A nonprofit annual report is one of the few pieces of communication that brings fundraising, programs, leadership, and impact into a single story.

When it’s done well, it does more than summarize a year. It builds belief, belief that your organization is credible, thoughtful, and worthy of continued investment.

In this article, we’ll walk through:

• What a nonprofit annual report actually is
• What should be included (and what can be left out)
• How to combine an annual report with an impact annual report
• Practical annual report ideas that don’t require reinventing the wheel

What is an annual report for a nonprofit?

A nonprofit annual report is a yearly reflection of your organization’s work—not just what you did, but what shaped the year and what changed because of it.

Traditionally, annual reports focused heavily on financials and internal milestones. Today, the strongest reports do something more meaningful: they translate complex work into a story supporters can feel and understand.

At its best, an annual report helps donors and partners answer a few essential questions:

• What did this organization focus on this year?
• How were resources used?
• What shifted for the people or communities served?
• Is this an organization I trust moving forward?

An annual report is a moment of shared understanding between your organization and the people who support it.

→ Click here to get the free Belief-Building Annual Report Playbook

What Should an Annual Report Include

A strong annual report doesn’t try to say everything. It focuses on what supporters need to understand your year without extra explanation.

Here’s what that usually looks like.

1. A Clear Orientation to the Year

Start by grounding the reader. What defined this year for your organization? A major shift, challenge, or area of focus? This sets the tone for everything that follows.

2. Mission and Context

Revisiting your mission gives readers context. It helps them understand who you serve, what problem you exist to address, and how the work they’re about to see fits into that bigger picture.

3. Program Highlights

Rather than listing every program or initiative, highlight the work that best shows what actually changed this year. Focus on outcomes and progress, not just what was delivered.

4. Impact Stories

Use real examples from the people or communities you serve. Show what life looked like before the work, what changed, and where things stand now. One clear story does more than a page of general statements.

5. Key Metrics and Outcomes

Include the numbers that help readers understand scale or progress at a glance. How many people were reached? What moved up or down? Skip the internal metrics that don’t add meaning for an outside reader.

6. Financial Snapshot

Share a simple overview of where money came from and how it was used. Pair the numbers with short explanations so donors don’t have to guess what they’re looking at.

7. Gratitude and Recognition

Call out the donors, partners, and collaborators who made the work possible. This is where you show that the impact was a collective effort, not something the organization did alone.

8. Looking Ahead

End by naming what you’re focused on next year. Give supporters a sense of direction so they understand how this year’s work leads into what’s coming.

Impact Annual Report: How to Combine Annual & Impact Reporting

Many organizations feel stuck choosing between an annual report and an impact report. In reality, they don’t need to be separate.

An impact annual report brings the two together:

• The accountability of an annual report
• The meaning and outcomes emphasized in an impact report

Instead of publishing multiple overlapping documents, a combined approach allows you to tell one cohesive story:

• What happened this year
• How resources were stewarded
• What changed because of the work

This approach:

• Reduces duplicated content across your website
• Creates a clearer narrative for donors and boards
• Supports SEO by consolidating related topics
• Makes the report easier to reuse throughout the year

If your report helps readers understand the work and feel its significance, you’re already doing impact reporting.

15 Annual Report Ideas

Annual reports don’t need to be long, glossy, or complicated to be effective. Some of the strongest reports today are simple, flexible, and designed for how people actually engage with content.

Here are a few annual report ideas nonprofits are using successfully:

1. One-Page Infographic – Pick your five biggest wins and five strongest stats. Drop them into a clean, eye-catching visual.

2. PDF Impact Snapshot – Intro, three highlight sections, and a wrap-up (kept around four pages.)

3. Interactive Web Landing Page – Create a page on your site with clickable sections for stories, impact, and financials.‍

4. Short Video Report – 90 seconds of visuals, captions, and short clips summarizing your year.

5. Social Media Series – Turn your best moments into a 6–7 post highlight reel.

6. Slideshow Presentation – 10–12 slides with large visuals and minimal text—perfect for donor or board meetings.

7. Hybrid Report – A short printed version for handouts + a longer online version for deep dives.

8. Postcard Report – One strong image, a short summary, and a QR code linking to your full report.

9. Photo Essay Report – 10–15 images with captions that let visuals carry the story.

10. Timeline Report – A visual timeline of milestones, from launch to year-end.

11. Storybook Report – Group three or four personal stories into “chapters” with supporting stats.

12. Data-Only Report – A clean, no-frills set of charts and tables for metrics-focused audiences.

13. Podcast-Style Audio Report – A 5–10 minute spoken summary you can share online.

14. Email-Embedded Report – A scrollable, visual email with no attachments.

15. Community Wall Report – A large-format poster displayed at your office or events.

How to Approach Your Annual Report with Confidence

Your annual report shouldn’t feel like busywork. When it’s focused, it helps donors understand what happened this year, and helps your team stay aligned around it.

If you’re navigating questions like:

• What actually belongs in our annual report?
• How do we show impact without overexplaining?
• How do we combine annual and impact reporting into one clear story?

That’s exactly why we created The Belief-Building Annual Report Playbook.

he playbook helps you figure out what actually needs to be in your report, how to organize it so it feels clear (not overwhelming), and how to turn your impact into stories people can feel right away.

Whether you’re putting the report together in-house or thinking about working with a designer, it gives you a solid starting point, and a lot more confidence moving forward.