Your organization’s annual general meeting report is an information and marketing tool. It’s an opportunity to showcase and celebrate what has been achieved in the past 12 months and to bring members, community champions, funders, and partners up-to-date. While “standard” items need to be included in your annual report, the best annual reports tell a story using data, statistics, stories, images, videos, and facts.
When you begin to think about your annual report, consider the following before you jump right in with writing it.
Who will be reading it? Write it for the audience you want to engage. Think about the questions that they would ask. How would they like the information to be shared with them (written, video, infographics, etc.)? What stories are most important to share? What information might be most helpful to them as they continue to support the organization?
What do you hope to accomplish with the report? Knowing the purpose of creating and sharing the report helps identify what to include in it (i.e. stories, data, facts, figures, images/videos), beyond the essential items.
How do you want the report to be used? A well-crafted annual report can entice donors and sponsors, inform funders, market your organization, or attract staff and volunteers. Knowing how you want the report to be used after the AGM influences what you include in it and how you present it. You may want to consider an annual report with audience-specific sections that can stand alone and together paint a full picture of your agency's work.
Is there a “theme” that encapsulates the year? For example, was the organization focused on building relationships? Delivering best-in-class programs? Setting a new direction? Choose a theme and then wrap your content, including your Chair and ED messages around this theme. Be clear about why this theme is important to highlight and how, by focusing on this “theme,” your organization has done its best work.
What voice and tone will engage your audience most effectively? Choosing a voice and tone that keeps your readers reading is essential! Ensuring your brand voice is consistent across all marketing is also important. Whether your agency chooses an “informal, open-minded”, “fun-loving, friendly,” or a “serious, let’s get the job done” voice… be consistent!
With a framework for who you are communicating and what you want to communicate,
let’s explore what to include in your Annual Plan. For this blog article, I’ve broken it down into the essential elements, the value-added elements, and then the “Fun” stuff.
The Essential Elements
The seven essential elements of any annual report are:
Executive Summary / Introduction , including the agency's Vision, Mission, and purpose.
Message from the Chair of the Board, reflecting the past year's opportunities, challenges, and successes and painting a vision for the future.
Message from the ED/CEO of the Organization that reflects the operational realities, successes, and achievements and highlights obstacles overcome. This can also include thank you’s to individuals who have significantly impacted the organization’s grassroots and front-line work.
Financial Reports, including audited financial statements, financial reports, funds sources, and investment summaries. Critical and noteworthy data should be presented using charts and graphs to highlight key financial outcomes, as well as the standard financial reporting frameworks.
An Operational Report that examines program outcomes and updates, highlights projects completed or underway, and includes case studies that showcase the work being done and how it impacts those you serve. Enhance this section with relevant stories and images You might highlight key programs and services or progress toward your strategic goals.
Awards and Achievements highlighting client, volunteer, and staff success stories; awards won; recognition given; articles published, etc. These should be scattered throughout the report, linking the different sections to your chosen “theme” (see #4 above).
Supporting documents, including financial reports, overall performance statistics, changes to bylaws and constitution, etc.
The Valued-Added Elements
Value-added sections to consider including are:
A Governance Report highlighting what the Board has been working on to strengthen the organization’s governance structure, including reporting on Board Members and their roles, major decisions, key initiatives, recruitment activities, and compliance with regulatory bodies.
A Membership Report encapsulating information on the membership state, demographics, and member engagement strategies.
Challenges and Solutions that delve into the recent or anticipated challenges or obstacles and the strategies in place to overcome these. Don’t hide these. Showcase the challenges that have been faced and overcome; demonstrate your teams’ ability to pivot to adapt and excel.
Future Growth Plans enhance your members’ ability to see where the organization is going and allow them to see how they can contribute. State the ASK clearly in your annual report as a page that can be removed and posted… help your members, help you! For example, you may need a volunteer with a specific skill set to help with a particular project, or maybe you need connections in the business community to rally support for a new program that helps youth on the street.
The “Fun” Stuff!
And the FUN stuff that is likely to get your readers excited…
Impact stories from your clients, partners, sponsors, and other stakeholders. Share how your work impacts the lives of those in your community using photos, infographics, videos, or other visual tools.
Stories from your staff and volunteers highlighting how working for your organization has helped them learn, grow, and excel. Showcase the individual stories of those working on the frontlines – particularly if they have been recognized within the community or sector for their work.
Testimonials or comments from evaluations from those who have used your programs and services and are now raving fans! These snippets can go a long way in showcasing the difference that your programs and services make in the lives of those you serve.
Links to online videos showcasing your programs and services in action are always a hit, particularly with PDF documents now making it easy to click on outside resources.
Highlight what’s happening behind the scenes. This could include things like: “What we’ve learned this year,” “Proudest accomplishments,” “A day in the life of…”, “Best opportunities for next year,” or “Here is how you can help!”. And don’t throw these in as a list… tell a story. Make it engaging, fun, and on-brand.
Consider inserting a “fun” activity into the report. Maybe there is a quiz (or an online poll) at the end of the report, and those who get 80% or greater get a small prize. Or maybe during your AGM, you refer to certain facts/stories in the annual report and ask attendees to reflect on one of those stories (and they get a prize). Again, be creative.
This framework may seem overwhelming, but that is certainly not the intent. An annual report’s purpose is to highlight the work that your agency and team have been focusing on, showcase accomplishments, and demonstrate financial and operational sustainability to your key stakeholders. It’s not a 50-page report of facts, figures, and words.
It’s so much more… a report, a marketing tool, your agency's story, your way of celebrating what has been accomplished, and the impact your agency (and its team) has had in the community. A well-designed and written annual report can do this in 10-15 pages, which leads us to the final piece of the Annual Report puzzle. What should your annual report look like? Check this companion article out here.
I'd love to hear about the Annual Reports you've seen that have truly stood out. What made them unique? readable? and how did they empower you to take action? Share your ideas and observations below.
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