Is Your Nonprofit Ready for an Audit? Here’s a Checklist to Help You Prep

audit nonprofit

Imagine reviewing how you handle cash donations to ensure everything is secure and properly documented, catching any issues before they become big problems. Finally, being prepared for your audit shows a level of professionalism that helps protect your nonprofit’s reputation with the public. If your organization is preparing for its next audit—or undergoing one for the first time—reach out to Dimov Audit for a consultation. When transparency matters—whether to retain tax-exempt status, qualify for grants, or assure stakeholders—Dimov Audit is the partner you can rely on. Whether required or voluntary, audits are often essential to long-term credibility and funding success.

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audit nonprofit

Dimov Audit’s team has deep experience navigating these nonprofit-specific challenges and ensuring accurate, compliant reporting. Once the auditor completes their work, they’ll compile their findings into a report and present it to your nonprofit. The first thing to know about this report is that if it isn’t clean, that is totally fine! What really matters isn’t how many recommendations the auditor made—it’s how promptly and thoroughly you act on them. Although you’ll need to put in effort to prepare beforehand and apply the auditor’s recommendations afterward, the benefits of financial auditing typically outweigh these costs. Nonprofit executives must ensure that finance teams and internal systems are audit-ready well before auditors arrive.

Review Financial Statements

  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, San Francisco’s Department of Human Resources loosened rules around how many overtime hours officers could work.
  • Dedicated audit preparation comes with our standard bookkeeping and accounting services for mid-sized to large nonprofits and is available as an add-on for small organizations.
  • First, the IRS rarely revokes an organization’s charitable tax-exempt status for failure to operate for a charitable purpose.
  • This was still found to be true by the time the TAO’s audit was completed in May 2025.
  • At that point, it began to accept Black students but only if they were married to another Black person.
  • The Parks Alliance, which privately raises money for San Francisco’s parks and open spaces, is believed to have improperly diverted donations earmarked for specific projects to cover its operating expenses.

Issues were first noticed in January 2024, when the complaint said Villalobos spent down the organization’s accounts to the point where it could not pay its bills. The Hilton Paper Valley Hotel notified the association on Jan. 25, 2024, that it had not paid a $17,075.72 bill from its November 2023 annual conference. Villalobos said she had forgotten about the bill because she had a house fire, the complaint said. The investigation began in March 2024 when the association’s current finance chair and co-treasurer made a complaint to the Milwaukee Police Department after the organization did a preliminary audit of its financial accounts. The audit revealed that at least $150,000 was missing or unaccounted for, the complaint said. If there’s a silver lining for Harvard, we think it’s that Trump’s attacks could spur giving to the nation’s wealthiest university, at least in the short run.

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  • Our determination to guide you effectively will help you overcome the challenges you face and present you with opportunities.
  • Issues were first noticed in January 2024, when the complaint said Villalobos spent down the organization’s accounts to the point where it could not pay its bills.
  • Although centralized, the system can be configured to facilitate access to external auditors so they can run the nonprofit audit remotely.
  • Start by setting up a dedicated workspace for the auditors with easy access to your documents.
  • An organization’s revenue and donations are perhaps the most important aspects of running a nonprofit.

The administration has put Harvard and accounting services for nonprofit organizations other universities on the defensive in many other ways too. The Internal Revenue Manual, which guides IRS agents in carrying out their work, indicates a number of other problems that would arise after revocation. For instance, an agent is required to consider the impact on the organization’s deferred compensation plans and tax-exempt bonds. First, the IRS rarely revokes an organization’s charitable tax-exempt status for failure to operate for a charitable purpose. If possible, start implementing changes before you file your nonprofit’s annual tax return so your efforts will be reflected on your nonprofit’s Form 990.

Find an auditor

audit nonprofit

As you prepare for your nonprofit audit, collect your grant agreements and the records of related expenditures. Carefully compare these documents to ensure compliance with grant terms and conditions. Dedicated audit preparation comes with our standard bookkeeping and accounting services for mid-sized to large nonprofits and is available as an add-on for small organizations. Plus, we can suggest potential auditors and work with you to develop and implement your post-audit action plan, customizing our approach based on your unique needs and goals. In many cases, the most time-consuming part of the audit process is choosing an auditor.

  • The audit found the DoH did not check how well CSOs had been going before they gave them more money, despite requiring them to produce six-monthly reports.
  • With proper planning, strong internal systems, and board involvement, audits can become opportunities for growth—not just obligations.
  • Also, add all of the documents they’ll need to a centralized digital folder you can share with them.
  • It also loses the ability to receive tax-deductible gifts from donors who are eligible to make them.
  • This report found that a number of hospital settings owned by private equity interests reflected negative patient experiences resulting from underinvestment.

Providing financial tools and fundraising

audit nonprofit

In March, Recreation and Parks received a waiver to fundraise, separately from the Parks Alliance, for redevelopment of the Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park. In 2021, Mission Local spoke with contractors hoping to do business with the Recreation and Parks Department who say they were leaned on by department higher-ups to donate to the Parks Alliance — donations that were unattached to any potential contracts. The move comes after a nonprofit affiliated with the department, the San Francisco Parks Alliance, has come under fire for possibly misspending at least $3.8 million in donations.

  • “There is more to do, and actions to respond to recommendations in the Final Report will build on the work already underway to improve the management of funding arrangements for CSOs to ensure they are clear, consistent and effective,” Mr Webster said.
  • Working with Melodi made the experience more effective and less time consuming, and I would highly recommend her services.
  • Kristine Ensor is a freelance writer with over a decade of experience working with local and international nonprofits.
  • Your board will give the auditing committee authority to oversee all audits, including hiring and evaluating an independent auditor.
  • They can’t stay at the shelter during the demolition, he said – it will be too disruptive.
  • The joint agency was supposed to fix that problem by forcing the city and county to work together.

When you’re running on empty, everything from decision-making to donor relationships suffers. The city and county have until July 1, when their current agreement expires, to find a solution. Lawson-Remer has proposed using $800,000 in leftover federal COVID recovery funds to pay for the utility connections, Katz said, and she wants to work with the city to find the rest of the money. In this year’s state of the city speech, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria attacked his county counterparts for their “inaction” in helping unhoused people suffering from mental illness and addiction.

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