Proving giving back is good for business

With WE, KPMG people are using their skills as changemakers

Ten years ago, the leadership team at KPMG in Canada sat down to devise a new national initiative. The firm, providing businesses, non-profits and organizations with audit, tax and advisory services, searched for organizations that embodied their vision: to harness their skills, experience and resources to make a difference in their communities on a national level.

They found WE.

Like WE—an international organization steadfast in making the world a better place through the WE Schools program and WE Villages, a holistic approach to sustainable development—KPMG looks at giving back through the unique lens of responsibility meeting opportunity.

“It is about giving back and how fortunate we are that we can do that,” says Grant McDonald, Office Managing Partner in Canada’s Ottawa office and a key supporter of KPMG’s partnership with WE.

Since collaborating with WE 10 years ago, McDonald describes KPMG people as being eager to volunteer for local events, initiatives and activities as a part of their sponsorship and outside of it. For McDonald, giving back is just good business, and creating social impact has “become part of a corporate vision and strategy” at KPMG.

“Employees at any organization are looking for purpose,” McDonald says. “Purpose-driven organizations are known to have more success in attracting, engaging and retaining their people.”

With a decade of doing good in the books, including national programs and local initiatives that support their chosen three United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities and Good Health and Well-Being, KPMG is always looking for new and exciting ways to keep their employees engaged. In 2018, KPMG and WE launched a new program, Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow, giving employees more opportunities to get involved.

The Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow program was developed to help prepare students for future success in the workplace. Incorporating feedback from WE educators, the program teaches high school students and young adults workplace skills on communication and project management through videos (starring KPMG people!) and online workbooks. It’s open to classrooms or accessible online. It’s also been a tool of engagement in the KPMG office.

“Some of the offices have been using those training manuals and workbooks in the bring-your-kid-to-workday activities,” McDonald shares. “We’ll continue to bring that back to the children of our staff.”

McDonald recognizes something special in the company’s relationship with WE. “I think the key [to our success] is taking the principles that WE has developed, learning from those and then making a difference by using our own skills in our own community.”

If there were grades to be allotted for social impact, KPMG would be among the leaders in their class. Over the years, they have extended their reach by inviting business partners, clients and youth in the community to

WE Day, a stadium-sized event packed with young leaders earning their way to the star-studded event through fundraising and volunteer programs.

“It’s an investment on our part,” McDonald says of their continued efforts. “Our people want to give back and programs like Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow provide a way for them to help others build their skill sets and hopefully break the cycle of poverty.” WE, as an organization, has evolved a lot over time. “It’s helped us evolve,” McDonald confirms. “At the end of the day, both organizations are creating sustainable change to drive positive impact in our communities, and that means everybody wins.”