How to write an annual report people actually finish

Most annual reports are written to be filed, not read. They run long, open with a list of everything that happened and bury the one thing the reader wanted to know. The reports that get read are short and honest, and they end by asking for something.

This is a structure that works for a nonprofit, a school, a club or a small company.

Open with a letter, and keep it to a page

Thank the reader first. Then say, in a few sentences, what the year was about and what changed because of them. Sign it with a name and a role so it comes from a person. If you cannot say it in a page, you do not yet know what the year was about.

Give a handful of numbers

Pick three to six figures that show what happened: people served, hours given, programs run, money raised and spent. Give each one a plain label and say where it comes from. Put them big, on a page of their own. A reader who sees nothing else should still see those.

Do not round a number to make it look better. If a figure fell, say so and say why. Readers notice, and they trust the report more for it.

Tell two or three stories

A number says how much. A story says what it meant. Choose a few people or moments, name them with their permission, and say in three or four sentences what changed. Add a photograph if you have one.

End by asking for something

What should a reader do next? Give, volunteer, attend, introduce you to someone. Say it plainly and give one way to do it. Add your registration details and a line about how gifts or fees are used, where that applies to you.

What to leave out

• A page of thank-yous that lists everyone. Thank the people who matter to the story, and the rest in one line.
• Charts nobody can read. If a chart needs a paragraph to explain it, use the number.
• Anything you would not say out loud to the reader.

Publishing it

Make the report in Word or your layout tool and export a PDF, or start from the impact report template in the Studio. Publish it as a flipbook and you get one link for your email, your website and your social posts. It opens on a phone with nothing to install, and people who want a file can download a searchable PDF.

If you publish a new version, say with a corrected figure, the link stays the same and readers are offered the update. The Analytics page shows how often it is opened, as counts only.

The template has the five pages above: cover, letter, the year in numbers, stories and how to give. Replace the placeholders, delete what does not fit, and check every figure before it goes out.