By EDGE Women Speaker, professional speaker, renown Executive Advisor to nonprofit leaders, with expertise in Epidemiology and Operations, Allecia Harley.
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[Transcript]
Is your nonprofit annual report a burden or an opportunity to mobilize donors?
As you look back at 2021 and your accomplishments, it can feel like a chore to summarize your work into a multi-page document that you worry few people will read. I’ve heard people talk about the annual report process in the following ways:
“Why isn’t there an app for this?”
“Why do we put so much effort into a document no one reads?”
“Why does it cost so much to create pages of fluff?”
“I just need to delegate this and get it off my plate.”
Have you ever had similar thoughts? If so, you’re not alone, not by a longshot. I’m here to tell you there are many benefits to putting forth the effort and being strategic in the process. Here’s what I mean.
Evidence from our colleagues at Blue Avocado suggests most people don’t read the report from cover to cover, they do read the letter from the Executive Director and Board Chair, the donor list, the financial summary, and the captions listed on the photos.
With that in mind, think of your annual report as an extra set of hands. Use it to tell your most compelling stories and to recruit the right donors, board members, and volunteers.
Nobody wakes up in the morning excited to donate, but everyone wants to make a difference.
Whether your approach is a pdf document or a webpage as your annual report, it’s critical to make sure it’s working for you. You create an annual report to:
Attract potential donors and board members
Help them gain a better understanding of your leadership, your programs, and your financial health.
Say thank you to donors by listing their names along with pictures of them and people they might know.
Appreciate staff and volunteers in visual ways to showcase their work to family and friends.
I’ll put these links in the Youtube show notes for you, because I want you to consider a variety of approaches nonprofits have used to hold on to supporters and attract new ones with their annual report:
Use these insights and ideas to focus your efforts and give your annual report the best opportunity to get a return on your investment of time.
Put your annual report to work for you.