Fortune recognizes Crowe as a great workplace for giving back

CHICAGO (Feb. 9, 2017) – Crowe Horwath LLP, one of the largest public accounting, consulting and technology firms in the U.S., was named one of Fortune’s Best Workplaces for Giving Back today. The list is based on feedback from more than 357,000 employees at Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies.

Crowe’s community service policies allow personnel time to support not-for-profit organizations that they care about. In the firm’s fiscal year ending March 31, 2016, Crowe personnel provided 32,000 hours of volunteer community services, equivalent to the work of 16 full-time employees for charitable organizations. Altogether, the firm and its personnel contributed $1.57 million of charitable giving in fiscal year 2016.

“We are very proud of our commitment to our communities, and we encourage our people to get involved,” said Cynthia Pierce, trustee chair of the Crowe Horwath Foundation, the firm’s charitable giving arm. “Being named to this list is such an honor. It demonstrates our core values and the community promise we deliver on today and will continue to deliver on in the future.”

In the past fiscal year, Crowe’s charitable contributions supported more than 400 not-for-profit organizations across the country in many ways, including:

• Volunteer Investment Program (VIP) grants of $250, which are provided to organizations where Crowe personnel volunteer 30 hours or more annually  
• Board Member Match grants (BMM), which allow individuals serving on not-for-profit boards to earn a $3-to-$1 match to their personal financial contributions for the organizations they serve  
• Crowe Horwath Foundation grants, which are awarded to not-for-profit organizations where Crowe personnel demonstrate leadership and team volunteerism  
• United Way gifts, which support the firm’s workplace giving campaigns  
• Community sponsorships and local office contributions, which support events and activities that are important to Crowe personnel, clients and communities  
• Pro bono support, which allows Crowe personnel to provide professional services for which the recipient not-for-profit organization would otherwise have to pay  
• Emergency relief donations, which match gifts made by personnel in response to natural disasters and tragic events  
• College and university department sponsorships, individual scholarships, and matching grants for donations, which allow Crowe personnel to support their alma maters  

Diane Brown, tax manager in the Crowe San Francisco office, volunteers for the Breast Cancer Emergency Fund (BCEF) and serves as the organization’s treasurer. BCEF provides emergency financial assistance to low-income people battling breast cancer in the San Francisco Bay Area to help cover basic needs, lessen financial burdens and improve quality of life. Since she began volunteering with the organization, Brown has secured several VIP, BMM and general grants from the Crowe Horwath Foundation to support BCEF and has recruited additional individuals from her office to get involved.

“The Crowe Horwath Foundation has allowed me to maximize the impact that my time and money have on the BCEF community,” Brown said. “Being on the board of the organization, I spend a lot of hours working with the staff and other volunteers making sure the mission is accomplished. With Crowe’s Volunteer Investment Program, foundation grants and the $3-to-$1 Board Member Match grant, my time and money goes even further in helping BCEF better serve those in need.”

According to Fortune and Great Place to Work, the companies were selected based on employees' assessment of how proud they are of their impact on the community, the difference they feel they make and whether their work has special meaning. When selecting the organizations on the list, Great Place to Work considered paid time off for volunteering and the extent to which the organizations contribute to community and charitable causes through corporate donations and employee fund-matching programs. Fortune and Great Place to Work have also named Crowe to the lists for recent graduates, millennials, women and parents.

The Crowe Horwath Foundation is celebrating a decade of giving back to the community. Watch this two-minute video for a quick overview of the foundation.

About Crowe Horwath
Crowe Horwath LLP (www.crowehorwath.com) is one of the largest public accounting, consulting, and technology firms in the United States. Crowe uses its deep industry expertise to provide audit services to public and private entities while also helping clients reach their goals with tax, advisory, risk and performance services. Crowe is recognized by many organizations as one of the country's best places to work. Crowe serves clients worldwide as an independent member of Crowe Horwath International, one of the largest global accounting networks in the world. The network consists of more than 200 independent accounting and advisory services firms in more than 130 countries around the world.