Audit and Readiness Assessments
During an audit or readiness assessment, MMS Advancement Associates LLC carefully evaluates your organization’s current relationships and fundraising programs and makes recommendations for improving fundraising effectiveness. An audit advances your programs, services and long-term aspirations by strengthening leadership and management processes and fundraising capabilities. Many clients choose to undertake an audit focused on campaign readiness in advance of a feasibility study. Fundraising audits also can focus on a particular opportunity, such as grant funding, major gifts or a capital campaign.
"Marcella Schick's philanthropic audit enabled us to identify issues that we had failed to notice and uncovered directions that we had overlooked.”
Judith Savchak, Board Chair
Cancer Support Community of the Lehigh Valley
MMS Advancement Associates provides development assessments and audits in various nonprofit sectors including education, health and human services, senior living, arts and culture, and the environment. Each assessment includes a review of strategies and methods, records, staffing, systems and procedures, programs, volunteer structure, and environmental and institutional interfaces. We will include an analysis of your fundraising effectiveness as measured by the Fundraising Fitness Test and Growth in Giving Reports available through the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (afpfep.org).
Audit and Readiness Assessment Process
Working in coordination with your key development staff, we will:
- Review organization documents and other printed material;
- Analyze your fundraising history, fundraising effectiveness and growth in giving metrics;
- Interview development and executive staff, board members and selected prospective donors;
- Develop a written report with findings and recommendations for strengthening your program;
- Present the audit and readiness assessment to your board, key staff and volunteers.
Benefits
Through an audit and readiness assessment, your organization gains a deeper understanding of how your existing development program supports your current fundraising goals. This allows you to build on your strengths and weaknesses and benchmark your results and return-on-investment against similar organizations. Specifically, you will understand how to:
- Maximize fundraising results;
- Reposition management and leadership structure to create a culture of philanthropy and raise more money;
- Improve efforts to secure annual operating support;
- Focus on fundraising activities that are most likely to increase contributed income;
- Position your development department for a capital campaign when planned.