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Seeing ourselves as others see us can be as difficult for organizations as it is for individuals. For this reason, many non-profits find it advantageous to contract with outside counsel to assess the effectiveness of services and administrative procedures – including the organization’s fund-raising activities. A development audit assesses the effectiveness of all components of an organization’s fund-raising program, including:
- the adequacy of planning to clarify the mission, priorities, and funding needs;
- the case to be made for attracting support;
- the support constituency – the appeals made to individual contributors, to government agencies, businesses, churches, foundations, and other potential funders;
- printed materials and public relations;
- organization, personnel, procedures, and budgets;
- board leadership and participation in fund-raising.
Over the years, I’ve conducted close to fifty development audits and in every case, the audit was an excellent predictor of the organization’s potential for future fundraising success.
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