This document summarizes a webinar about creating effective annual reports for nonprofits. The webinar discusses the purpose of annual reports, key components to include, how to highlight social impact metrics, tailoring reports to specific donor types, effective marketing strategies, and how donor management systems can help track relevant data. The presenter emphasizes including impact metrics, stories of transformation, financial performance, programs, and clear calls to action to motivate donors and raise more funds.

1. Annual
Reports That
Rock!
February 7, 2024
Bloomerang Nonprofit Success Webinars

2. Presenter
John Mark Vanderpool
Social Impact Solutions Co-Founder
Transform
Your Annual
Reports &
Raise More
Money!

3. What motivates donors
to give?
• The social impact data your organization generates
• The stories of transformation you share with them

4. 1. Explain Purpose of Annual Reports
in Nonprofits
2. Understand The Key Components of
an Effective Annual Report
3. Learn How To Integrate Social
Impact Metrics
4. Customize Your Reports For Specific
Donor Types
5. Learn How To Effectively Market
Your Annual Report
6. Raise More Money With Your
Annual Report
Today’s Agenda

5. What is an
Annual
Report?
An annual nonprofit report summarizes an
organization's impact activities and financial
performance. It communicates the
organization's mission, impact, and
sustainability to stakeholders.

6. • A message from leadership
• Your nonprofit’s mission, vision, and
values.
• The impact your organization creates or
seeks to create
• The problem that your organization solves
• Your financial performance over the past
year
• An overview of your organization’s
programs
• Stories of transformation
• Engaging visuals + charts
• Clear calls to action
What are the
key
components
of an annual
report?

7. How to highlight your
social impact in your
annual report
• What is the primary problem your organization seeks to solve?
• What is your Theory of Change?

8. • Be specific
• Be concise
• Explain your piece of the problem
• Visualize the problem
• Avoid overstating your contribution to the solution
Tips on Communicating Your Primary Problem
What is the
primary
problem
your
organization
solves?

9. What is Theory of Change?
Problem Program
Goal
Strategy Output Outcome Indicators Timeline
15% of our
community lives
in a food desert.
Increase access to
healthy food
Provide farmers
markets in
low-income
neighborhoods
Number of
markets opened
per week.
Community
members served
per week, etc
Improved overall
community
health and
reduced health
disparities
Increase in the
number of
farmers markets
in low-income
neighborhoods,
increase in the
number of people
who visit farmers
markets
5 years

10. Showcase Stories of
Transformation
The secondary driver of giving are your organization’s stories of transformation.
• What problem was your constituent experiencing?
• How did your organization help solve that problem for them?
• What does their life look like now that the problem is solved?

11. • Granting Organizations
• Major donors
• Corporate Donors
• Sustaining donors
• Generational Donors:
Know What Donors Look For
Tailoring
Reports to
Donor
Interests

12. Donor Type Impact Metrics Storytelling
Corporate Donors Quantifiable outcomes like number of beneficiaries served,
specific project outcomes, ROI on social initiatives, employee
engagement in volunteer programs.
Showcase partnerships' impact on community development, align
stories with corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals, and
provide data that illustrates the improvement in community or
environmental well-being.
Major Donors Personalized reports on the impact of their contribution, data on
sustainability and long-term impact of projects, and evidence of
systemic change or influence.
Deep-dive stories showing transformational change, testimonials
from beneficiaries, and detailed reports or case studies that
highlight the direct impact of their support.
Sustainer Donors (Monthly/Regular Donors) Regular updates on how their ongoing support contributes to the
organization's stability, data showing growth or maintenance of
programs, and efficiency ratios (e.g., program-to-administration
cost ratio)
Frequent, consistent stories of individual progress or project
milestones, snapshots of progress, and infographics showing
cumulative impact over time.
Government & Granting Organizations Compliance with grant requirements, specific program or project
outcomes aligned with grant objectives, data on community or
demographic impact, and cost-effectiveness metrics.
Detailed reports aligning with policy objectives or social priorities,
stories that exemplify policy success or community improvement,
and statistical data supporting the achievement of grant
objectives.
Baby Boomers Traditional metrics like number of people served, financial
stewardship, and organizational longevity and reputation.
Stories emphasizing community, tradition, and stability, with a
focus on long-term impact and legacy.
Gen X Metrics showing efficient use of funds, transparency in
operations, and direct impact of contributions.
Real, relatable stories of impact, clear demonstration of results
and effectiveness, and smart use of technology in reporting
Millennials Social and environmental impact, diversity and inclusion metrics,
and local/global community impact
Authentic stories showing community engagement, innovation,
and evidence of direct, tangible results
Gen Z Metrics related to social justice, climate change, and ethical
practices, and real-time impact data.
Highly visual and shareable content, stories showing activism and
grassroots involvement, and data presented in innovative,
interactive formats
What Are Donors Looking For?

