed away. The life she and her family once knew changed in an instant. Hannah and her nine-year-old sister were given the opportunity to attend Circle Camps, a free summer camp that offers multiyear programming to support young girls who have experienced the death of a parent. With a focus on community, service and adventure, the program gives kids the support, skills and tools to cope and enables them to make lasting friendships with others who understand the gravity of their loss.

Hannah now volunteers as a camp counselor each summer. At Hannah’s request, Circle Camps recently received a grant from the Community Impact Fund to help ensure other kids have the opportunity to participate in their programming.

“ I am so grateful for RSM’s leadership in recognizing employees as a whole person, not simply their contribution within the workspace, and for the RSM US Foundation’s Community Impact Fund that provides grants to organizations that are meaningful to our people.”

– Hannah Simard, consulting senior associate, New York, RSM

Disaster relief

RSM and the RSM US Foundation are committed to supporting our people, their communities and beyond when disaster strikes. In addition to the dollars provided through the RSM US Foundation's Disaster Relief Fund to employees affected by a federally declared disaster, the Foundation provided a $100,000 grant to the American Red Cross and a $5,000 grant to the Canadian Red Cross Society.

This pre-investment in disaster planning and preparedness ensures tens of thousands of Red Cross workers—90% of whom are volunteers—have the know-how, equipment and technology to turn heartbreak into hope and stand with disaster survivors as they rebuild their lives.

2023

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