Defined in this way, a strategic communications audit has both evaluative and formative value. It is evaluative in that it provides a “snapshot” of where an organization currently stands in terms of its communication capacity or performance. It is formative in that it also points to areas in which the organization can strengthen its performance. Communications audits are a relatively common practice, though they are more common among for-profits than nonprofits, and not familiar to most non- communications professionals. Audits are most often performed by external communications or evaluation experts, but can also be performed internally
