Communicating Your Impact Through an Annual Report
As the end of your fiscal year nears, there is a hustle and bustle to close the books of the previous year and bask in the excitement of new initiatives and a new budget.
There is a concurrent step that you should take as you are diving headfirst into a new fiscal year and that is compiling an annual report, also known as a year in review.
Historically, annual reports were primarily used to report out financial information and donor lists. In recent years, they have become much more dynamic–a storytelling tool, a recruitment/retention tool, and much more.
Why an annual report, you ask?
Demonstrate Impact
Through storytelling, photos, infographics, charts, testimonials, and other dynamic content–even video–nonprofits and schools can highlight the outcomes and benefits that they have achieved for their core audiences.
Habitat for Humanity’s and Flint Hill School’s annual reports leverage the power of digital technology to communicate their messages. Trinity Episcopal School uses succinct and compelling copy, supported with value-add facts.
Prompt Conversation
With the sheer amount of noise and messages floating around in the ether, an annual report reminds constituents of the value you bring to their professional and/or personal lives. Buzz around the coffee table, soccer field, and water cooler is not a bad thing! Sharing a diverse group of stories that illustrates your commitment + dedication to your mission, and a continuous quest for improvement will win hearts and potentially future dollars.
Honor Donors
Donors help make programs, progress, and process possible. Generous contributions enable nonprofits and schools to expand their offerings, drive sustainable change, and make a meaningful difference to the audiences that they serve. There are many creative ways to include this information in an annual report.
Shore Up Accountability + Trust
Reinforcing credibility with donors, beneficiaries and the wider community is essential. No one is perfect, and sharing both successes and areas of improvement shows responsible stewardship of resources.
There has been a recent shift in how organizations are publishing annual reports. Many still produce a printed annual report as donors and other constituents enjoy having something to hold and read. Others have taken this document solely digital, while some use dynamic tools through microsites, Yearly, and others.
Regardless of the route that you take, producing an annual report is a team effort. Input will be required from various stakeholders, outreach will be necessary to gather stories, quotes, and media, and ample time is critical to produce a piece that you are proud of, that is accurate, and typo-free.
