{"id":585151,"date":"2017-02-01T15:26:23","date_gmt":"2017-02-01T20:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/?p=585151"},"modified":"2022-06-27T10:29:40","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T14:29:40","slug":"annual-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/annual-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Steps to a Winning Annual Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Take a moment and think about\u00a0your last annual report. What words come to mind?<\/p>\n

Boring?<\/p>\n

Snooze-fest?<\/p>\n

Good for the litter box?<\/p>\n

Time suck?<\/p>\n

Unread?<\/p>\n

You get the idea.<\/p>\n

But it doesn\u2019t have to be that way. A good annual report can make a huge difference for an organization.<\/p>\n

One time I worked on an annual report for an international relief organization doing work in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report was GREAT. So great, we used it to help us close some very large (7-figure!) gifts. There\u2019s no way we would have received those donations without the annual report.<\/p>\n

What made the report so compelling? The biggest thing was the way we told stories, both verbally and through images. These stories made it crystal clear to the reader that we were truly helping some of the world\u2019s most impoverished people. It was extremely powerful.<\/p>\n

So even though the process of producing the annual report was intensive, the benefits were enormous to the organization.<\/p>\n

Now, most of the time annual reports ARE boring. Far too often the annual report gets short shrift. It\u2019s considered a burden. Why? In part it\u2019s because production starts soon after fiscal year-end and everyone is exhausted.<\/p>\n

So in 2017 one of resolutions for you is this: your nonprofit will have a kick-ass, widely read annual report that you and your staff will enjoy creating and that will make a real different for the organization!<\/p>\n

Sound like one of those resolutions people break in February?<\/p>\n

Trust me; this is one you’ll keep, and love doing it.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s why\u2026<\/p>\n

My Five Step-Approach to Producing An Impactful Annual Report\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Step #1: Get clear on who the annual report is for.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Before you even write one word of text I want you to ask yourself this pivotal question: who is the annual report for?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Please don\u2019t let the simplicity of the question deceive you \u2013 the answer will determine so much about what you do going forward.<\/p>\n

To determine your audience it is helpful to take a few minutes to conduct the following exercise: write down the top 3-5 stakeholder groups that currently<\/u> read your annual report and the 3-5 stakeholder groups that you want<\/u> to read your annual report.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t just write down \u201cdonors,\u201d in either category. Be more specific than that. Think about categories like:<\/p>\n