Is Your Charity Audit Adding Value?

For many charities, an audit is simply something that has to be done. Either because your governing document requires it, it’s requested by trustees, or perhaps because it helps you put forward a stronger bid for funding. But a good charity audit should do more than just provide an audit report and satisfy compliance. It should give trustees confidence, identify risks before they become problems, and highlight opportunities to strengthen financial controls and governance.

As charity auditors, charity accountants and general advisors, we often find that trustees are looking for straightforward, tailored advice and practical recommendations, not pages of technical or boilerplate jargon.

A few questions worth asking are:

• Does your auditor really understand charities?
• Do they understand how your organisation operates in practice?
• Do they communicate clearly and proactively, with an appreciation of the pressures on your team?
• Do they understand the key risks facing your charity?
• Does the audit provide insights that genuinely benefit the organisation?

Get In Touch

Our charities team works with charities of all sizes and across a wide range of sectors. We understand the challenges charities face, from limited resources to increasing regulatory expectations, and we aim to make the audit process as smooth and valuable as possible.

We start by understanding your organisation, its objectives, its people and its processes. By identifying the areas that matter most, we can focus our work on the key risks and provide trustees with meaningful feedback, rather than simply completing another compliance exercise. This helps an audit not just look backwards, but help trustees look forward with confidence.

If you’d like an informal conversation about your charity’s audit requirements or current arrangements, contact me and I’d be happy to help.