Annual reports are so much more than a legal requirement. They’re a chance to show commissioners how your work makes a difference, convince future funders to invest their money with you and thank loyal supporters for their donations.
So why are they often so boring to read and dull to produce? In part it’s because annual reports don’t really get the time and attention they deserve. They often languish unloved on the end of a production schedule already stuffed full of seemingly more interesting and relevant projects.
Which is a pity – because if they’re done properly, they can be the shining jewel in your charity’s crown.
We know that sometimes it’s hard to motivate yourself about the annual report – let alone other staff. That’s why we’ve compiled five practical tips that can help turn a routine publication into something revolutionary.
1. Be bold with your format
Choosing a fresh design and format can inspire fresh thinking about content. After all, it’s hard to get excited about a publication that looks and feels the same year after year. Start with some blue-sky thinking and work your way back.
Could you publish your annual report as an interactive PDF with videos that show, rather than tell, supporters about your work? Or ask your service users to help produce the document?
Try setting yourself a challenge. Could you fit your entire accounts on a postcard – or as a bookmark? Create a limited edition document which tells your story solely in pictures? Be bold and see what ideas follow.
2. Create buy-in
If staff feel part of the annual report process they’re more likely to see it as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. So make sure you book two key meetings early on in the process.
The first should be a review session where stakeholders can give their thoughts about last year’s publication and come up with some new ideas.
The other should be your chance to present ideas for content and format for this year’s publication to the rest of the charity, and get feedback.
Do anything you can to create a buzz around the process. Listen seriously to other people’s ideas and be positive and enthusiastic about presenting your own.
3. Motivate the moaners
Every organisation has people determined to stop change in its tracks. This is often because producing a similar document year after year is easier than coming up with something new.
But rather than fighting them, try this simple trick to get the moaners working for you.
The next time they’re complaining that there aren’t enough case studies, the colours are wrong or their project hasn’t been name checked, just smile and say “You’re quite right – so for this year could you take charge of that for me?”
Faced with doing something constructive, many moaners slink off into the background, never to be heard again.
4. Lose the baggage
Take a long hard look at last year’s annual report. Now go and put a line through each page that doesn’t communicate clear information about your charity’s impact.
Chances are, you can lose it for this year.
For example, do you really need a page-long letter from your CEO? Are your readers really desperate for a biography on each trustee?
The internet is your ally here. If other staff complain, remind them that you can happily publish anything you don’t have room for on your website, where the two souls in the world who are interested in such things can seek them out.
5. Make it a monthly event
Rather than treating the annual report as a publication that dominates your schedules for three months, try to create a culture where it builds gradually during the year.
Every month, try and get key departments to contribute something useful.
This could be anything from a handful of key stats culled from a fundraising campaign – to a quote from a government minister your CEO is working with.
By gathering information over time, you can keep the annual report firmly on the agenda – and make the information-chasing process less strenuous when you’re up against the deadline.
