Nonprofits & Annual Report Design: Still Relevant?
Of all the things there are to design in this world, annual reports are at the very top of my list. Why?
Well, for one thing, I get a real kick out of taking a page full of data and turning it into colorful, readable, infographics. But I also love the opportunity to tell a nonprofit’s most compelling story, or explore a new theme or direction they want to head. That’s what donors want to see and there are dozens of creative ways to get the job done.
So I was sorry to hear recently from the E.D. of a small nonprofit here in Denver that she was DONE with annual reports.
Her main complaints:
• They are too expensive to produce, exacerbated by minimum-quantity print runs
• They have a short shelf-life of 1 year
So I set out to do a little investigating and brainstorming to come up with ways of increasing the value an annual report can provide to a nonprofit.
Here’s an example of an online annual for The Joyce Foundation where I photographed stories of grant recipients in action and combined with voice-over interviews to create videos for each of their programs. (There is an example on my website of the Employment program’s story: https://www.sunnydaydesign.org/videostories
Here are some creative solutions I’ve come up with.
1. EXTEND THE LIFE OF YOUR ANNUAL BY SEPARATING YOUR STORY FROM YOUR FINANCIALS.
Annual reports present the ideal opportunity to use the time-tested appeal of storytelling to demonstrate your impact as a nonprofit. And there’s no reason why the story you choose to tell needs to be attached to a specific year.
Example of a poster-format annual report where the story side doesn’t need to include the date, which extends the usability of the piece.
You could:
• Print the story as a beautiful brochure that can be used for fundraising over a number of years, and send out it with a fun, infographic-style companion piece featuring your financials.
• Create an oversized poster with an attention-grabbing story on the front, and financials on the back.
2. TELL THE STORY OF YOUR FUTURE.
People interested in donating want to know where you’re going just as much as where you’ve been. Get them excited about your road map for the future.
You could shoot gorgeous photos of the people or places you’ve helped, include quotes or testimonials that speak to your future plans. You could even include creative infographics that visually show where you want the organization to go. The name of the report could include a date range - “2019-2021 Action Plan.”
3. PRINT THE MINIMUM QUANTITY YOU CAN OR TRY DIGITAL PRINTING.
ALSO, SEND YOUR ANNUAL TO A LIMITED MAILING LIST.
Ending up with boxes of expensively printed annuals that never ran out year after year really created a problem for my friend. Digital printing is less expensive and allows for shorter print runs. And even though it’s nice to send an annual to volunteers, your neighbor and your mom… a shorter mailing list is always a less expensive mailing list.
Clearly annual report design is changing rapidly and the days of dense annuals printed on heavy, luxurious, paper stock are dwindling. But maybe that’s a good thing because I’m seeing more creative solutions and less waste than ever before.
If you need some creative problem solving where your annual report is concerned, drop me a line!
DOES A PRINTED ANNUAL REPORT EVEN MAKE SENSE ANY MORE?
Yes, at least until Gen-Xers and Millennials are primary donors. I’ve spoken with numerous nonprofit staff who say donors still lean towards the older age bracket, and they still want print. This doesn’t mean your report can’t have an online component, or be streamlined, but you probably still want something to be printed.
Sidenote: I read a story recently on bloomerang.co about the power of a printed annual. A man had an appointment with his lawyer to get his affairs in order. While he waited in the lobby he picked up a copy of The Rhode Island Foundation’s annual report and he liked what he read so much he brought it into the appointment to discuss it with his lawyer. A few years later when he passed away The Rhode Island Foundation received a phenomenal donation from this man!
Hello!
I’m Cristina, Founder and Creative Director of Sunny Day Design.
I specialize in working with nonprofits and social enterprises to create unique and powerful communications that raise awareness, inspire action, and make a bigger impact in the world.
My blog provides helpful nonprofit marketing insights and fresh creative ideas to help your organization stand out.
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