Public Relations Nonrofit Communicators – 5 Ways to Create Great Annual Reports
You can create a concise Nonprofit Annual Report by following these 5 easy steps.
Include an interesting executive message
Perhaps you have read an executive message that fails to keep your attention. Spice your own message up by making an emotional connection with your readers; reminding them of the good work you are doing. Summarize the annual report while setting the tone or theme of what you are sharing in the rest of the report.
Concentrate on accomplishments instead of everyday happenings
Tell what you did, but more importantly, tell why you did it. Explain the results of a project and the difference the project made in the community or your organization. Connect the projects and everyday activities of your organization back to your mission statement.
Don’t dwell on administrative details
A faster Internet connection, a new copy machine, or a state-of-the-art industrial stapler may have made a difference in your organization, but these are not improvements that need to be glorified in your report. It’s better to recognize such administrative details in your board report, and use the external report for big-picture mission activities.
Forget about trying to include everyone who donated any amount of money
To keep the list of donors manageable and in proportion to the length of your report, set a minimum dollar amount for inclusion in the annual report. Smaller donors can (and should) be recognized in smaller publications such as newsletters.
Snap some pictures
Throughout the year, take and collect pictures from events and projects that your organization is involved with. Pictures can tell a story of the positive influence your organization has on the community to those people who won’t actually read all the text in your annual report. Or, use an online photo service to procure stock photos to use as illustrations.
Steve Cebalt of Bottom Line Public Relations is Founder of the Social Marketing Leadership Roundtable in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Copyright Steve Cebalt 2007 May be used with author acknowledgement
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