annual report deep dive
Your annual report is your most-read donor communication. Build it like the stewardship + fundraising tool it is.
A strategic audit that maps how your report serves your supporters (whether they're already giving, considering it, or just learning who you are) and gives you a clear plan to make it work the way it should.
Hi, I'm Olivia, Founder + Creative Director at Acton Circle. Pull up a chair, I've got a message for you.
This isn't a design critique. It's a donor strategy session.
Most annual reports get reviewed for the obvious things.
Is the design clean? Is the story clear? Is the data presented well?
Those things matter, but they're not the sole reason reports underperform.
Reports underperform because they're built like publications when they should be built like donor journeys. Because the invitation to give is buried on page 22 when donors decide on page 4. Because the same report is going to a $25K donor, a cold prospect, and a potential partner, and saying the same thing to all of them.
The Deep Dive is where we find those gaps. We look at your report through the lens of how your supporters move: what they need to see, when they need to see it, and where they need a way in.
You'll leave with a clear, ranked plan for making your report work the way it was supposed to.
The Annual Report Deep Dive
the process
How the Deep Dive works
01
Purchase + complete a short intake form
A few questions about your audience, your goals, and what you're already sensing isn't connecting. This shapes the whole review.
02
Submit your report or draft
PDF link or file upload, last year's finished report or your current work-in-progress. Either works.
03
Olivia gets to work
You get your time back while I go deep and review your report.
04
Receive your review
Loom video walkthrough, scorecard, and priority action list, in your inbox within 3 business days.
If you’d like help support as you implement our suggestions, you can book an optional call with Olivia.
After the Deep Dive
You’ll open your inbox and know exactly what to do (not just general storytelling advice, but specific steps).
You’ll have a ranked list, a scored framework, and a recorded walkthrough you can share with your boss, your development team, or anyone else who needs to be on the same page.
No more wondering if the changes you’re making are the right ones.
Book Your Annual Report Deep Dive
When you’re this close to the work, you can’t see what supporters are experiencing. Let us spot the gaps and give you a new way to look at your annual report.
Hi! I’m Olivia Wheeler, Creative Director & Founder of Acton Circle.
For 12+ years, I’ve partnered with nonprofits to design reports that help people not only understand the work but also believe in it.
I’ve seen strong organizations undersell their life-changing impact simply because no one stepped back to assess the story as a whole.
The Annual Report Deep Dive gives you that strategic lens before you commit to anything bigger.
(Think of it as the outside opinion you've been needing without the commitment of a full project.)
Have questions about the Annual Report Deep Dive? We’ve got answers.
Do we need a draft or a recent report?
Either works. Submit last year's finished report if you want to know what to do differently next time. Submit a current draft if you want feedback while you still have time to make changes. The intake form will ask which you're submitting so the review is scoped correctly.
Is there a live session?
No, the Deep Dive is fully async. You submit your report, fill out the intake form, and receive your Loom video walkthrough, Scorecard, and action list in your inbox within 3 business days.
If you'd like to talk through your findings, you can add a 45-minute strategy call at checkout.
What should we send ahead of time?
After purchase you'll fill out a short intake form: a few questions about your audience, your goals, and what you're already sensing isn't connecting.
Then submit your report or draft as a PDF link or file upload. That's it. No prep calls, no background docs needed.
What happens after the Deep Dive?
You'll receive your Loom video walkthrough, BELIEF by Design™ Scorecard, and priority action list within 3 business days. If you added the strategy call at checkout, we'll schedule it after your findings are delivered.
From there, you can either implement the changes themselves, use one of our template kits to execute, or move into a Design Intensive for a full redesign.
If you move forward with a Design Intensive, your Deep Dive investment applies as a credit toward the project.
How much time should we expect to commit?
About 15-20 minutes up front to fill out the intake form and submit your report. After that, the work is on us. Plan to spend around an hour reviewing your findings when they land in your inbox (watching the video, going through your Scorecard, and reading your action list). If you added the strategy call, that's another 45 minutes.
