Our Commitment

to minnesota Communities

Our local community work.

Since the beginning in 1971, Smith Schafer has been firmly rooted in the community. We are very proud of our team’s involvement in their communities. Our leadership encourages staff to dedicate their time and talents to give back. We offer programs to inspire an environment of learning, giving, and supporting.

Every year, we organize multiple volunteer events for our staff to give back to our local communities of Rochester, Red Wing, and the Minneapolis. Team members participate in internal office events to raise money, such as a chili cook-off, bingo, photo guessing contests, and so much more! Our last internal charitable giving campaign raised $11,700! We also volunteer to clean up a neighborhood park, rake leaves for local residents and pack supplies at a food bank.

2022 tax party
2022 tax party
2022 tax party
2022 tax party

Commitment to our world.

Smith Schafer strives to be a paperless firm. Recycling stations are available throughout the offices. We try our best to prepare workpapers electronically and generally request items in electronic or scanned form. Smith Schafer offers a secure online portal to clients to facilitate the exchange of financial information and documents. These green initiatives drive us towards greater efficiency and awareness in our operations.

Commitment to our team members.

According to our annual employee feedback survey, 95% of our team members say they feel genuinely appreciated at work. Our culture is a top priority. This is evident in our low staff turnover rate and being named a Top Workplace for four years in a row.

“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much”

– Helen Keller

COMMITMENT TO OUR CLIENTS.

We believe in building relationships with our clients. Understanding your company’s structure and the unique accounting and tax issues you face is critical to providing sound financial advice. We received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 83.9% of our clients, which is significantly higher than the 2020 industry’s average of 38%.

To show our commitment and appreciation to clients year-round, we launched the Client Loyalty Program. 

“When it comes to client relationships, Smith Schafer’s belief has always been, shop with clients who do business with us,” Managing Principal Steve Erchul stated.

The program’s purpose is to actively encourage our staff to purchase goods and services from clients and reward them for doing so. Each month, our staff members submit their receipts from client establishments to receive an entry into a prize drawing. The more times they choose to shop with our clients, the more times they are entered into the drawing. One winner is chosen every month and receives a Visa gift card.

We are excited to report, in 2021, we spent over $1,420,542 with our clients!

Smith Schafer is honored to be alongside other Minnesota companies as part of the Minnesota Keystone Program.

The Minnesota Keystone Program promotes corporate philanthropy by recognizing companies that donate at least 2% of their pre-tax earnings to charitable organizations. The Smith Schafer team is dedicated to upholding and supporting community initiatives.