13. Effective Marketing and
Distribution Strategies
Developing a Distribution Plan
Identifying the right
channels for report
distribution.
Leveraging Digital Platforms
Using social media,
email newsletters, and
websites for outreach.
Creating Engaging Visuals and
Summaries
How to make the report
visually appealing and
easy to digest.
Case Studies: Successful
Marketing of Annual Reports
Examples of nonprofits
that effectively marketed
their annual reports.

15. How can a solid donor management
system help?

16. Track and report
on what matters
most to your
various audiences
Corporate Donors–Employee
engagement in volunteer programs
Major Donors–Personalized reports on
the impact of their contribution
Government & Granting
Organizations–Compliance with grant
requirements, specific program or
project outcomes aligned with grant
objectives
Sustaining Donors–Regular updates on
how their ongoing support contributes to
the organization's stability

17. Use Custom Fields
to create a story
repository
Steps:
1. Create a custom field for a Note Type that is
dedicated to your story partners (Client Success
Story in my example).
2. Create a constituent account for each story
partner you are working with (I call them clients).
3. Create a New Note from the blue dropdown arrow
in the account.
4. In the Note, mark the correct note type, date, any
other information to identify the story and then
attach the story which can be done as a file in
another location or at a website.

18. So you can access your stories of impact in one place!
Why do this?

19. Segment your Annual Report
communications with ease How we help you do it
Groups
Use the Groups feature to create
the segments that matter most to
you. Bloomerang will create and
manage groups automatically that
are related to donation activity,
taking one more thing off your
already-full plate! Quickly view
stats for any Group to glean data
on that segment of your
constituents.
Filter-based reporting and
custom fields are important here
as well!
If you don’t need to create a
Group but still want to segment a
subset of donors, you can always
use your custom fields to drill
down to the exact audience you
need.

20. Send and track
annual reports via
email
Then track everything in
Bloomerang! No more guessing
who opened your reports or
clicked on links.
Have the data that will help you
take the right action.
Use a pre-built
template…
…to create your own
personalized email.

21. At the center of it
all is IMPACT
DATA!
But what key
element do you
need for any
impact report????
to
DAT
A!
Stories of
impact
Stats for
programs
Revenue
figures
Stats about
the need

22. Share the impact your organization creates or seeks to create
They look
different, but
they all
require data
that is
accurate and
accessible.
https://bloomerang.co/blog/nonprofit-annual-report/

23. Report on your impact and
investments from the past year
How we help you do it
Filter-based reporting
Our easy-to-use, filter-based
reporting system allows you to
access all of the vital information
you need to share with your
stakeholders in a matter of
minutes.
Custom Fields allows you to track
the information that is important
to you, and then report on it.
Track what matters most to you in
your Bloomerang CRM. What is
tracked can easily be filtered for
and reported on.
Save time to spend time
Use the time you save to build
deeper connections with your
donors.

24. Conclusion
and Closing
Remarks
Annual Reports Are Critical For
Fundraising
• Include a message from your leadership
• Share Impact Metrics or your Theory of
Change
• Showcase Stories of Transformation
• Share your Mission, Vision, & Values
• Customize your Reporting for Specific Donor
Types
• Create a distribution plan
• Leverage Technology

25. START MEASURING & MARKETING YOUR IMPACT
TODAY
BY VISITING FUNDRAISINGQUIZ.ORG

26. Poll and Q&A

27. Annual Report Final
Thought:
Keep in mind:
● There are no legal
requirements, so you can
create an annual report
that fits your
organization and your
audience.
● BUT you should consider
it part of your Strategic
Plan.
https://bloomerang.co/blog/nonprofit-annual-report/

28. Resources
Want to find
out more?
Request a demo
or
Speak to a live
person:
1-866-667-4485
The Essential Nonprofit Annual
Report Template & Full Guide
Nonprofit Annual Reports (National
Council of Nonprofits)

29. Thank you for being
here today!
And thank you for the
work you do in your
community!
Bloomerang Nonprofit Success Webinars