Kaufman Rossin Honored Among ‘Hometown Heroes’ for YWCA Partnership
Kaufman Rossin, one of the top 100 CPA and advisory firms in the U.S., announced it has been selected as one of the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ (AFP) National Philanthropy Day Hometown Heroes for their partnership with YWCA South Florida to provide the community with the 21-Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge.
The YWCA 21-Day Challenge is based on the idea that it takes 21 days to build a habit. For the duration of the program, participants are exposed to various educational materials and group discussions that bring to light issues of race, inequality, privilege, injustice and leadership. The challenge was introduced by YWCA Cleveland in 2019 and its impact and success have become a model for YWCAs nationwide. Over 4,500 individuals have taken the challenge so far, according to the YWCA 2020 report.
“As an organization whose values include fairness, integrity, and social responsibility, it was important for us to take a leadership role with this program,” said Kaufman Rossin CEO Blain Heckaman. “Our Diversity and Inclusion Initiative has shown us how much we have to learn to be better advocates for equality and social justice. The 21-Day Challenge helped us start crucial conversations among ourselves and in the community.”
AFP has been “the standard-bearer for professionalism in fundraising” for over 50 years. Their National Philanthropy Day Hometown Heroes program honors individuals and organizations whose service and dedication have made a significant and philanthropic impact in their community. “We thank Kerry-Ann Royes of YWCA South Florida and rbb Communications for nominating us for this award. Together we will continue to learn and work toward building a more inclusive business community,” concluded Heckaman.
While the award ceremony could not take place in person this year, the honorees were celebrated at a virtual event on November 13. The winners had an opportunity to accept their awards and thank their partners on video.
