You join for the networking, appreciate the opportunity to sharpen your technical skills and see it as a chance to give back to the profession. Those are just a few of the reasons why members said they serve on one or more of the NYSSCPA’s 61 technical committees, when polled by the Society in May.

The survey drew responses from nearly 100 members who work in public practice for small, medium and large firms; for-profit companies in industry; and as sole practitioners. The NYSSCPA plans to use the results to make enhancements to committee administration and to establish new statewide groups.

Survey participants weighed in on a range of topics—from what members enjoy most about statewide committees, to what aspects of their experience could be improved.

One common theme that emerged is the power of word-of-mouth: Half of all respondents said they were referred to their committee by a colleague. Nearly 20 percent said that Foundation for Accounting Education (FAE) conferences or seminars had increased their awareness of Society committees, while an additional 18 percent pointed to the Society’s website as having been responsible for providing information about its committees. Others even said they had gleaned information about committees from Society publications, such as The CPA Journal and The Trusted Professional.

In terms of what members get out of the committee experience, nearly 65 percent said they enjoyed having opportunities to network, with half reporting that they had used their participation in Society committees to advance their careers. In fact, one respondent reported that networking had helped him “to develop contacts at state taxing authorities.”

In addition, 57 percent said that participating on a Society committee had contributed to their technical skills, and 47 percent said they liked working closely with other Society members. Statewide groups offer a number of opportunities for engaging in projects with colleagues, through, for example, subcommittees that draft comment letters or conference planning, and opportunities to volunteer for services like the Society’s technical hotline.

Members had constructive feedback about a few areas, including teleconferencing. 
Though the majority of respondents had no issues with conferencing into committee meetings when they were unable to attend, about 40 percent were dissatisfied with it, primarily because they did not consider it to be as effective as meeting in person.

Meanwhile, 57 percent of those who sought changes to the conference call option said they found the background noise from other participants on the line to be distracting. The Society has begun to address the issue, in part, by offering more assistance to committees in mastering teleconference controls.

If you’d like to join a committee, please contact Nereida Gomez, Manager, Committees.