Audit-readiness binder index
What this is: The binder as a maintained register: twelve sections with an owner, a refresh cadence, a last-refreshed date and a completeness state — plus the auditor's request list mapped to sections, where a request that maps nowhere is the finding.
It assumes: An annual independent audit.
Change before use: Sections that do not apply, and anything your auditor asks for that is not listed.
The index below is the structure. The binder is the accompanying spreadsheet — the same twelve sections with an owner, a refresh cadence, a last-refreshed date, and a completeness state, plus a second sheet that maps the auditor's request list to sections.
A request that maps to no section is the useful finding.
The idea
The difference between a two-week audit and a two-month audit is rarely the accounting. It is whether the evidence the auditor will request already exists in one indexed place, maintained through the year by named owners — or has to be assembled after the request list arrives. The binder (physical or a structured drive folder; the folder is better) is maintained continuously. Audit season then begins with a review of what is already there.
The index
| Section | Contents | Owner | Refresh |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Entity | Articles, bylaws as amended, IRS determination letter, state exemption, charity registration and current renewal, board roster with terms | [Secretary] | On change; verified annually |
| 2. Governance | Adopted minutes for the year, committee reports, adopted policies with adoption dates, the COI cycle report and reconciliation sheet | [Secretary] | After each meeting |
| 3. Financial statements & close | Monthly close checklist as performed, trial balances, reconciliations (bank, payroll liabilities, receivables), the year-end close file | [Finance lead] | Monthly |
| 4. Revenue | Grant and contract agreements with amendments, the award inventory, drawdown and invoice files by award, contribution records and acknowledgment copies | [Finance lead] | On award; monthly |
| 5. Expenditures | Procurement policy, approval evidence for transactions over thresholds, competitive process documentation where required, credit card statements with approvals | [Finance lead] | Monthly |
| 6. Cost allocation | The written methodology, the bases and their supporting documentation, the allocation worksheets as run | [Finance lead] | Quarterly |
| 7. Payroll & HR | Payroll registers, quarterly filings, the role catalog, sampled personnel-file checklist results, training completion evidence | [HR lead] | Quarterly |
| 8. Assets & liabilities | Fixed asset register with additions and disposals, depreciation schedule, lease agreements, loan agreements and covenant calendar | [Finance lead] | Quarterly |
| 9. Federal awards | SEFA draft maintained through the year, single-audit threshold monitor, subrecipient monitoring records where applicable | [Finance lead] | Quarterly |
| 10. Insurance & risk | Policies in force, certificates issued, the requirement map from contracts, claims correspondence | [Ops lead] | On change |
| 11. Compliance | Licensing correspondence and reports, monitoring findings and corrective-action closure evidence, accreditation correspondence | [Compliance lead] | On event |
| 12. Prior year | Last audit, management letter, the responses, and the evidence that each prior finding’s fix held | [Finance lead] | Annually |
Operating it
- Assign every section an owner by name. The finance lead does not own the binder; the binder has twelve owners and a coordinator.
- Put each section’s refresh on the obligations calendar. Refresh means "add what the period produced", not "rebuild".
- When the auditor’s request list arrives, map each request to a section. A request that maps nowhere becomes a new row in the index for next year.
- After the audit, file the management letter in section 12 and open a corrective action for each comment — the fix, not just the response.
Free to adapt and use. No registration, no fee, no attribution required. This is a working template, not legal, tax, or accounting advice — the requirements that apply to your organization are confirmed by your own counsel, auditor, and licensing authority.