Looking to create impact reports that achieve your objectives and raise your organisation's profile? Here are our top tips on engaging stakeholders and communicating your message effectively.

1. The difference you’re making is often qualitative, not simply in the numbers.
Invest in great photography of your teams in action so it’s obvious on the faces of
your beneficiaries just what a difference you’re making.
Finally, think about how you will share your report. Instead of just launching it to a
specific distribution list and uploading it to your website, consider how to keep it alive
throughout the year. For example, you can use social and digital platforms to give it
further reach – upload the report on sites like Slideshare and Scribd and share
excerpts (like infographics) all year round on your social channels.
The core objective of your impact report is to confirm how you’re fulfilling your
purpose, so start with that. Spell out your purpose, avoid any sector jargon, and
put it through the ‘mum test’: could someone outside of your community (like
your mum!) understand it if they read it for the first time?
To bring figures to life and put them in context, free them of the charts and tables
and make sense of them in a storytelling infographic.
SPELL IT OUT
AN IMAGE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS
The impact you’re making is personal. Use quotes from staff, donors, and
beneficiaries to bring out the stories behind your year.
MAKE IT PERSONAL
Choose your headlines and key quotes carefully so that even those who only
read the top line get a strong sense of how your year has been.
MAKE HEADLINE NEWS
KEEP IT VISUAL
There’s often a lot to communicate, so make sure you make it possible for readers
who are short on time to easily cut to the highlights, executive summary, and
key facts.
SHORT AND SWEET
Don’t forget to end with what the year to come will look like, setting out your
goals and ambitions.
BE FORWARD THINKING
AN IMPACT REPORT ISN’T JUST
FOR CHRISTMAS…