Every year, charities invest significant time, energy and budget into producing their annual impact reports. Too often, these reports end up as static PDFs: uploaded once to a website, skimmed briefly by a few stakeholders, and then largely forgotten about. But an impact report can be so much more.
When approached strategically, it can be a powerful tool that brings your mission to life. Impact reports can be a fundraising asset that inspires generosity and a strategic resource that helps to shape your charity’s direction.
Your impact report can be one of the most valuable communication tools you create each year if you unlock its full potential.
Tell your story through impact reports
In reporting, sharing data is essential for transparency, but it’s the individual experiences that make your impact resonate and connect with your audiences. Real experiences told through case studies and testimonials show the human side of your work, and that’s what makes your charity memorable and your impact tangible.
For many potential donors, emotional connection is what drives them to give. This kind of storytelling provides clarity and reassurance: they can see not just that their contribution went somewhere useful, but exactly how it transformed lives.
How to put this into practice
This Leeds Mind impact report is a good example of weaving narrative into your reporting. Clear subheadings help showcase the different service areas, positioning each with its own story.
Breaking the information up in this way makes it easier for the reader to understand and separate out the various strands of your work. Instead of simply listing the services available, the report presents context, statistics and pull quotes for each ‘story’.
Consider weaving in images and videos of the people you’ve helped (with permission) to connect it back to the people you help. Where safeguarding or anonymity is important, you can use representational imagery, such as actors or illustrations, to provide the same effect in a respectful way.
Strengthen donor relationships
Human stories don’t just need to come from beneficiaries. Sharing the experiences from across the organisation, such as volunteers and supporters, is also hugely impactful. For example, a volunteer explaining why they give their time creates an emotional bridge that numbers alone cannot build.
Impact reports are your opportunity to deepen trust with donors and funders. Celebrating the difference their support made frames them as part of the charity’s journey. Done well, your report makes donors feel seen, valued, and motivated to continue giving.
How to put this into practice
A well-written, sincere thank you note to donors can be engaging in your impact report.
Some charities choose to list all their contributors; some create a separate booklet that acknowledges all individuals. There are also many creative ways to honour donors in a digital impact report such as virtual donor walls, donor spotlights and video testimonials.
Repurposing content for social media and campaigns
When creating your report, design with more than one format in mind. By considering how you will repurpose the content from the start of the process, one report can provide months’ worth of communications.
Breaking your report into bite-sized content ensures insights reach far beyond a one-off download. For example, experiment with how you tell stories that can be turned into blog features.
Social media can also be an ideal way to repurpose content, especially when you create content specifically for the platforms you’re on. The headline stats or pull quotes can become eye-catching, shareable graphics for your Instagram grid. You could even take the content from your results page and post this as a LinkedIn text thread.
How to put this into practice
One example we like is Stepchange Debt Charity who launched their impact report alongside a LinkedIn video of their colleagues describing their proudest achievements. Using video to share the headline news from the report is a smart way to generate intrigue and encourage viewers to click through to read the report in full.
Similarly, West Youth Zone created a TikTok featuring young people who have benefitted from their services. They creatively showcased their activities and services while revealing stats from their report to persuade viewers to the fuller report.
Drive plans with insights
An impact report isn’t just about surfacing achievements. Reflecting on your charity’s progress can highlight emerging trends, reveal gaps in services, and surface opportunities for improvement.
Analysing outcomes and feedback can help determine where to invest resources next, which programmes to expand, and which areas might need adjustment. Charity supporters and donors want to read this information too, so they feel like they can contribute meaningfully.
Including staff, trustees and volunteers in your reflections will encourage collaborative discussion and will likely provide more useful insights. Used strategically, an impact report becomes a living document that guides priorities and helps your organisation set measurable goals.
How to put this into practice
Make clear connections between your learnings of the last year and how this will inform your future strategy. Acknowledge the challenges your organisation faced and spell out what you’ll do differently to overcome them to avoid repeating any mistakes.
For example, 360 Giving used its most recent annual report to develop its strategy. At first their priority was sharing as much grant data as possible, but they recognised that to drive impact they must also create the tools that makes data more usable and accessible.
Digitise your impact report
Digital impact reports offer several advantages over PDFs. They can be optimised for accessibility and mobile use (eg, alt text for images and better keyboard access), making them easier for all users to access.
Unlike static PDFs, digital reports can incorporate interactive elements like videos, animations, journeys, links, and calls-to-action to encourage donations. They’re also easy to share and can be tracked to see which content resonates most.
Digital reports are also more sustainable. If your organisation has sustainability goals, this option will reduce your paper use and printing-related carbon emissions. Hosting content on your website in lightweight HTML rather than distributing large PDFs can reduce data transfer, lowering emissions. For example, a UK government blog found that an HTML version of a document was 42% smaller than its PDF counterpart, resulting in significantly less CO2 per view.
How to put this into practice
At Few and Far, we’ve made our own impact report digital-first, opting for a live webpage rather than a downloadable report. This has made it possible to embed interactive charts, track engagement, and ensure accessibility standards are met.
Leverage impact reports as a giving tool
Your report shouldn’t be the end of the conversation with users – it can be a gateway to action. Make it easy for readers to donate, volunteer, or spread the word directly from your report. By embedding calls-to-action and donation points throughout, you can build momentum with readers.
How to put this into practice
See how seamlessly Safer Places transition from demonstrating impact to offering calls to action. By starting with storytelling, people can connect how the suggested donation amount can translate into tangible action, as they relate it back to the case studies.
Build an impact report strategy
Impact reports can strengthen donor relationships, extend your reach, shape your strategy, and inspire action. With the right approach, they can become one of the most valuable assets in your comms toolkit.
Every week, our free Impact Optimiser reviews provide charities with a bespoke set of recommendations to improve digital journeys, accessibility, and messaging so websites drive donations. The service combines deep technical expertise with clear, constructive recommendations. The charities we support value our detailed accessibility guidance and the way feedback is tailored to the realities of small organisations, giving them actionable improvements they can confidently put into practice.
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