Firm Management
Stewards of Their Community
Baker Tilly employees celebrate second annual Stewardship Day by volunteering in local communities
Aug. 28, 2017
Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP recently held its second annual Stewardship Day, a day where its 2,700 employees came together to make a difference in their community through their volunteer efforts.
Baker Tilly started their annual Stewardship Day last year in efforts to demonstrate its commitment to local communities. On a set day, employees in every office dedicate the entire workday to local charities and causes.
“When I became CEO, I wanted to mark the changing of the guard, so to speak, as a time for the firm to come together. Stewardship is one of our core values that we have always been focused on, and we thought the entire firm coming together on one day would be a good example of our commitment to that. It’s a great way to embody the belief that ‘we’ is bigger than ‘me’,” said Alan Whitman, CEO, Baker Tilly.
Last year, Baker Tilly as a whole volunteered for childhood hunger. This year, each office rallied around a charity or cause that was voted on and picked by employees in that office. Employees committed more than 7500 people hours to 70 organizations in 30 cities. Their efforts included volunteering at animal shelters, painting school lockers and cleaning up parks, as well as various hunger relief projects. Employees that couldn’t leave the office still joined in by hosting activities in the office. For example, employees in the Philly office were able to participate in an event held by United Way.
“We love the fact that it’s a single day that we can all go out together. It fosters collaboration and engages our employees. We give back on behalf of our clients all the time. This is our opportunity to give back on behalf of our employees,” said Whitman.
Stewardship, which completes Baker Tilly’s four pillars of values (the other three are integrity, passion and collaboration) drives the inside culture at the firm and is a huge selling point in its recruiting efforts. In addition to Stewardship Day, Baker Tilly also has a HERO initiative that employees can participate in. Standing for “Helping Enrich Relationships through Outreach,” HERO allows employees to individually volunteer and support their communities. Whitman believes initiatives like these are what attract new employees.
“Younger people want a purpose and want to be part of an employer that has a purpose. Giving back is the right thing to do. We want to do the right thing by our clients, employees and community. Our goal is to make our communities better today than they were yesterday and better tomorrow than they are today,” said Whitman.