The best darn annual report I’ve seen this year
- Tue, August 07 2012
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
Lately, I’ve been blogging on the concept of making the donor the hero of your story. The center of your outreach. The star of your show.
I’ve received several requests for examples of this concept in action, and here’s my favorite. Blog reader Julie Burch of the Austin Children’s Shelter sent me her annual report, and it does all of these things exceptionally well.
(If you have trouble using the above link, go here to view it.)
The report does three things brilliantly:
1.) It gives the donors the credit and puts them at the center of the report
2.) It is full of great stories, like the one below which appears next to a photo of three jackets hanging together on a wall
3.) It has a deft way of telling a story and using powerful imagery without violating privacy
Congratulations to Austin Children’s Shelter for the best darn annual report I’ve seen this year!
Comments
Katya, I agree with you that this is one of most moving and compelling nonprofit annual reports I have seen. The impact of donor-centric strategic storytelling is so important as nonprofits try to break through, and this does it so beautifully.
I was then surprised when I went directly to Austin Children’s Shelter’s website that it was far less compelling, by comparison. As is the case with for-profit companies, nonprofits with inconsistent branding sometimes lose cultivation opportunities. Had I seen their website first, I would have had a very different impression of the organization, which is obviously performing vital, transformative - or as they say, normative - work on behalf of children.
You have written previously about strong messaging and multi-channel donor cultivation. A beautiful piece like this one provides a powerful jumping off point for an organization to upgrade and create consistency in their messaging and visual branding.
Thanks for this, and for your consistenly strong blog.
I loved the report—but read the comment above, and have to agree. The Web site was a bit of a letdown afterwards.
It is tough to build a Web site whose primary purpose is to Inspire (which the report does). Particularly for groups that need to engage donors/volunteers many times through the site, it can be a challenge to make it both inspiring and accessible.
The printed report is really, really beautiful though!
agreed. sadly this is what happens when we use our annual report as a marketing piece - we tend to focus more on it and not the true story that we want to tell.
for example, this annual report tells me that the org is fun, hip, and innovative. however, when i go to the website, it says the opposite.
nonprofits must work better at telling their story better year round, not just in their year in review.
Oh my gosh, I’m in love.
That’s a wonderful annual report! Clever and emotional. Easy on the eyes and right to the heart.
Thank you for finding and sharing that with us!
I like the “extraordinary normalcy” term. Having worked for a children’s home previously, I understand what they’re trying to do. Great images throughout! A job well done, Julie Burch and the Austin Children’s Center!
Fantastic annual report! 
Just another fan along with the rest of you!
My question would be, how could a non-profit struggling financially create an equally engaging and interactive publication?
Thanks for posting this, Katya- what a wonderful report! I think they really struck a balance between traditional (organizational stats interspersed with personal stories) and innovative (creative titling, the ‘advocacy tools’ cards etc.). Liked the report so much that I wrote a response post, as well, at: http://donationpay.org/blog/2012/08/acs-a-truly-amazing-annual-report-courtesy-of-katya-andersen/
Thanks again for sharing this!