Lifelong leadership: Education Foundation celebrates 40 years of providing CPE.

• Author: Dunleavy, John V.
• Position: 40THANNIVERSARY

As the California CPA Education Foundation celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, it remains true to its founding mission: Providing quality CPE and keeping up with the changing needs of financial professionals.

The California CPA Foundation for Education and Research was created in 1966 following approval from CalCPA's board of directors to form a separate nonprofit corporation as a subsidiary of CalCPA. The driving forces were to protect education revenue from being taxed and to ensure that these monies be used only for educational purposes.

During the early years, the Foundation offered 125 classes each year, serving about 9,000 attendees.

Growth skyrocketed in 1972 when legislation was passed that required licensees to complete 80 hours of acceptable continuing education during each two-year period prior to license renewal. To meet the demand created by this mandate, Foundation offerings grew to more than 350 events in 1974. Today, the Foundation serves 50,000 attendees at more than 700 events each year.

In the late-1980s and early 1990s, the Foundation found that it was not immune to the recession that racked the U.S. economy. The absence of any new major tax legislation, combined with a stagnant economy, increased competition and CPA firm efforts to provide staff with in-house CPE, resulted in reduced attendance and the need to refocus the organization.

RESTRUCTURING: PROVIDING DISCOUNT PROGRAMS

Changes were made in 1993 to allow the Foundation to operate independently. The organization, a 501(c)(3), legally separated from CalCPA and with operations to be funded solely by CPE fees. No longer would CalCPA member dues be used to help fund the Foundation. With the new business structure also came a new name: the California CPA Education Foundation.

In 1994, to revitalize the business and provide more attractive pricing to attendees, the Foundation created the Value-Priced (VP) program, which offered unlimited CPE for one membership fee, reducing the per-class fee.

"It was an innovative idea and has inspired several other state CPA societies to create similar programs," says Beverly Brautigam, president of the Education Foundation Board of Trustees.

In 1995, the Foundation introduced a second discount plan, this one designed for firms--coupon books. Under this program, firms could distribute coupons to staff or clients and reduce the per-class fee to less than $200.

Both programs continue to attract CPAs who want quality CPE at a good...