The first goal of an Annual Report is to inform your supporters about the past year. You should think of figures that are summarized, the activities that have been undertaken and what you want to do in the coming year. The fixed components in an Annual Report are:
- Chairman word
- Report of the board
- Activities last year
- Activities for the coming year
- Organization
- Financial Statements
- Budget
Message from the chairman
This is comparable to a preface and reflects the view of the board on the activities of the past year and policy. Under what circumstances were these activities carried out, were there special circumstances and was the budget sufficient?
Report of the Board
This piece looks back at the past year. Have the goals been met and have expectations been met? Which parts have been implemented and which are not and why?
Activities Last year
For each activity or goal, it is shown here how they were carried out and whether the intended goal and target group were achieved. Which activities were not satisfactory and what could be improved in the future with regard to the implementation of the activities. Do not forget to mention the subsidies for activities that have received a specific subsidy.
Activities for the coming year
Here expectations for the coming year are expressed. Keep it limited to the coming year, because the Policy Plan contains the long-term objectives / vision. Be concrete and straightforward, but not as extensive as in an Annual Plan or Project Plan. Here you speak from Activity or objective depending on whether the objective consists of one or more activities. Describing activities is easier for your followers to understand than describing the objectives. For activities do not forget to mention the subsidies that finance it if there is one.
Organization
With organization you put down the data of the organization, think of:
- Chamber of Commerce
- Fiscal Code
- ANBI status
- Approvals
- Memberships
- Mailing address
- Visiting address (optional)
- Board members with their duties and the division of work among themselves
- Board change
- Remuneration of board members
- Employees if employed
- Volunteers if the organization uses it
- Hiring if the organization has hired external personnel for a specific activity
- Don’t forget to mention both the FTE and the allowance for employees, volunteers and external hiring.
Financial Statements
This is drawn up by the Treasurer and approved by an accountant. This may be included briefly if you also publish the Annual Account separately. These financial figures are especially important for donors, investors and the tax authorities.
Budget
In the budget you state what you expect in terms of income in the coming year and what the money will be spent on.
An Annual Report is a bit of work and can even be considered boring by the organization. Yet the Annual Report is increasingly the marketing tool for an organization. In the Annual Report, donors, fans and others can see what your organization is doing and how the money is being spent. This can just pull them over to work with your organization. In recent years, the design and form in which the Annual Report is presented has also changed, it used to be a boring black and white document. Nowadays it is equipped with photos, videos, interviews, tables, graphs quotes, etching. Make use of this, because this document must still be produced. So why not fly two birds with one stone by also making it into a marketing expression form.