Once again, it’s time for annual reporting! Are you ready to level up your annual report to highlight the true value of your association?
Learn how to refine your annual report to reflect your staff’s hard work and your organization’s accomplishments. Read our blog for tips to get creative with your association’s annual report.
5 ways to elevate your association’s annual report
Do you want to advance your annual report beyond the necessary facts and analytics? You can use your annual report to create meaningful connections with your readers.
Here are five tips to get started:
1. Outline your goals
Begin by reconsidering your goals for your annual report. When you think about your reporting goals, you’ll put your organization on track for success. Consider including goals that address the following:
- Your mission or brand. What goals show your members and key stakeholders that you’re on track to fulfill your mission? Include benchmarks and initiatives that remind your members why they joined your association and why they stay.
- A call to action. Do you have any goals that will prompt future member engagement? Try outlining goals that encourage stakeholders to continue contributing to your organization.
- Be transparent. What goals can you include to increase member and stakeholder confidence in your organization? Your constituents are more likely to volunteer and donate if you use clear communication around goals.
2. Craft a narrative
After setting your goals, you can determine the main themes and major takeaways for your annual report. Using a theme helps you craft a story across your annual report and ensures members and stakeholders connect with your report.
For example, did membership increase this year? In addition to including the statistics, highlight some of your new members, featuring a Q&A that tells their membership stories. By showcasing your membership theme across the report, you will make annual reporting more than just numbers, holding the attention of members and key stakeholders.
3. Demonstrate your impact
As you seek to show the value of your association, consider how your accomplishments have impacted your members, board, community, and even the world. Create a compelling report and show off your organization’s influence by leveraging exciting headlines, bright graphics, and photos.
Pictures can go a long way in keeping readers actively engaged with your report. Try including photos of your members volunteering, pictures from your annual conference, or images of your latest advocacy project. Showing your members or stakeholders at work in the community will highlight your association’s value and impact.
4. Visualize your numbers
Unfortunately, annual reports have gained a reputation for being dry reads. Make your report stand out with the right tools. Did you know that a person is 30 times more likely to read an infographic instead of a pure-text report? Use infographics and charts to engage readers and highlight your most important information.
5. Use innovative technology
By using the right technology to maintain and showcase your data, you will connect with more members and better communicate key facts and figures. Leveraging innovative association management software (AMS) to manage your data year-round will help you quickly access the information you need when it’s time for annual reporting. Look for an AMS that makes analytics easy with user-friendly reports and dashboards.
