Why keep an asset register?
Assets are bought with donor money, and donors expect you to know where they are. A good register answers three questions at any time: what do we own, who has it, and what is it worth now. It also helps you plan replacements, insure the right items and prepare for audits.
What goes in the register?
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Asset tag | Unique number that links the item to the record |
| Description | Make, model, serial number |
| Category | Vehicle, IT, furniture, equipment |
| Purchase date and cost | Starting value and age |
| Supplier and order reference | Link back to the purchase file |
| Funding source | Which grant or fund paid; used for donor rules |
| Location | Office, site or store |
| Custodian | Person responsible |
| Condition and status | In use, in repair, in storage, lost, disposed |
| Insurance and warranty | Dates and cover |
Our guide on depreciating donor-funded assets explains how cost and age feed into the value over time.
How do you set up the register?
- Set the threshold. Decide which items go in the register and which are treated as supplies.
- Collect what you already have. Walk each office and store, and list every item that meets the rule.
- Tag each item. Attach a durable label with the unique number. Photograph the item and the serial plate.
- Fill in the fields. Use purchase files to find cost, date and funding source.
- Assign custodians. Have each custodian sign for their items.
- Store the register where more than one person can reach it, with a clear owner.
How do you keep it up to date?
The register fails when it is updated once and forgotten. Build these routines:
- New purchase: add the asset when the goods are received, using the goods received note as the trigger.
- Move: record every transfer between people or sites, with date and a signature.
- Repair: log major repairs and their cost.
- Loss or theft: report at once, record it, and follow your policy and any police or insurance steps.
- Disposal: get written approval, record the method and any proceeds, and check donor rules first.
How often should you verify it?
Check the register against physical items at least once a year. Pick a date, give each site a list, and have someone other than the custodian check the item and the tag. Record the result: found, missing, wrong location or damaged. Investigate every missing item and fix the record.
Vehicles and equipment in the field need closer attention. Our article on tracking vehicles and equipment in field offices covers logs and checks.
What should you do at project close?
Before a grant ends, list the assets bought with it. Check the agreement for what happens next: transfer to another project, hand-over to a partner, sale, or return. Record the decision and the approver. Missing this step is a common reason for audit findings.
A short example. A country office buys five laptops with a health grant. On the day they arrive, the logistics officer attaches tags A-101 to A-105, photographs each serial plate, and enters them in the register with the grant, the cost and the user. Three months later, one user moves to another site and takes the laptop. The officer updates the location and custodian, and the user signs the transfer form. At the annual check, all five are found. The register matches reality, which is the whole point.
What if an item is shared? Name one custodian even if several people use it, and keep a simple use log for shared vehicles and equipment. A shared asset with no named custodian is the one that goes missing.
What should you register below the threshold? Many NGOs keep a lighter list for small attractive items, such as phones, cameras and tools, even if they are below the asset value limit. They are easy to lose and easy to resell, so a short list with a name against each item is worth the effort.
Who owns the register? Give one named person, often the logistics or operations manager, the job of keeping it. Finance should hold a copy and use it for insurance and depreciation. Programme staff report moves and losses to the owner. When one person is accountable and others feed the register, it stays current. When everyone owns it, in practice nobody does, and gaps appear within a year.
Where EMPOBase fits
In EMPOBase, Assets records asset identifiers, custodians, locations and status, so the register lives beside your procurement and stock records. Asset Depreciation is also part of Logistics & SCM. A register does not by itself prove that you meet your organization’s or your donor’s asset-record requirements, so check those rules and confirm the fit in a walk-through. See the platform overview for the other modules.