Annual report season is upon us. With Giving Tuesday on the horizon and year-end giving following close behind, the annual report can often fall by the wayside. To avoid that, it’s best that nonprofits get ahead and start preparing for their reports as early as possible.
Our experts at Yearly have outlined 6 best practices for your 2022 annual report. We’ll help you stand out from the competition and engage your supporters like never before. In this blog post, we’ll help you knock your annual report out of the park.
6 Best Practices for Your 2022 Annual Report
Focus on interactivity
No one wants to read a paper annual report anymore. A paper printout in the mail is a thing of the past—digital is in. One of the most important components to going digital this year is interactivity. Or, your reader’s ability to get directly involved with your report.
With software like Yearly, you can make your annual report scrollable and clickable. While these seem like small benefits, an interactive user interface is a real showstopper and will keep your supporters engaged.
Acknowledge both pitfalls and success
For most nonprofits, 2022 was a hard year. In the wake of an ongoing pandemic and amid an economic downturn, so many nonprofits had to pivot and adapt.
While it’s easy to focus on all the progress and success of the year, it’s equally important to acknowledge the pitfalls. Be transparent with your readers about your struggles, and how you’re working to overcome them. In turn, you’ll build trust.
Empathize and acknowledge
Given the difficulty of the last year, it’s also equally important to recognize the struggles of your donors. They too endured a tricky year of uncertainty and continued to support your mission. Acknowledge their efforts, and their dedication to your work despite it. A little acknowledgment and empathy will go a long way.
Personalize it
The annual reporting process usually falls during one of the busiest seasons of the year. That’s why it can be tempting to just repurpose last year’s report. However, personalizing this year’s message can really help your nonprofit stand out. Recognize specifics from this year, including new achievements and discoveries. Let supporters know that you’re thoughtful about the content you show them and include them in.
Make it engaging
No one wants to read a boring annual report. By including videos, photos, and even integrating your social media, readers will be less tempted to scroll away from your report. And, with clickable links for more information and to donate, they might just enjoy reading it. Yes, you read that right—they might enjoy reading an annual report!
Keep it simple
It can be tempting to include every piece of information from the year. But, don’t do that. Too much information, or information that isn’t well-designed or given enough context, will overwhelm readers. Scale back and keep it simple—it’ll be much easier to get your goals across.