10 key considerations for publishing annual reports

1. Show the human face

Case studies can provide readers with a welcome break from the bland figures, tables and statements of your financial reports, and bring your annual report to life by giving an insight into how your organisation is helping people and making a difference in the community.

2. Pictures need to be worth a thousand words

Even with high-quality images to break up unreadable pages of text (which should be avoided) many people simply won't read your annual report at all, let alone in full. It's therefore imperative that your images tell a story of their own. But if hiring a professional photographer is cost-prohibitive for your organisation, sites such as Flickr provide free, downloadable images under Creative Commons licenses.

3. Save the trees

Instead of printing thousands of copies of your annual report, which can be costly and harsh on the environment, consider emailing it to interested stakeholders and make it available for download from your website. If you do want to post something, perhaps send a postcard with a short message about your organisation and a link to the digital version of your annual report. You could also record your Chair and CEO reports on video and upload them to YouTube, or follow in the footsteps of The Calgary Zoo, which presented its 2012 annual report on Instagram.

4. Use magnetic headlines

Using descriptive headings and sub-headings will improve readability and help guide readers through the content, especially those who will simply scan or read bits and pieces of your report. Lists (as well as charts and tables) can also be beneficial in presenting complex or financial information as well as adding visual interest to the page. For an example of effective and prominent headings, check out these annual reports from MacKillop Family Services.

5. Encourage giving

Potential donors are likely to be reading your report so it's important to include contact details and information on how interested parties can volunteer, donate or leave a bequest for your organisation. Naming and thanking existing donors who have supported your organisation throughout the year obviously gives them deserved recognition, but be sure to get their permission before publishing personal information or donation amounts.

6. Assign authority

Put someone in charge of coordinating the job. This may be a project manager or a sub-committee, such as the communications and marketing committee (though one person must take ultimate responsibility). The coordinator/s will then need to decide how the content will be gathered, how long it is going to be (word limits are better than a set number of pages), who will contribute to it and when it needs to be completed.

7. Approach printers for sponsorship

Some printers will give not-for-profit organisations a reduced price, especially if they support your vision or you have an existing relationship with the company, or trade their services for recognition in the report. Consider giving printers space for an advertisement on the back cover, or displaying their logo in another prominent location, as well as on your website.

8. Save yourself the embarrassment

It's easy to rush the editing process because by now you're probably, well, over it. But ideally you should get two people with fresh eyes to read your report from cover to cover, check all facts and figures, make sure everything is understandable to an everyday reader, and check spelling (particularly names). Also get your treasurer to review financial information.

9. Define diversity

You may consider including a diversity benchmark in your annual report, such as how much of your grant funding flows to Indigenous, cultural and linguistically diverse and disability groups or the representation of these groups, as well as women and young people, in senior positions in your organisation and on its board. If your organisation is yet to develop a diversity policy, it may help to set your commitment to inclusion in stone by articulating your pledge in your annual report.

10. Treat your annual report as a marketing tool

Apart from being a document required to fulfil regulatory requirements, you should consider your annual report as an extension of your organisation and realise that those who read it are going to draw conclusions about your organisation from it - if your report is well presented, clear, accurate, focused and full of vision and passion, then your organisation will be perceived that way as well. You may consider including a 'scorecard' on your organisation at the start of the report, which highlights your three major achievements and quantifies key figures such as volunteer hours and donations.