Finding 2022-001 SB Finding: During our audit, it came to our attention that the 2022 opening net assets did not reconcile to the 2021 independent audited amounts. There were several changes to prior year balances after the end of the audit. Additionally, there is no supervisory review of journal...
Finding 2022-001 SB Finding: During our audit, it came to our attention that the 2022 opening net assets did not reconcile to the 2021 independent audited amounts. There were several changes to prior year balances after the end of the audit. Additionally, there is no supervisory review of journal entries and general ledger activity on a monthly basis. Foundation?s Response: The Foundation does not concur. The auditor advised the Foundation that the material weakness finding was due to the ?additional time and effort needed to reconcile opening balances.? During the 2021 audit, the Foundation advised the auditor that general ledger account names would change in 2022, as part of the corrective action plan to clear the 2021 finding. The auditor acknowledged observing differences during the 2022 entrance conference, however there was no coordination to map account name changes prior to uploading the Foundation?s financial statements into the auditor?s system. As a result, multiple accounts did not map correctly to the 2021 account names and dozens of variances were created. Account name changes fell into two categories. First, we added clarifying language to distinguish expenditure accounts as G&A or Program. For example, the account name Travel: Reimbursements was changed to Company Travel: Reimbursements to clearly identify the account as a G&A expenditure. The purpose of which was to improve the effectiveness of account reconciliations, and reduce our risk of erroneous financial statement presentation, and our risk of erroneously charging an unallowable cost to federal funds. The Foundation updated 12 general ledger account names, and when posted into the auditor?s system, they were added as new accounts. This initially resulted in 24 account balance variances, however once the accounts were mapped, the variances were resolved. A second category of account changes involved the Foundation?s revenue accounts. The Foundation provided the auditor with a detailed accounting treatment plan during the 2021 audit as advance notice for 2022. We added primary accounts to clearly distinguish a funding source as Federal, Federal pass-through, non-Federal, Corporate and Private Donor, for the purpose of standardizing year-end accrual procedures and to ensure greater accuracy in the carry forward of net assets. Thirteen revenue accounts were moved under the new primary accounts, and this resulted in 18 variances in the SB system. Again, once the accounts were mapped, the variances were resolved. The Foundation does not expect mis-matched accounts to occur in the future. During our variance reconciliation, the Foundation added SB?s numerical codes to our account names to allow SB?s system to match records numerically, rather than by name. The Foundation did adjust two year-end accrual balances to correct items missed in 2021. During the 2022 audit the Foundation requested guidance on restating the 2021 statements for the adjustments, however, because the amount was immaterial, the auditor recommended the adjustment be made in 2022. Foundation removed the 2021 post-audit adjustments and posted them to 2022. The total amount of the adjustments was $126,031. The auditor?s corrective action was completed after the 2021 audit. Reconciliations are completed monthly, quarterly, and/or annually. Additionally, we engaged a bookkeeper that is credentialed as a certified professional advisor for our accounting software. The bookkeeper?s beginning task was to perform a ?health check? of the accrual accounts set up during the 2021 audit, and we were assured of the effectiveness of our accounts. On a monthly basis, the bookkeeper performs monthly account reconciliations, financial statement preparation, and variance identification, when applicable. The reconciliations are overseen by Foundation?s Director of Finance, a certified public accountant.