How to Create a Digital Annual Report

An annual report communicates your organization's achievements, finances, and goals to stakeholders. A digital version is easier to distribute, more engaging than a paper document, and costs nothing to share.

What Goes in an Annual Report

Standard Sections

1. Letter from leadership - CEO, president, or board chair message
2. Mission and vision - Remind readers why your organization exists
3. Year in review - Major milestones, achievements, and highlights
4. Impact metrics - Numbers that show results (revenue growth, people served, projects completed)
5. Financial summary - Income, expenses, assets, and key ratios
6. Team and leadership - Board members, executives, key staff
7. Donor or client recognition - Thank supporters and partners
8. Looking ahead - Goals and priorities for the coming year

For Nonprofits

• Program outcomes and stories
• Volunteer hours and contributions
• Grant funding breakdown
• Beneficiary testimonials

For Businesses

• Revenue and profit trends
• Market expansion updates
• Product launches and innovations
• Shareholder information

Design Your Annual Report

Free Tools

• Canva - Annual report templates with data visualization components
• Google Slides - Collaborative editing, easy to export as PDF
• Visme - Infographic-style layouts for data-heavy reports

Professional Tools

• Adobe InDesign - Full control over typography and layout
• Affinity Publisher - One-time purchase alternative to InDesign

Design Best Practices

• Use charts and infographics instead of raw data tables
• Include photos of real people, events, and projects
• Maintain consistent branding throughout
• Break long sections with pull quotes and callout boxes
• Design for mobile reading - many stakeholders will view it on their phone
• Keep the total length between 10-30 pages

Data Visualization Tips

Annual reports are data-heavy. Make numbers accessible:

• Bar charts for comparing categories (revenue by department)
• Line charts for showing trends over time (membership growth)
• Pie charts for showing proportions (budget allocation)
• Big number callouts for standout metrics ("12,000 students served")
• Before/after comparisons for showing impact

Publishing Your Annual Report

1. Export as a high-quality PDF with clickable links
2. Compress the file if it exceeds 15MB
3. Upload to Linkyhost to get a shareable link
4. Distribute via email to stakeholders and donors
5. Post on your website and social media channels
6. Print a QR code for physical events and mailings

Keep Past Reports Accessible

Upload each year's report to Linkyhost and maintain an archive page on your website. This builds transparency and lets new stakeholders review your organization's history.

Get Started

Design your annual report, export it as a PDF, and share it on Linkyhost for free.