Three Ways to Get More Out of Your Annual Report

You created an annual report for your nonprofit, foundation or association because you had to. That’s fair. You don’t want to miss your deadline and it’s definitely nice to have a summary of your past fiscal year. Even if put in an effort to making the report look really nice, so many times the document ends up sitting on your website either as a technicality or you are not sure what to do with it. That’s fine, but you might be leaving fundraising dollars on the table.

Consider letting your report become a marketing tool for your fundraising efforts instead of a static and lonely…technicality.

Here are 3 ways to leverage your annual report as a marketing tool and assist with fundraising:

1. Use Your Board’s Contacts: You probably already share the report with your board members, but don’t be shy to specifically ask if they can utilize their network as a distribution channel targeting prospective donors. While board members are often on the lookout for new individual and corporate donors for your organization, you can arm them with the powerful tool that is your annual report, to help them start conversations and open doors. Your goal here should be to ask for introductions.
2. Social Media Announcement Using Storytelling: Sharing your annual report over social media is a great way to get exposure, but make sure you spend your efforts targeting the right audience. There is value to posting it on LinkedIn and using hashtags like #annualreport or #impactreport, but if you want to reach an audience of potential donors, use your posts to highlight specific stories about your impact, rather than relying solely on the fact that you published your report. For instance, did a person tied to your cause do something with or for your brand that differentiates your organization from others? Did you have a record breaking year? Share those stories with a teaser and allow readers to click a link to read more within your report. You might be able to generate multiple pieces of social media content and post about this once per week.
3. Email Campaign to Existing Donors: As one tactic in your promotional strategy to earn individual giving dollars from donors, send an them an email directing them to view your report on your website. It gets them involved, excited and keeps them informed. It can even compliment other updates you provide that audience through efforts like your end of year campaign or upcoming events they could attend, that they might find on your website once you drive them there.

Don’t let your annual report sit there, make it work for you. Are there other tactics you can think of?