HKICPA makes a difference with homegrown CSR programmes
CPAs contribute to community well-being with expertise and experience
(Hong Kong, 8 September 2017) Hong Kong Institute of CPAs, as the only statutory body for professional accountants in Hong Kong, takes its social responsibility seriously through creating platforms to mobilize and empower its members to make positive contribution to Hong Kong society.
Over the past 10 years, more than 120,000 primary and secondary school students, and 1,000 NGOs and charity board members have benefited from nearly 10,000 hours of volunteer work by HKICPA members.
In pursuit of good corporate citizenship, the Institute has since 1996 run a volunteer Accountant Ambassadors (AA) programme through which members give back to the community. The AAs take part in a wide range of social service and charity activities, and the HKICPA maintains a charitable fund to support community projects and make donations to poverty and emergency relief projects.
Aimed at instilling the young with proper values about money, the widely acclaimed "Rich Kid, Poor Kid" financial education programme provides a unique, valuable and meaningful way to share one of the core skills of accountants – money management – with Hong Kong kids and their families.
"Our AAs go around the territory visiting primary and secondary schools to nurture students with the right kind of values towards money and the essentials of becoming financially responsible. We believe this programme would help our younger generation to become money-wise and be able to come up with a better financial planning for their future," says Mabel Chan, President of HKICPA.
It is a popular programme and in average 60 schools apply to receive the AAs every year. The programme was once named the "CSR Campaign of the Year" at the Asia Pacific PR Awards.
The Institute publishes a series of three storybooks with the heroine called May Moon to help children as young as six years old to learn about the money basics, to understand the broader economic concepts, money morals and how to make the right choices when it comes to money matters. The digital version of all May Moon books is available on the Institute's website (www.hkicpa.org.hk/maymoonbooks) for online reading or free download from mobile app stores.
Other than the younger generation, the Institute also helps local NGOs and social service organizations to improve financial management, internal control and governance for sustainable development.
The "CPAs for NGOs" programme aims to help under-resourced small-and medium-sized social service organizations on the important areas of reserve policy, internal control and audit, as well as governance and accountability.
"We help NGOs develop healthy financial systems and good governance practices, hoping to enable them to better develop and sustain services to help the society's needy," says Richard Tse, Chairman of the HKICPA Community Services Working Group.
As an extension of the programme, the Institute has committed to be the sole strategic partner to The Hong Kong Council of Social Service's NGO Governance Platform to promote good governance among board members and executives in the social service sector.
Under the HKCSS partnership, HKICPA offers workshops for honorary treasurers and board members to help them with financial responsibilities and governance, as well as pro bono advisory service over a six-month period on specific financial and risk management issues.
Beyond institutions, HKICPA also offers free advisory sessions for members of the public on accounting and related matters, as well as career programmes for secondary school students.
For more details of the Institute's CSR programmes, visit www.hkicpa.org.hk/CSR.
香港會計師公會透過企業社會責任計劃，為社會帶來不一樣的改變
會計師運用他們的專業技能和經驗，為社會謀取福祉
（香港，二零一七年九月八日）作為代表香港專業會計師的唯一法定組織，香港會計師公會十分重視社會責任，創建不同平台，以推動會員為香港社會作出貢獻。
在過去十年，公會會員義務工作接近10,000小時，惠及超過120,000名中小學生及1,000名非政府機構和慈善團體的董事會成員。
公會為履行良好企業公民精神，自1996年推行會計師大使計劃，讓會員可以回饋社會。會計師大使參與多個不同的社會服務及慈善活動，而公會亦設立了慈善基金，支援社區計劃，並捐款予扶貧與緊急救濟項目。
廣受讚譽的「窮小子、富小子」理財教育計劃旨在向年輕一代灌輸正確的金錢價值，以獨特、有價值和具意義的方式與香港小孩及他們的家庭分享會計師的核心技能，即金錢管理。
公會會長陳美寶女士說：「我們的會計師大使到香港各處探訪中小學校，協助學生建立正確的金錢價值觀，以及對財務責任的基本知識。我們相信計劃有助年輕一代變得更有智慧地運用金錢，能為將來作出更佳的財務規劃。」
該計劃很受歡迎，每年平均有60間學校申請，亦曾獲Asia Pacific PR Awards的「年度企業社會責任活動大獎」。
此外，公會出版了三本故事叢書，女主角名為「美滿」，協助年齡低至六歲的小孩學習金錢的基本知識、了解更廣博的經濟概念、金錢的道德觀，以及在金錢問題上作出正確的選擇。所有「美滿」叢書均設有電子版，可於公會網站(www.hkicpa.org.hk/maymoonbooks)上瀏覽或透過手機應用程式下載。
公會除了關顧年輕一代，還協助本地的非政府機構及社福機構改善財務管理、內部監控及機構管治，以達致可持續發展的目標。
「會計專業惠社群」計劃旨在幫助缺乏資源的中小型社福機構，處理包括儲備政策、內部監控與審計、管治與問責性等重要範疇。
公會社會服務工作小組主席謝建朋先生表示：「我們協助非政府機構建立健全的財務系統和良好管治實務，希望他們得到更佳的發展，可持續提供服務，幫助社會上有需要的人士。」
作為計劃的延續部分，公會擔任香港社會服務聯會「非政府機構董事會網絡計劃」的唯一策略夥伴，向社福界的董事會成員及管理人員推廣良好的機構管治。
在與社聯的夥伴合作中，公會為義務司庫和董事會成員舉辦工作坊，以助他們處理財務和管治事宜，並專門就財務和風險管理方面，為他們提供為期六個月的免費顧問服務。
除了機構以外，公會亦就會計及相關事務向公眾義務提供諮詢服務，及為中學生舉辦職業計劃活動。
有關公會企業社會責任計劃的詳情，請瀏覽www.hkicpa.org.hk/CSR。
