Since 2015, Mowery & Schoenfeld, a Lincolnshire-based accounting and consulting firm, has increased its focus on community service through its M&S Cares initiative. Employees and leaders at the firm contribute more than 800 volunteer hours each year, raise funds, organize supply drives, and build partnerships with organizations that support children and families in the Chicagoland area.
“Our mission is simple: Helping charities help children,” said the founder and managing partner of Mowery & Schoenfeld. “We call Chicagoland home, and by supporting the charities active in our community, we’re creating opportunities for a better future for families right here.”
M&S Cares began as an employee committee but has become a key part of the company’s culture. The program directs about $30,000 annually to partner charities, with 90% going directly to these organizations. It has received recognition from professional groups such as the Illinois CPA Society, the American Business Awards, and the Association for Accounting Marketing.
Over ten years, Mowery & Schoenfeld has formed ongoing relationships with several local organizations. One partner provides counseling and family reunification services; employees donate school supplies each summer and assemble backpacks for children starting school. Another group supplies women and children with diapers and other essentials; staff collect thousands of diapers each November and pack period supply kits throughout the year.
The firm also supports an organization focused on child literacy in at-risk communities by volunteering to sort books for distribution and sponsoring 1,000 books annually. Teams regularly volunteer at a nonprofit providing meals to children worldwide, including organizing large packing events each fall.
M&S Cares collaborates with GLOW (Growth and Learning Opportunities for Women), another employee resource group at the firm, to sponsor an annual event pairing Girl Scouts with professional women to build skills in entrepreneurship and financial literacy. Since 2022, participants have earned over 250 badges through this partnership.
A recent partnership supports youth mental health through art; employees contributed paintings for a mural fundraiser as part of their first project together.
Community service is integrated into learning opportunities at Mowery & Schoenfeld. Interns, job shadow students, and new hires participate in activities like assembling backpacks or packing supply kits from their first day.
“As a firm, we know our responsibility goes beyond serving clients. It is important to us to instill in the next generation of CPAs that giving back is an integral part of being a professional,” said Mike Deering, tax partner at Mowery & Schoenfeld and leadership sponsor of M&S Cares.
The company states that philanthropy is embedded into its operations rather than limited to occasional fundraising events. As M&S Cares expands its work with partner charities, it aims to encourage future professionals to make community impact central to their careers.