Project Management
|10 Tips for Writing a Great Annual Report |
|By Kivi Leroux Miller |
|Even though nonprofit organizations aren’t required to produce annual reports like publicly traded companies are, most nonprofit |
|managers recognize the value of producing one. Annual reports can help you demonstrate your accomplishments to current and future |
|donors, cultivate new partnerships, and recognize important people. |
|But since annual reports aren’t legally required, nonprofits often struggle with what should be included in an annual report and |
|what should be left out. The following ten tips will help you craft an outstanding nonprofit annual report. |
|Focus on accomplishments, not activities. |
|We want to know what you did, but more importantly, we want to know why you did it. What were the results? Why did you spend your |
|time and money the way you did? What difference did it make? Connect the everyday activities of your organization to your mission |
|statement. Don’t assume that readers will automatically understand how your activities help you achieve your mission. Connect the |
|dots for them. |
|Jettison the administrative minutiae. |
|Getting a high-speed connection in the office and new accounting software may be big accomplishments from where you sit at your |
|desk, but they have nothing to do with your mission. Inspire donors with accomplishments related to your mission in your
|By Kivi Leroux Miller |
|Even though nonprofit organizations aren’t required to produce annual reports like publicly traded companies are, most nonprofit |
|managers recognize the value of producing one. Annual reports can help you demonstrate your accomplishments to current and future |
|donors, cultivate new partnerships, and recognize important people. |
|But since annual reports aren’t legally required, nonprofits often struggle with what should be included in an annual report and |
|what should be left out. The following ten tips will help you craft an outstanding nonprofit annual report. |
|Focus on accomplishments, not activities. |
|We want to know what you did, but more importantly, we want to know why you did it. What were the results? Why did you spend your |
|time and money the way you did? What difference did it make? Connect the everyday activities of your organization to your mission |
|statement. Don’t assume that readers will automatically understand how your activities help you achieve your mission. Connect the |
|dots for them. |
|Jettison the administrative minutiae. |
|Getting a high-speed connection in the office and new accounting software may be big accomplishments from where you sit at your |
|desk, but they have nothing to do with your mission. Inspire donors with accomplishments related to your mission in your