Effective Annual Reports

Now that you have a solid list of reasons to produce an annual report, what does an effective report look like? 

Here are links to three reports that are easily accessible through the church’s respective websites. You will note in all three that the reports are colorful and engaging. They contain images reflecting changed lives, and graphs that reflect a growth in ministry impact. 

Example 1 - Community Christian Church

Example 2 - Elevation Church

Example 3 - New Spring Church

An annual report does not have to be a formal printed piece. Some are beginning to leverage technology, creating video annual reports in place of a printed one. Debra Askanase of Socialbrite recently wrote this blog article regarding the use of video for non-profit annual reports. While she addresses the question from a perspective of secular non-profits and the examples shared do not come from ministry, the points made are applicable. As she states, “Video is a natural medium for storytelling, and that’s what the annual report should be.”

As I’ve written here before, churches are competing with non-profits for the charitable dollar. As they up the ante in their annual report delivery, it will call on us to match if not exceed their effectiveness to garner continued support for our ministry.