Audit, Assurance & Due Diligence

For many charities, audit is compulsory – a statutory duty that can’t be avoided. At the same time, it can also identify important risks and opportunities, making it a vital tool for driving improvement.

For some smaller charities, it is still necessary to undergo an independent examination – a lighter-touch version of an audit – to comply with the charities SORP.

Similarly, the due diligence process that precedes entering into partnership with another organisation isn’t just about paperwork and box ticking. It’s how you ensure total clarity and improve the likelihood of a successful working relationship, while reassuring stakeholders and protecting the reputation of your organisation.

Audit and assurance

We’re registered auditors with years or experience auditing charities and non-profit organisations of all sizes. That gives us the ability to tailor our approach to audit to suit your operating model, business structure and any trading you might undertake.

Our charity audits are fully SORP-compliant. We can also provide an independent examination where your charity is audit exempt. 

While audits have to be robust, that doesn’t mean they need to be unduly disruptive to the running of your charity. Our audit teams are trained to work unobtrusively and discreetly on your premises, planning ahead to gather information before their visit.

In addition to ensuring your charity is compliant, Richard Place Dobson’s audit process is designed to help your charity thrive and grow. It will identify potential problems and opportunities to improve efficiency, resilience and achieve more with the funds available to you.

We’ll also keep you informed of changes to financial reporting standards, legislation and charity regulation, taking the initiative in giving you advice on how you can implement updates to your systems and processes, where necessary.

Due diligence

Due diligence describes the checks you run and questions you ask before entering into an agreement or contract. For charities, it’s especially relevant in the context of partnerships – is this opportunity as good as it looks?

Richard Place Dobson will undertake a financial investigation on your behalf, verifying the information available to us such as the annual accounts, annual returns, bank records, schedules of revenue and costs as well as any outstanding litigation.

The process will allow you to evaluate the current performance of a possible charity or commercial partners, as well as its stability, by identifying specific strengths and any potential areas of concern.