How to Design Non-Profit Annual Reports

Use photos of those benefiting from the agency's efforts.

When designers tackle annual reports, they strive for a "look" that reflects the business. Reports designed for banks must look safe and secure while those of ad agencies should mirror the creative staff's imagination. Designing an annual report for a nonprofit requires a different approach. Money is usually tight and all it takes is a bad design or one copy error to alienate a benefactor or board member. If you believe in the nonprofit's mission, your effort could be a major factor in its future success.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Photos
• Facts and figures
• Computer
• Software

1. Meet with the nonprofit's staff and board of directors after you've perused copies of the agency's previous annual reports. Pass around samples of annual reports published by other nonprofits and businesses to gather opinions on design and layout (see Resource). Record comments to help guide your efforts.

2. Obtain photos that personify the nonprofit's image---kids, pets, seniors---to avoid spending money on new photography. Request a list of the agency's donors, members, staffers and board members, as most annual reports pay tribute to these audiences on the pages of the publication.

3. Boot your computer and open your design program. Create charts, graphs and line art representing the nonprofit's trends, changes and finances. Find creative ways to show data in easy-to-read formats (e.g., a nonprofit helps pets so the designer uses tails instead of bars in a graph showing monthly donation totals).

4. Open a new document in booklet format to start the layout process. Create background patterns or select background colors, flowing these elements across the pages. Stick with two colors if money is short, using screens to give the nonprofit's annual report the appearance of multiple colors.

5. Drop photos and text boxes over the background pattern. Lay in these annual report components: chairman of the board letter, the nonprofit's year in review from a marketing perspective, financial summary, management update, certification statement from accountants, financial statements plus board member, benefactor and donor lists.

6. Select no more than three fonts for the nonprofit's annual publication; two if possible to limit clutter. Be consistent as you mix and match fonts. Use one script typeface, for example, just for headlines, a serif style for body copy plus bold and italicized versions of that typeface for call-outs, captions, etc.

7. Paint a picture of your nonprofit agency within the pages of your annual report. Reiterate success stories, describe fund raisers, honor major donors and depict items purchased as a result of fund raising efforts---a playground for the children you serve or the bus that will transport seniors to and from medical appointments.

8. Prepare a sample of the finished design. Circulate it to all pertinent parties on the nonprofit's team. Make changes per their direction and circulate the finished art. Prepare the files for printing, but don't upload it to the printer's website until everyone at the nonprofit signs off on the final version.

References

• All Graphic Design: Best of Annual Report Designs
• Nonprofit Marketing Guide: Five Tips for Writing a Four Page Nonprofit Annual Report
• ZPub: Tips for Creating a Good Annual Report
• Microsoft: Create a Folded Booklet in MSWord

Resources

• Management Help: Sample United Way Annual Report PDF
• Microsoft: Create a Folded Booklet in MSWord