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GREENSBORO — A draft audit of the books at the financially troubled YWCA turned up no evidence of malfeasance, an official at the nonprofit said Thursday.

“The auditors found no sign of misappropriation,” said Judi Rossabi, president of the YWCA’s board of directors. “We are anticipating a clean audit report.”

The audit, which should be complete in about two weeks, covered July 2007 to June 2008.

In addition, YWCA officials have spent several weeks getting the agency’s financial records in order for the last half of 2008.

Again, they say, their efforts have turned up no evidence of financial wrongdoing.

“(But) we are not forensic accountants,” said Jean Pudlo, the YWCA’s interim executive director.

YWCA officials learned last fall that the 105-year-old organization owed more than $100,000.

The agency’s financial problems came to light after the forced departure of Adrienne Witherspoon, who served as executive director from November 2007 to October 21, 2008.

Witherspoon said in an e-mail in mid-November that she would respond “at the right time, in the right venue and under the right circumstances.”

The YWCA’s financial woes have forced officials to take several cost-cutting measures, the most recent was to reduce pool hours by about two-thirds.

Pudlo said the pool would operate through February at about 25 hours a week.

The YWCA also will lower the temperature of the water by 2 to 3 degrees to save money.

Pudlo said the agency needs an estimated $500,000 over the next two years to continue and improve existing programs, which include serving 330 teen and adult mothers and their babies.

“That would roughly pay off our debt and allow us to invest in the personnel, marketing and other changes needed to rebuild the programs,” Pudlo said.

Without that money, she said, the YWCA will have to look at other options, which would include reducing or eliminating some programs.

 “We very much need an angel to step forward. ... It comes down to finances. We have a large debt that we have to find a way to pay off, ” Rossabi said.

The YWCA has reduced its debt to about $90,000 and is paying off its current bills.

She and Pudlo say an annual fundraising campaign has brought in $19,000 and the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro has provided a gift of $10,000.

Contact Donald W. Patterson at 373-7027 or don.patterson@news-record.com