As we enter the holiday season, many are thinking of family gatherings, festive tables full of food—and paying it forward. Whether it’s the giving of gifts, time or money, this is a time when people often step up their generosity.

And whether they’re doing the giving or providing financial expertise to help others give, CPAs play a large role.

For example, did you know CalCPA member donations annually fuel more than $300,000 toward scholarships for California college and university students interested in CPA careers? Or contributions to our CPA-PAC help support legislative and statewide candidates—regardless of political affiliation—based on their ability to make a difference for California CPAs and businesses and provide the means to protect the integrity of our profession and improve California’s business climate? And let’s not forget about contributions, both dollars and time, to CalCPA Institute, which directly fund programs aimed at supporting the future of the profession, financial literacy, student outreach and DE&I initiatives, among other aspects of the profession.

If you’re interested in learning more about the above and other programs that we’re calling Fund the Future with CalCPA or to donate, you can find information online.

The giving is not just financial, however, as our members often donate their time and expertise to provide financial literacy presentations, teach courses, serve on nonprofit boards, take on leadership positions within CalCPA or give back in their own ways to their respective communities.

There’s no doubt our members take seriously the “Public” in the title, “Certified Public Accountant.”

As we enter this season—and move closer to National Philanthropy Day (Nov. 15) and Giving Tuesday (Nov. 29)—CPAs will be tapped by their clients, firms or organizations as they plan year-end donations. Questions like what to donate, how to donate and what organizations qualify for charity donations are ones CPAs are prepared to answer.

National Philanthropy Day and Giving Tuesday celebrate the importance of working together for the common good. And from the above, it’s exciting to see our CalCPA community do just that—whether it’s by helping a student pursue their dream of becoming a CPA or volunteering to teach people the importance of financial planning.

If you’re interested in giving financial literacy presentations in your community (don’t worry, we have all the materials for you), go online. Interested in teaching for the Education Foundation? You can find details online.