By Heather Kuhns, MBA, DBA, and Mark Koscinski, CPA, DLitt

A strong connection between your firm and the surrounding community brings a multitude of benefits. To name a few, it can foster goodwill, establish credibility, and ultimately build partnerships that could contribute to business growth and expanded networks. CPA firms can easily create strong bonds within their communities by offering many ways to connect. Understanding your community, your role within it, and how to best connect with its members are the core pieces to implementing an effective community relations strategy. Embracing what’s happening in your own community can also drive your marketing strategy as you align your objectives with the needs of your community.

Organizations engaging with their local communities show a commitment to creating healthy spaces and environments for all to work and play. With effective community relations, organizations participate in activities that allow them to give back, which can range from a donation to supporting a youth athletics team. Every opportunity, regardless of size, strengthens your brand image and elicits a positive perception. Sponsoring a local youth sports team, for example, can lead to greater connections, which in turn contributes to business opportunities. Giving back can occur at the firm level, from individual staff, or both. Doing good just feels good – at any level.

A community relations program can establish your organization as local “credible experts,” and this can lead to serving on boards and other leadership opportunities. Community leaders, especially those in nonprofit organizations, often turn to those businesses that demonstrate credibility in their local knowledge. A community relations strategy can help organizations stand out from the competition by demonstrating a sense of local goodwill. Additionally, effective community relations strategies can attract talent: employees appreciate knowing they are working for an organization concerned with the greater good. Adding talent can lead to more creativity, innovation, and, ultimately, better business growth. When firms prioritize goodwill and strong community ties, it suggests overall corporate social responsibility.

A strong community relations strategy is a win-win situation for all involved. Businesses benefit from enhanced positive perceptions and the opportunity to build community ties. The community benefits from partnerships that provide expertise, local leadership, and donations of time, money, and effort. Putting a community relations strategy in place can start organically and grow as the community grows. Additionally, young professionals looking to network might prefer community building opportunities over more traditional networking options. Subsequently, firms can point to their commitment as a differentiating strategy in attracting and retaining top talent.

Here are a few strategies that can easily be incorporated into ongoing business plans. Community relations objectives can stand alone or be aligned with other overarching strategies.

• Mind-mapping and then matching – Have employees identify values that are important to them and create stories around each of those values. Using a simple diagram with the most important values in the center and places to connect stories is a great way to visualize community building. After your team has identified a few key values and ways to connect to them, reach out to the community and see what aligns. For example, if giving back to children’s agencies is an important value, finding an organization in need of a project (park renovation, interior painting, etc.) might provide a great path for community building.
• Creating a presence – By reaching out to your community and showing interest in different initiatives, you create awareness and a presence for your brand. Small steps can lead to a bigger presence and are inexpensive ways for your firm to enhance community presence. Examples might be donating a raffle prize or offering a guest speaker. Community relations can be as involved as you want it to be, and it can be an ongoing commitment or more individual in nature. Regardless of how engaged your firm is in the community, placing a priority on community building provides meaningful work for your employees.
• Donating (both with monetary and nonmonetary resources) – Providing an avenue for your employees to volunteer, either on their own or through organized opportunities, creates a great community connection. It shows employees that you value these kinds of efforts. If the opportunity exists, create a match program that either matches employees’ donations or contributes a per hour fee to an organization of choice. Embracing employees’ volunteerism sends a message of valued work and empowers employees to contribute beyond their day-to-day jobs.

A strong community relations strategy can add tremendous value to your firm. Identify what’s most important to you and your employees, and find opportunities that align with those values. It’s truly a win-win for all: the community benefits from your involvement, and your firm will create brand awareness and your employees will feel good knowing they are making a difference.

If you would like help developing a community relations strategy, please feel free to contact Heather Kuhns at kuhnsh02@moravian.edu.

Heather Kuhns, MBA, DBA, is an assistant professor of practice in management at the Moravian University School of Business and Economics in Bethlehem, Pa. She teaches across marketing, management, and leadership disciplines. Kuhns also is owner/chief inspiration officer of zenspire communications, a boutique agency specializing in branding, social media strategy, and communication planning. She can be reached at kuhnsh02@moravian.edu.

Mark Koscinski, CPA, DLitt, is an associate professor of accounting practice at the Moravian University School of Business and Economics, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate accounting courses. Koscinski has worked for a Big 4 accounting firm and also held various executive positions at privately held and public companies. He can be reached at koscinskim@moravian.edu.

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^{Statements of fact and opinion are the authors’ responsibility alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of the PICPA's officers or members. The information contained herein does not constitute accounting, legal, or professional advice. For actionable advice, you must engage or consult with a qualified professional.}