Introduction to reading an audited financial statement

Does it seem like the report you get from your auditors is an unorganized jumble of numbers and words?

If so, that’s because financial statements for a charity are presented in a very stylized way. A specific set of rules spell out the sequence and structure of the information.

Need someone to help you get oriented so you can figure out what that report is saying?

The team at Fiscal Management Associates has marked up a set of financial statements with a bunch of comments on what different things mean. Also have comments on how to interpret key pieces of information.

Check out Resources for Nonprofit Financial Management at The Wallace Foundation. Click on the report’s cover page at the right side or the blue ‘download PDF’.

Superb primer on reading financials. Share it with your board and leadership team.

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