Effective Annual Reports
CommunicationNow 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
Some are beginning to leverage technology, creating video annual reports in place of a printed one. An annual report does not have to be a formal printed piece.
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 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.
About Rusty Lewis
As a church leader, there’s nothing more frustrating than not having the funding to do what God’s calling you to do. But when you think about trying to address that problem, you feel overwhelmed, you dread the potential pushback from your congregation, and you’re not sure where to turn for help. Over the last 18 years, I’ve helped more than 120 churches close the gap between their current financial reality and what they need to move forward in ministry.