How to make sure you are choosing the right accountant for your charity
Choosing the right accountant for your charity is not always a straightforward process.
Often it can depend on what area you work in. For example, the skills a charity accountant may need for a charity that benefits a care home can be quite different from a charity that helps with overseas aid.
In any respect there are many charity accountants around, and it’s challenging to actually know who to pick that can take care of your charity’s accounts.
Choosing the right accountant is a critical undertaking which cannot be done flippantly. The trustees of the charity are responsible for the order and workings of a charity, therefore they must feel confident any financial responsibilities fall upon the right accountant firm.
The most important first step seems obvious and that is to ask your charity’s counterparts which accounts or firm they use. Simply by building a reference list from other charities in your sector can help shortlist.
As well as your charity counterparts you can also contact your bank or some of the other financial institutions in your area for advice.
This certainly makes sense as these are all respected sources who can easily give you some good ideas as to which charity accountant to use. Locating accounting prospects via respected institutions like banks or the Charity Commission, is going to give you confidence when choosing an accountant for your charity. Bear in mind that recommendations like this means the firm or individual has a good reputation.
On top of this you can request the accountancy firm’s personal references. Make sure you do get in touch with them and swap information.
When interviewing a potential accountant, do talk freely with them telling him/her about your charity and explaining what you need and expect as far as their services are concerned. Be sure that you get receive all the necessary information you need to make an informed decision.
Find out about their previous clients and any accomplishments or awards they may have won. Look at their portfolio of clients and most importantly find out their fees for doing the accounting work for your charity. Get a detailed breakdown of what areas are covered by the fees charged and any areas that are not.
After all, you do not want to be paying over the odds for a charity accountant where the rates may be too exorbitant for your charity.
Simply by using all of these basic steps, your charitable organisation can be certain that the charity accountant you have chosen will go the extra mile to help your organisation become a success and manage its finances properly, which should lead to growth, expansion and recognition.
