Sustaining Geny: corporate responsibility attracts and retains young professionals.

• Author: English, Damien B.M.

Each May, Armanino McKenna LLP's staff participates in a team-building initiative. In 2007, the San Ramon-based accounting and consulting firm decided to give back, christening the initiative "AM Gives Back."

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The firm split its 300 employees into teams and provided each with seed money. The teams were to use the seed money to tap friends, family and clients to raise more money than what the firm provided and were pitted against each other to see which team could raise the most money and put in the most volunteer time.

After 15 weeks, the firm collected more than $115,000, which was distributed to 45 Bay Area nonprofits, educational institutions, public service agencies and other community-based organizations. Team members had put in more than 1,000 hours of volunteer time.

"To see our people all bundled up and ready to walk all night long to someday beat cancer was an unbelievable thing," says audit manager Dean Quiambao on his team's volunteering for Relay for Life.

Programs like this play an increasing role in attracting and retaining Gen Y workers, also known as the Millennials, who number nearly 80 million and are broadly defined as those born between 1979-99.

As baby Boomers slowly exit the job market, cornering this new talent pool--and developing these new recruits into future firm leaders--is a critical task for accounting firms. For some firms, the bait to lure in Gen Y has become social responsibility programs and green initiatives that are being built into the firm's culture.

"Corporate responsibility is a full suite of business practices that must be integrated and showcased for a firm to succeed," says Andy Armanino, Armanino McKenna managing partner. "Sustainable business practices are also high priority for Gen Y professionals."

Speaking to some CalCPA members, it was apparent that they are finding success in attracting Gen Y workers by incorporating social responsibility programs.

Who's Doing What?

Corinne Baughman, tax partner at Moss Adams LLP and board member of the firm's foundation, recently helped the firm finish creating an official social responsibility "message" to formalize the programs the firm was engaged in and create some consistency among and a monitoring framework for ongoing programs.

"With the Millennials, our social responsibility statement and programs are something we found they are likely to ask about," says Baugham. "We wanted to make sure we had a consistent message."

This...