The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Gathering facts, financials, and photos for your annual report

It’s not Christmas. It’s only July. But it is a wonderful time of year for your nonprofit. For many organizations, you are completing your fiscal year and it’s time to gather the facts, financials, and photos and create compelling content that tells your story from the past year.

Just like at Christmas, many of us make lists and check them twice (or more). Here are some lists for you as you consider what you want your gift to donors to look like, how it will fit their needs, and how you will package it.

WHY create this anyway? The reason for the season

It’s always the first question to consider in any project, campaign, or event… why are you doing this? Why should you produce and distribute an annual report? Here are a few reasons to have an annual report season:

__ 1. It supports your larger fundraising strategy.

__ 2. You can express gratitude to your donors. Consider this a big, detailed, “Thank You” card addressed to your supporters, volunteers, and board members.

__ 3. It reports on your goals and progress toward the goals.

__ 4. It allows you to be transparent with your donors about what you did and did not accomplish.

__ 5. It gives you a platform to reemphasize your purpose.

__ 6. You can give a glimpse into expectations for the future.

__ 7. It provides opportunities for the next steps for donors.

__ 8. It is a tool to retain and grow gifts from your donors.

__ 9. It provides you an opportunity to pause and celebrate your successes.

WHO is going to read this?

Those are all some great reasons listed above about why to go through the painstaking process of creating your report. As you create, as always, you need to keep your audience in mind. Your audience could be:

__ 1. Prospective donors

__ 2. New donors

__ 3. Major donors

__ 4. Foundations

__ 5. Business sponsors

__ 6. All of the above

Regardless of who your target audience is, they are all people with a vested interest in the mission they are supporting, the people they are helping, and how their money is being used to accomplish the goals.

WHAT is it? Inside the annual report gift bag

What exactly will your audience discover when they unwrap your report? Here are a few essentials to include:

__ 1. Your mission statement. Place this vital piece of information at the beginning of your report to introduce new donors to your purpose and to remind seasoned donors on why they continue to support your nonprofit.

__ 2. Branding items including, logo, colors, and tag lines.

__ 3. Personal stories and direct quotes from recipients, volunteers, and board members.

__ 4. Powerful visuals including:

photos
graphics
videos
LOTS of all of the above.

Your audience, regardless of who they are, likes to be engaged through pictures of people, colorful charts, and impactful videos.

__ 5. Financial information. It will be a challenge to present numbers in a fun way, but those invested in your organization have a need and a right to know the truth of what has been accomplished or what is still left to be completed from the past year. Be honest. Be accurate. Be hopeful.

__ 6. Projects, events, and fundraising campaigns. Because you will be reporting about the year that was overshadowed by COVID-19, many of your activities may have been virtual, hybrid, or at least looked very different than that of previous years. That’s okay. Show the reality of the year and how supporters helped continue the mission despite the challenges.

__ 7. Cast a vision for the future. What future goals does your audience need to know? How can they join you as you move forward into the next year?

__ 8. What do you want your readers to do next? Give specific next steps by including a donation button to click, upcoming event registration information, social media platform buttons to click, like, and share.

WHEN do you unveil your creation?

Not many options here: As soon as you can after the information is gathered, checked, proofread, rechecked, and confirmed. The data needs to be fresh, relevant, and easily accessible.

HOW do you package it?

Just like wrapping a present, there are several options. You don’t have to use the same style you’ve used before. Consider these:

__ 1. Online clickable pdf in the format of your choosing

__ 2. Printed pdf or trifold brochure

__ 3. Printed four-page (or more) full-color booklet

__ 4. Infographic

__ 5. Postcard

__ 6. Video

__ 7. Combination of the above

However you decide to present it, keep it short, simple, and easy to read. As mentioned above, provide engaging photos and graphics that capture the attention of your readers and compel them to read more.

It truly can be the most wonderful time of the year for your nonprofit to showcase who you are, what you’ve done, and how supporters have helped so many deserving people. It’s not an easy job to answer the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your annual report. But when done well, it will serve you all year long as a shining gift to share with many – to thank them, inspire them and help move your mission forward.

Do you want more information on how to do your report this year? Need some inspiration? Check out these examples:

https://www.everyaction.com/blog/8-annual-reports-we-love/

https://www.pathfinder.org/pathfinders-2020-annual-report-safeguarding-reproductive-health/

https://www.wnet.org/annual-review-2020/

https://www.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/HSUS_2019_AnnualReport.pdf

https://www.pinterest.com/charityclairity/annual-report-nontraditional/