Whether you’re a small church or a larger, national one, writing an annual report that speaks to your audience and your goals is important. In this blog post, we’ll cover exactly how to write an annual report for a church.
We’ll explain what to include, how and where to share it, and some best practices to keep in mind, including:
Now, let’s dive into the basics.
An annual report is a document that details a nonprofit organization’s year of operations. Like any other nonprofit organization, churches can use annual reports to keep their community engaged. By including key details like financials, impact, and gratitude, any church can connect and inspire their community—and even encourage more giving.
In 2023, the annual report is becoming even more important. Supporters care about where their money is being spent, and, they want to feel connected to the mission and values of the organization. When organizations like churches produce detailed annual reports, supporters feel confident about their contributions.
Every annual report is different, depending on the organization’s mission and values. However, there are a few common elements that most annual reports include. When creating a church annual report, be sure to include the following:
So much happens within a year—that’s why it’s often difficult for organizations to decide what information to include and what not to. An annual report theme gives the report structure. By considering what major values and parts of your mission helped guide your impact throughout the year is a great way to build this structure, and create a story—key for creating a great annual report.
For churches, establishing a theme is especially important. That’s because churches frame their marketing and outreach around specific values or fundamentals.
Let’s take a look at a specific example. Let’s say your organization is a mission-driven church that runs food drives. Your organization believes that everyone is deserving of a warm meal. To portray this in your annual report, you might create a theme that revolves around “hope, community, and advocacy.”
This theme will help your organization organize its impact. One section should be based on community. Within it, your organization provides statistics about how you helped create and sustain a community. For hope, you might provide testimonials and impact stories from beneficiaries. As for advocacy, you might include local efforts your organization is making to support the community in the long term.
How to communicate theme in an annual report
One of the most important parts of an annual report is the inclusion of impact and operations updates. Trust and transparency are essential to ongoing support. By showcasing impact supporters to feel trusting of your organization, and eager to continue support, they need to be kept abreast of updates and news.
How to communicate this in an annual report:
An annual report, if designed well, can be the ultimate call-to-action (CTA). Within the report, churches should include several opportunities for readers to get involved by volunteering, donating, or otherwise giving their efforts and energy to the cause.
How to communicate this in an annual report:
Churches should always report their yearly finances to their communities. By allowing supporters to see and understand how their money is spent, they’ll be more willing to contribute again and advocate for your cause.
How to communicate this in an annual report:
A great church annual report includes lots of gratitude. By dedicating an entire section to community gratitude, or sprinkling it throughout, supporters feel appreciated and excited to engage.
How to communicate this in an annual report:
Of course, it’s always important to put contact information at the end of the church’s annual report. By adding either an address, email, or social media icons, churches can remind readers of how to get in touch.
Unlike other nonprofit organizations, churches have a very specific audience. To reach that audience, and inspire them, it’s important to follow a few best practices.
Focus on community building: One of the most unique parts about religious organizations is their ability to build and sustain communities. In your church annual report, ensure that your content speaks to this interest. How does your organization sustain a community? Why is that important?
Target pain points/address concerns: While an annual report is a great place to inspire people, it’s also a great opportunity to answer questions. Consider what your audience might be curious about. How might you answer those questions in your annual report?
Be clear and succinct: No one wants to read a boring report—even if it’s from an organization that they care about. When creating your church annual report, make sure it’s as clear and succinct as possible, so readers walk away with the most important information.
Use donor-centric language. Churches and other nonprofit organizations often make the mistake of writing their annual report with the organization in mind—not the readers. Frame updates and impact around what supporters accomplished, not what the organization accomplished. This reframing allows supporters to feel like an important part of your mission, work, and progress.
Ready to learn exactly how to write an annual report for a church? In this section of the blog, we’ll teach you exactly how to create an award-winning annual report for your organization, using a digital annual report builder.
With annual report templates, drag-and-drop editing, and more, churches can save lots of money on creating their report. Say goodbye to hiring a graphic designer, or asking an admin to put it together.
Digital annual report software like Yearly has custom-built templates that are made just for churches and other nonprofits. Whether you’re looking for a sleek, simplistic design or an eye-catching report with bold colors and fonts, an annual report template is a great palace to start drafting your report.
For nonprofits that already have a vision in mind, start from scratch!
Once you’ve selected a template, or started from scratch, it’s time to get editing. Drag and drop text boxes, testimonial pages, donor lists, and more.
One of the best ways to use your manual report to convert more readers into donors is by allowing them to donate right from the report. Darg and drop custom buttons into your report that lead directly to your website or donation form.
With Yearly, churches can invite multiple staff members to help collaborate on the annual report—at the same time. This function allows the annual report to feel like a community experience, rather than one burdensome task for a member of the church or staff.
Your nonprofit’s voice, style, and tone are unique. When creating your annual report, be sure to upload all of your custom fonts and brand colors to use.
Upload original photography to show gratitude, accompany beneficiary testimonials, and more. Or, use the free stock image library to create an outstanding, visual masterpiece.
Once you’ve created and published your digital report, get to sharing! Churches tend to share their annual reports…
Post your finished annual report on Linked, Instagram, Twitter, or whatever your organization is online. A web-based annual report makes it easy to share your findings wherever your supporters are.
For churches, the community is everything. Share your updates and news within community forums or other group pages.
With annual report builders like Yearly, churches can download their annual reports and print them. At a service, or next event, church members can read a hard copy of the report.
Whether your church uses a traditional paper newsletter or an e-newsletter, an annual report is a great touchpoint with supporters. Send your web-based annual report via e-newsletter, or print it to send via snail mail.
One of the best places to share your church’s annual report is on your website. By listing all of your annual reports in their own tab or page, supporters can browse any year’s impact with a click of the mouse.
The Catholic Community Foundation of New Orleans does an excellent job of making its annual report engaging and interactive. Readers feel connected to the mission of the organization and are compelled to read on.
Why we love this digital annual report:
St. Luke’s digital report is a great example of interactivity and transparency in action. Eye-catching and entertaining, this report inspires with ease.
Why we love this digital annual report:
Faith in Place entertains readers, and engages them, right from the start. Unlike paper reports, this report is full of interactive elements that keep readers feeling connected and excited.
Why we love this digital report:
Regardless of your church’s mission, a digital report is a great way to excite readers, show gratitude, and turn readers into lifelong donors.
With templates, drag-and-drop editors, and a mobile responsive platform, anyone in your organization can create award-winning reports that help you make more impact than ever before. Plus, a digital annual report allows churches to share their findings in a variety of ways, and start reaching brand-new followers, and keep in touch with old ones.
Ready to get started on your church annual report for free? Check out Yearly’s free 14-day trial.
Josh Kligman is the CEO of Yearly, a platform for nonprofits to create their own digital reports. Josh has been working with nonprofits on annual reports, brand and partnerships since 2011. He is helping nonprofits create more engaging, digital annual and impact reports with Yearly. Throughout his career, Josh has helped launch and run nonprofit brand campaigns and media partnerships nationally and locally, using television, radio and web, to amplify the reach of campaigns and provide demonstrated value for non-profit stakeholders. Josh received his B.A. from American University in Communications and his M.B.A. from American University in Marketing Management and Entrepreneurship.
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Make your report inclusive for readers with visual or auditory impairments or color blindness by incorporating these suggestions, gathered from the Americans with Disabilities Act.
