A nonprofit annual report doesn’t have to be a repeated, end-of-year project that feels like a tedious task your team checks off their to-do list. Instead, it can provide an opportunity to develop a project that allows your nonprofit to reflect back while influencing the year ahead.
How? By integrating your annual report content into your organization’s broader marketing goals. Because if you spend so much time creating an annual report, it should keep working for you beyond the recurring publishing date, right? Right.
So, if you’re looking at your nonprofit’s annual report and asking yourself, “What the heck do I do with this thing?” consider the following tips and tricks.
Share Across Several Distribution Channels
First things first, let’s talk about getting your annual report out into the world. Think of it like casting a wide net—you want to reach as many people as possible.
Here are three easy-lift things you can do when distributing your annual report across various channels:
- Share it on your website. Be sure to incorporate relevant keywords and phrases throughout your report to boost its visibility in search engine results. However you post it online, it should be easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and packed with shareable content that drives traffic to your site.
- Blast it out via email. Create a condensed version of your impact report with minimal copy and maximal visuals. Repurposing your executive summary or leadership letter can be a great place to start. Pull out the most meaningful data points and visualize them quickly, enticing the reader to click that “read more” button.
Spread the word on social media. Like above, turn the infographics and visual impact statistics used in your report into social media images. And if you use the accompanying text from your annual report, the social caption is already written for you (though you may need to jazz it up so it feels relevant to the social channel you’re posting on).
Leverage the Report for Donor Stewardship and Engagement
Your annual report isn’t just a one-and-done deal—it can be a powerful tool for building relationships with your donors.
- Retain Existing Donors: Use your annual report as an opportunity to say “thank you” for your donors’ support and show them the impact they’ve made. You can even send a hard copy of it to them with a personalized, handwritten note or post excerpts on social media with special shout-outs to your top donors.
- Acquire New Donors: When you’re speaking with a new or potential donor, personalize aspects of the annual report based on what the prospect is interested in. Highlight and repurpose the most relevant content to hook them in quickly as you work to progress the relationship and influence their level of donorship.
Incorporate Your Annual Report Content Into Broader Marketing Strategies
Your annual report should also seamlessly integrate into your broader marketing strategies. That means using it (or repurposing it) to fuel your nonprofit’s
- Social media campaigns
- Blog posts
- Research reports
- White papers
- Case Studies
- Presentations
- Fundraising efforts
At the end of the day, your annual report is more than just a required hunk of paper–it’s a powerful tool your nonprofit can use year-round. Don’t let it collect dust on a shelf; get out there and show it off.
The Bottom Line
Annual reports are your golden ticket to building trust, engaging supporters, and demonstrating impact. They’re your chance to shout your successes from the rooftops and show the world what your nonprofit is made of.
Download our annual report checklist for nonprofits to make sure you’ve incorporated all you need to leverage your report fully. It’s never too late to set yourself up for success.
And if you really want to get ahead of the game, schedule a call with us to learn how our team of nonprofit marketing experts can help you supercharge your future annual report planning and help you weave this year’s report into your organization’s year-round marketing efforts.