No Annual Report? Really?

I still run into nonprofits that don’t have annual reports. I’m not really sure why, because in these web 2.0 times, you just don’t have to jump through the same production hoops to
create an annual report as you used to. Not only that but you can get really creative with online annual reports.
I’m not big on skipping actually MAILING annual reports because I think it’s foolish to assume that you will be able to grab everyone’s attention online when our email boxes are crammed full all the time.

But I advocate doing a FULL report online and then sending out both direct mail and email pieces that have summaries of your annual report and then directing people online for the full versions. And I think it’s perfectly apropos to break up your annual report into 2 annual reports to correspond to your twice a year fundraising campaign.

And what self-respecting fundraising campaign would be without an annual report? I always say you can get grassroots dollars with a grassroots approach (handing out brochures only or sending people to a website that may or may not have anything remotely annual report-like) while bigger dollars come from more particular bigger donors who will likely need to know you better and see the results of your efforts. An annual report is perfect for that. So stop thinking about it and do it!

At the Minimum

1. Let people know you have accomplished great things with money given previously. Write up A Year In Review list of accomplishments with 1 – 2 photos depicting your greatest accomplishments. Make sure your accomplishments are very specific i.e. “we helped 421 people find temporary shelter which resulted in….”. A great way to title this section would be “Your donations helped us to…”

2. Let people see that you are well-connected. List your board of directors, partners, collaborators – if you have space, list their affiliations; you want people to connect with them in some way or relate to their job, recognize the company they work for, impart credibility to your organization through your connections.

3. Let people be moved by the reality of the work you are doing. Showcase 1-2 client success stories with photos; make sure you obtain permissions from your consumers to use their photo and story. Keep the stories short but impactful. Don’t be afraid to pull at our heartstrings.

4. Let people know you are the experts in your field. Include Interesting facts / statistics about the industry you are in and the people you serve; always use your report as an educational opportunity without making it seem like an educational opportunity. Throw out some things about your organization that make you different from others providing similar services.

5. Let people know that OTHERS respect your expertise. Talk about any awards or special recognitions or press attention you received throughout the year (that stood out) and adds to your credibility.

6. Let people know that you are financially sound. Pie charts – everyone loves them – it’s so easy to see at a glance what is going on with the organization. Show one for your funding sources broken out by type of source and one for expenses broken out by program and administrative and fundraising. You can show the overall budget number and percentages or just percentages and compare results over multiple years or just the previous year.

7. Let people know what you will do if they give you money now. List upcoming projects with brief descriptions and create a wish list. The wish list can include in-kind donations needed as well.

8. Let people know that you appreciate them. Thank donors, and volunteers; you don’t necessarily have to list everyone on your printed piece or annual report summary. Save that for the bigger donors and make sure everyone else is thanked on the website and/or the full annual report. Do this in a way that doesn’t make smaller donors feel less important.

Online Report Ideas

Comments are closed.