- Determine if the audit is the best service for your church. Funds may be better spent on a financial review or some kind of consulting arrangement.
- Develop a good relationship with your auditor. They should be a strategic business partner with a good knowledge of nonprofits and specifically ministries.
- Be involved in major decisions within the church and determine the accounting implications of those decisions.
- Have a monthly closing process to help with accurate accounting and audit preparation throughout the year.
- Discuss the audit timing, issues, and requirements with your staff and keep them informed throughout the process.
- Make any timelines and expectations that you have known to your auditors upfront.
- Allow adequate preparation time and be ready at the start of fieldwork. Don’t plan to give the auditor a few things to start with and work on the rest while they are there. It takes them less time to audit items than it takes you to prepare and they will have follow-up questions during fieldwork that will interrupt your time.
- Ask questions of your auditor throughout the process whenever you are unclear.
- Be available during the fieldwork and for any necessary follow-up afterwards. If you are not available for questions (because of meetings or vacation time, for example), it will significantly slow the process.
- Remember you hired the auditors and they really are there to help you!
This content is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. "From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations." Due to the nature of the U.S. legal system, laws and regulations constantly change. The editors encourage readers to carefully search the site for all content related to the topic of interest and consult qualified local counsel to verify the status of specific statutes, laws, regulations, and precedential court holdings.