If you’ve been in the nonprofit industry for a long time, you probably know how important photography is to any marketing material — especially the nonprofit annual report. In this blog, we’ll discover exactly why annual report photos matter, what kinds you should use, and some amazing examples of both real and stock imagery in action 🚀
What is the purpose of a nonprofit annual report? 🤔
A nonprofit annual report serves as a way for the organization to communicate its achievements and progress to its stakeholders. It generally includes a summary of the organization’s mission, financial statements, highlights from the past year, and a projection of future goals and initiatives
Why does annual report photography matter? ✨
Photography is important in a non-profit annual report because it can help to communicate the impact of the organization’s work visually. It can evoke emotion, tell a story, and help the reader to better understand the work being done by the organization.
In the past, annual reports were printed in black and white, and sent via snail mail or made into a pamphlet. While some nonprofits still engage in these practices, it’s becoming incredibly popular ot use web-based reports, which allow for the inclusion of color photos, videos, and more. With drag-and-drop editing capabilities, too, nonprofits can upload as many photos as they’d like into their annual report—and move them around with ease.
⭐ Get a free, custom annual report sample in minutes →
Do I need to hire a photographer? 📸
Some nonprofits have a photographer on staff that takes photos at events, meetings, and more. However, smaller nonprofits on a budget often take photos themselves.
While nonprofits certainly don’t need to stage an entire photoshoot for the purpose of their annual report, a few professional photos might be helpful. When collecting the photos you’ll use in your report, consider the quality of those photos, and whether or not you need to hire a photographer to assist you.
Different kinds of images to include in your annual report 📷
Every nonprofit is different. So, the images a nonprofit uses might be completely differently from another. However, a few common types of annual report photos include:
- Photos of staff members
- Photos of volunteers
- Photos of beneficiaries
- Photos of events and fundraisers
- Photos of major donors
- Photos of partners, and other major stakeholders
Of course, when selecting photos, be sure that you have the right permission clearances to publish them. At events and fundraisers, that might mean asking attendees to sign release forms.
⭐ Need help writing you report? Use a nonprofit annual report template to help you get started →
Stock imagery vs. real imagery – which is best? 🏅
When it comes to putting photos in your annual report, it’s essential to consider whether you’d like to use stock imagery, real imagery, or maybe a combination of both. When deciding, it’s important to consider the pros and cons of each.
👉 Stock imagery
Stock imagery from sites like Unsplashed are free, easy ways to fill your annual report with photos. With thousands of images to choose from, nonprofits can fill their reports with images to match practically any section of the report. And, with an annual report builder, nonprofits can upload stock images right from the built-in stock image library without having to toggle back and forth.
Kinds of organizations that use stock imagery: Nonprofits on a budget that don’t have enough photos or enough high-quality photos
✅ Pros:
- Unlimited options: stock image libraries have an unlimited selection of photos to use.
- Cost-effective: most stock image libraries offer royalty-free options, meaning your nonprofit won’t have to pay a thing for quality photos.
- Quick and easy: sorting through photography from a year of activities, or hiring a photographer, can take a lot of time. With stock image libraries, nonprofits can scroll through thousands of options with little to no effort.
❌ Cons:
- Lacks authenticity: while stock images are a great choice for nonprofits on a budget, they don’t show real people and real activities from your organization. Without authenticity, readers won’t form an emotional connection with your cause, and might even be less likely to trust it.
👉 Real imagery
Real photography is a wonderful option for nonprofits with a photographer on staff, encourage staff members to snap photos at events, or even having some great staff headshots.
Kinds of organizations use real imagery: nonprofits that have lots of high-quality photos to share
✅ Pros:
- Creates transparency: the purpose of an annual report is to give supporters an inside glimpse into your work. Real photography does just that, offering supporters a real glimpse into your daily work, and the people behind it.
- Builds connection: when nonprofits include real photos in their annual report, they build a connection between the cause and the supporters. Photos of beneficiaries and volunteers, for example, help build an emotional connection.
- Helps tell a story: unlike stock images, real photography helps tell the story of your organization—your mission, goals, and values.
❌ Cons:
- Quality: One of the cons of real photography is that it might not be the highest quality. For nonprofits on a budget that use phones for snapping pictures, the end results might be blurry or not well-defined.
- Expensive: hiring a photographer can get pricey, fast.
The best annual report photos in action 💥
Freedom Tree
Freedom Tree is a nonprofit focused on ending the maternal and infant mortality crisis in communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. Throughout their report, this nonprofit uses tons of real images from their work—including photos of beneficiaries and volunteers in action.
✅ Why it works:
- It builds connection: readers can see firsthand how their contributions are helping women and children. They don’t have to use their imaginations.
- Evokes an emotional response: real photos of beneficiaries help evoke an emotional response from readers—essential to garnering donations and improving support.
- It’s high quality: Freedom Tree only includes high-quality photos throughout making this annual report feel professional.
Episcopal Day
Episcopal Day is a great example of professional photography in action. With tons of real photos through, readers are inspired by their work.
✅ Why it works:
- High quality: none of the images included in this annual report are blurry or out of focus. These crisp, bright images feel professional and trustworthy.
- Convey mission and values: this nonprofit chose their photography wisely. They picked photos of students enjoying activities, and learning—essential to their mission.
Mandel Voices
Mandel voices took a creative spin on real photography. Throughout their annual report, most of the photos are of real student work!
✅ Why it works:
- It creates an emotional connection: the work of students displayed throughout allows readers to connect with students.
- It’s fun and engaging: unlike other reports, Mandel Voices makes their annual report fun and engaging by showing real student artwork.
United Way Suncoast
United Way Suncoast uses a mix of both stock imagery and real photography throughout their annual report in the best way possible.
✅ Why it works:
- The stock imagery is in line with their mission and values: the stock images incorporated throughout were selected perfectly—they match the mission and values that this organization is trying to convey.
- It’s engaging: United Way doesn’t use any boring stock imagery—all of the selected images are engaging and fun.
Footbridge
Like United, Footbridge uses a combination of stock imagery and real photography throughout. In places where they don’t have appropriate real images, they’ve chosen stock imagery that’s evocative and professional.
✅ Why it works:
- It evokes emotion: though these images are stock images, they do a wonderful job of evoking emotion.
- They complement real imagery: the real images and stock images fit seamlessly together for one cohesive, professional look.
Create your report with an annual report builder 🚀
No matter what your organization’s mission is, photography is essential to convey a cleaver message, evoke emotion, and build trust through transparency. By using an annual report builder like Yearly, nonprofits can choose from several annual report design templates, and use drag-and-drop editing to upload photos or use the built-in stock image library.
⭐ To get started, sign up for free with Yearly →
Josh Kligman is the CEO of Yearly, a platform for nonprofits to create their own digital reports. Josh has been working with nonprofits on annual reports, brands and partnerships since 2011. He is helping nonprofits create more engaging, digital annual and impact reports with Yearly. Throughout his career, Josh has helped launch and run nonprofit brand campaigns and media partnerships nationally and locally, using television, radio and web, to amplify the reach of campaigns and provide demonstrated value for non-profit stakeholders. Josh received his B.A. from American University in Communications and his M.B.A. from American University in Marketing Management and Entrepreneurship.