Anytime your not-for-profit is leveraging public funding through the NDIS, you need to disclose your finances annually. This is to help build trust with the public by demonstrating how you are using such funds to meet your mission and goals. It is also so the Australian government knows all funds received are being properly allocated for your nonprofit use.
Even the ACNC (Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission) has a list of recommended things to disclose on your annual financial report. These best practices ensure all your potential charity donors, NFP funders, and supporters feel complete peace of mind sending you some much-needed donations or gifts.
All that being said, as an Australian nonprofit organisation, you can utilise these necessary forms in unique digital ways that boost your marketing. The logic is: if you have to make disclosures anyway, why not use them to your advantage?
When you spend time crafting a well-designed annual report that recounts your successes, progress, and challenges, you are creating a powerful audience outreach tool that lays the groundwork for better supporter engagement.
At Web 105, we help not-for-profits just like you with innovative, mobile responsive, and clean user-engaging websites. That includes building spaces for displaying your annual reports. Here are some tips for marketing these digital tools for better engagement, visitation, and supporter trust.
#1 – Start with the Format
Only some readers will take the time to go through your annual report with a fine-tooth comb. More likely, they will want the big numbers like total revenue, profits, capital investment, and support received.
You can use plenty of online tools to make your financial reporting way more interactive and visually appealing by introducing multimedia aspects. For example, using an Interactive PDF includes links, easy-to-navigate bookmarks, QR codes for supplemental information, and more. It is like a digital library of your finances for both internal and external use.
If you have the time, you can also turn your PDF into an interactive web page. This is a surefire way to highlight how well your organisation is growing and building trust with your audience. Throw a little video content into the mix to explain and provide critical figures with context. This is how you can build a storyline about how you use funding.
#2 – Focus On Your Supporters
Marketing your NFP financial reporting is all about building trust and gaining more support. That means you need to give them precisely what they want. If you have a segment of supporters that just want a single-page review of the highlights, offer that first. Then, make a secondary section of your PDF or webpage for deeper informational resources.
Target your audience whenever possible. Keep the focus on key figures in your community by highlighting how their funds helped your NFP overcome a specific challenge. Consider audience segments like:
- Volunteers
- Donors and Grant Funders
- Partner NFPs and Foundations
- Corporate Gifts
- Beneficiaries
A trick of the trade is to include the use of the word “you” twice as much as the word “we” (called the “You” test in copywriting). This will make your report feel more inclusive and outward facing by emphasising the help you receive from external sources.
#3 – Give Them Updates
The required factors of your annual financial reporting are a perfect method for highlighting mission accomplishments. For example, if you need a new truck for transporting medical equipment to and from a patient’s home for your in-home service not-for-profit, make that a key point of your report showing where you received the funds, how you made the purchase, and celebrating the achievement.
Showing progress toward any mission goals or capital campaigns drives engagement. It demonstrates you are progress-focused and thriving – two things donors want to see.
#4 – Don’t Forget the Story
Remember, you are telling a story through marketing. Even though these are facts and figures, they can be utilised to drive context and storylines.
Look back at your previous year’s compelling stories or social media posts with the most engagement. How can you infuse these stories into your annual report? Is there a way to help foster better relationships with your community by giving context and credence to your financial matters that demonstrate your commitments?
Always keep your stories as simple as possible. Complex storylines will only make your nonprofit organisation’s financial reporting harder to understand. While you’re at it, don’t forget to end with impact. Drive home the point that you are making forward progress.
Pro Tip: It is perfectly acceptable to have a CTA at the end of your annual report. Something as simple as “Contact us for more information about donors and support.” This is a marketing tool for building your email list or outreach for more community support.
#5 – Stay Transparent
Marketing is a give-and-take. You incentivise your audience through relatable information that drives them toward an action. In that spirit, never hide your challenges as an Australian not-for-profit.
You may think not reaching the total funding for a new wing of your building is a loss, but the community seeing how close you got only builds motivation to help you get over the funding hump.
Flip the script on your challenges by explaining what happened, how you found a remedy, and how you are moving forward. Keep your financial reporting as transparent as possible.
This credo also helps with any legal issues. In the incredibly rare case someone claims you’re misusing public funds, you’ll have a quality website with easily acceptable information clearly displayed that you can point them (or public media) toward instead of engaging in a confrontation.
Final Thoughts
All marketing does is promote the buying or selling of a product. Your product is a service. As a not-for-profit, you are selling a fundamental service that improves the Australian community. Your financial annual reporting is a crucial tool to showcase how beneficial that product is to your clients, supporters, and partners.
Utilise these tips by hiring our team at Web 105 to craft a highly engaging website. This will give you a valuable platform for displaying any financial information required for marketing, internal use, or NDIS funding. We look forward to being your partner in growing and supporting your not-for-profit, medical institution, or government agency. Contact us today to get started.
FAQs
Why is marketing important for nonprofits?
Using anything for your marketing, from social media to your financial reporting, helps identify and community with all your various supports. It gives them a chance to get involved through volunteering or donations.
What is the best way to present an annual report?
Start with a concise cover letter summarising all the essential data. Throughout the report, use data visualisations, storytelling, links, and anything else that drives attention to the key achievements or goals you have as a not-for-profit organisation.
What do you say when presenting a financial report?
Your goal is simple – give context. Report on your key figures and then support that information by offering context so your audience can place the who, what, where, how, and why of your NFP’s operation.