Assessing Your NGO Partners’ Financial Health
Learn what you need to know to assess your NGO partner organizations’ financial health from systems to capacity and resources.
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Description
This course starts by putting the financial health assessment process in context and identifying key risks and challenges. From there you’ll focus on analyzing financial statements, financial resilience, and partner reviews. Moving from theory to practice, you’ll work through all you’ve learned with a case study.
After completing the training, you will have templates, tips, and a toolkit to make decisions confidently on funding and other support in your NGO partner reviews.
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What will you learn
- Perform a ‘due diligence’ review for a partner organization, using a checklist approach to identify key risks, conclusions and actions
- Describe key financial management challenges facing partners, and the consequences and risks for program implementation
- Describe best practice financial management models and assessment frameworks
- List financial roles and responsibilities for governing body members and the signs of weak financial governance
- Analyze partners’ audited financial statements, including reviewing the auditor’s opinion and calculating financial ratios
- Prepare for and conduct a partner site visit to assess finance systems and practices.
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Who should attend
Program and finance staff in NGOs and funding agencies whose role includes assessing potential and existing partner organizations’ financial capacity to manage project funds.
This course works best for those who already have some financial experience, those without should consider attending one of our financial management courses such as Financial Management for Development Professionals (Finance DPro).
If you’re still not sure if this course is right for you, feel free to contact us and we can help!
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How will you learn
Humentum’s self-directed and focused trainings put the learner first. Connect and engage with peers from around the world, while learning through a series of engaging videos, assignments and readings. An expert facilitator will guide you.
The platform is open for a set number of weeks, and you can log-in to work at your own pace whenever convenient. You’ll find our learning platform easy to navigate, with clear guides and instructions. You can find out more about our online training platform by watching this video.
Each week, the following module will become available. To proceed to the next module, you’ll need to earn points for completing various tasks (such as watching videos, reviewing resources, and interacting with others). The more tasks you complete, the more points you’ll earn.
We estimate this training requires 4 hours per module (5 modules in total), depending on your pace of learning, and previous experience.
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Agenda
Module 1
We set the scene with an overview of what’s coming up over the five-week course.
- Introduction
- The partner assessment process
- What you need to conduct an effective review
- Good practice principles and frameworks
- Financial governance – What to look for
- Practical: Introducing the case study
Module 2
A first look at the desk review and a chance for you to review financial statements.
- Desk Review: Financial Accountability
- Preparing for the desk review
- Financial reports – Where the figures come from
- All about financial reserves
- Analyzing partners’ audited financial statements
- The auditors’ report
- Practical: Reviewing the financial statements
Module 3
We continue to look at the desk review and financial resilience.
- Desk Review: Financial Resilience
- Systems review checklists
- Overview of financial sustainability
- Assessing income diversity and donor dependency
- Reviewing cost recovery policies
- Budget monitoring and donor reporting reviews
- Practical: Assessing financial resilience
Module 4
The focus switches to the on-site review and what that means in terms of people, culture and systems.
- On-Site Review: People, Culture and Systems
- Partner site visits – When and how?
- Assessing internal risks and signs of fraud
- Deciding when further action is needed
- Capacity building options
- Practical: Conclusions and risk assessment
Module 5
We share helpful bonus materials that you can use in your own organization.
- Next Steps
- Bonus materials
- Top tips summary
- Review and action planning
- Practical: Summary and funding decision
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Certificate
Upon completion, Humentum provides a certificate of attendance for this course.
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Pricing and Discounts
Humentum encourages teams to attend this course together.
We offer a 15% discount for groups of 5 or more to attend this course.
Humentum members receive a 10% discount off this course. When registering, ensure you use your organizational email address. Your member discount will then be automatically applied at checkout. Having trouble? Contact us at workshops@humentum.org.
Learn about our Organizational Training Package for members- an offer that allows even more flexibility and cost savings for your organization – starting at groups of 15 or more.