With ‘The Purpose of the CPA,’ association hopes to inspire students to pursue accounting as a career 

Debates on how to reverse accounting’s talent shortage continue throughout the profession, with many of the conversations focused on education requirements, workloads and salaries.

And while those ongoing debates are critical to an eventual solution, the Maryland Association of CPAs sees another grassroots solution as being equally important.

The MACPA has launched “The Purpose of the CPA,” an initiative designed to change the narrative surrounding the profession by focusing less on what CPAs do and more on why they do it. By sharing the inspiring stories of how CPAs positively impact their clients, their communities, and our economy, MACPA officials hope to inspire students to see accounting and finance as a noble career path worth pursuing.

The initiative dovetails with a report released recently by the National Pipeline Advisory Group, a group of 23 leaders from throughout the profession charged with creating a unified, unbiased talent strategy that reflects the needs of multiple stakeholders and leads to meaningful change. One of the group's six recommendations was to tell "a more compelling story about careers in accounting" — a recommendation the MACPA has taken as a call to action.

"This theme has unified our Board of Directors' thinking as we sought to tackle this complex issue," said MACPA President and CEO Rebekah Olson, CPA. "It’s truly where each and every member of the profession can do their part by telling their own compelling CPA stories.”

The MACPA's "Purpose of the CPA" campaign begins with a video that challenges members to answer a single question: Why are you a CPA? The video encourages CPAs to think about their mentors and heroes, the purpose behind their work, the differences they hope to make through accounting, and how they pay it all forward by helping others.

Watch the video here:

The next step in the campaign is to share those stories so they can serve as inspiration for others. Weekly interviews are broadcast across the MACPA's social channels to allow engaged members to share their CPA stories with the next generation of accounting and finance professionals. Meanwhile, all members are encouraged to visit MACPA.org/Why and share their own stories about why they chose accounting as a career path and what they love about the work.

The MACPA's goal is simple inspiration. The association will share these stories with students and other young people in an effort to inspire them to consider accounting and finance as a career. 

"As we move forward, I challenge the CPA profession to continue exemplifying the spirit of unity and collaboration," Olson said. "Let's amplify the 'and' over the 'or' in our efforts and recognize that diverse solutions can coexist and complement each other. By working together, we can overcome challenges and seize opportunities that will shape the future of our profession in meaningful ways."

The MACPA is encouraging all CPAs to join the effort in three meaningful ways:

1. Share your why: Join the CPA Purpose Campaign by sharing your story and inspiring others by highlighting the impact and purpose of our profession.
2. Review the National Pipeline Advisory Group's report to learn about the root causes of the talent shortage and potential solutions, and to give your feedback.
3. Take the Pipeline Pledge: Commit to doing your part in growing the pipeline of future CPAs.

Visit MACPA.org/Why to find out how you can participate.