Did you know that 75% of donors look for concrete information about a nonprofit’s achievements before deciding to give? A well-crafted annual report isn’t just a summary of your work—it’s a powerful tool for building trust, demonstrating impact and securing future support.
Your organization is making a difference, but how do you clearly and compellingly showcase that impact to donors, stakeholders and the community? A strong nonprofit annual report does more than highlight financials—it tells your story.
To help you create a report that’s visually engaging, easy to understand, and deeply impactful, I’ve compiled 12+ nonprofit annual report examples as inspiration. Just pick a template and use Venngage’s Report Maker to get started!
What is a nonprofit annual report?
A nonprofit annual report is more than a year-end summary—it’s a powerful marketing tool for transparency, donor engagement, and impact storytelling. Similar to business annual reports, it provides a detailed overview of your mission, key achievements and financial performance.
These annual reports are often to help nonprofits build trust, attract donors, and demonstrate success to stakeholders. A well-crafted annual report highlights milestones, reinforces credibility and inspires continued support.
Most nonprofit annual reports include mission statements, major accomplishments, financial breakdowns and stakeholder insights. They can be shared digitally or printed for donors, partners and advocates.
Looking for inspiration? Check out this nonprofit report example for a structured layout.
How to choose the best nonprofit annual report format
Selecting the right nonprofit annual report format ensures maximum impact and engagement. Consider these options based on your audience and distribution strategy:
- Digital Reports: Best for online sharing, website hosting and social media. Use interactive elements, videos and infographics for engagement.
- PDF Reports: Ideal for professional, downloadable reports that are easy to share via email and print. Ensure it’s mobile-friendly and accessible.
- Print Reports: Great for major donors, board members and events. A high-quality printed report adds credibility and a personal touch.
- Micro-Reports: One-page summaries or infographics work well for quick updates on social media and email campaigns.
Choosing the right format helps nonprofits communicate impact, build trust, and engage supporters effectively.
11 Nonprofit annual report examples (free templates)
It’s time for some nonprofit report examples! Keep in mind that each of the templates below can be 100% customized in Venngage to suit your nonprofit needs.
- Annual report infographic
- Year-in-review infographic
- Charity nonprofit annual report
- Purple nonprofit annual report
- Pink nonprofit annual report
- Nonprofit financial report
- Nonprofit treasurer report
- Nonprofit impact report
- Illustrative medical nonprofit annual report
- Children/Community-focused nonprofit impact report
- Hunger-focused nonprofit annual report
Annual report infographic
This Annual Report Infographic Template is perfect for nonprofit organizations that are new to the game, or those looking to give fast facts. Taking the form of an infographic, this compact design provides an overview of a nonprofit’s funding, supporters and impact on a single page. You can also customize the contents to showcase any other info you want to relay by the numbers.
A note: while this template works fabulously as a one-glance visual aid, you’ll have to explore other templates for more in-depth business reporting.
Year in review infographic
Keen to express yearly accomplishments in an orderly and engaging way? Look no further than our Year In Review Infographic Template. This one-page design is perfect for showcasing an organization’s milestones and achievements at a glance. Plus, there’s space provided to add information about your donors and distribution channels.
Charity nonprofit annual report
For those looking to facilitate a deeper dive, this Green Charity Annual Report is a great option. Ample space is provided so you can communicate background info, any ongoing initiatives and their impact, alongside financial data, future projects and ways to show support. This makes it a top choice for organizations looking to invite further participation and donations.
Purple nonprofit annual report
Dazzling with your document is easy with this template. Featuring a captivating aqua and purple color scheme, this five-page report is the perfect canvas for any high-level organizational overview. All you need to do is swap out the text, add (or import) your own values to the pie charts and choose from a diverse selection of icons.
Pink nonprofit annual report
Ready to think in pink? Then this Nonprofit Annual Report template is for you!
Featuring icon lists, image lists, pie charts and text, this polished and modern report paints a succinct picture of your organization’s prior year. I particularly like how each section starts off with a takeaway (and I’m sure any audience keen on gaining insights would appreciate that too!)
Nonprofit financial report
Sometimes you want the numbers to do all (or most) of the talking – this Nonprofit Annual Report template does just that. Those aiming to educate viewers on the financial side of things will appreciate how it reads like a financial statement or balance sheet. For a light touch of visual interest, pie charts summarize an organization’s funding sources.
Nonprofit treasurer report
This minimalist template is different from the above examples, as it solely focuses on income and expenses over time. This makes it a great choice for those interested in a concise summary of treasurer information. While financial insights such as these can be standalone documents, attaching it to your annual report certainly ups the convenience factor.
Nonprofit impact report
This Company Nonprofit Impact Report offers a calming blue color scheme, and uses bold iconography to capture reader’s attention. Along with a financial summary, organizations looking to showcase their leadership, current standing and tangible achievements over the past year will find this template useful.
Illustrative medical nonprofit annual report
Adorned with stylized elements, this Illustrative Medical Annual Report Template is an excellent choice for nonprofits in the medical field. An opening letter from leadership provides a personal touch before a concise review of financial matters and donor information follows. Instead of using real-life images of affected patients (which could stir up difficult emotions, given the subject matter), pictographics add a lighthearted quality to the report.
Children/Community-focused nonprofit impact report
If your cause is centered around children or community development, look no further than this template. From its cheery rainbow color palette to its extensive use of visuals, this report is perfect for engaging readers from start to finish. A page for contact info is provided to inspire more interaction.
Hunger-focused nonprofit annual report
Fighting world hunger?
First of all, you’re the best. Second of all, our Hunger Nonprofit Annual Report Template has your name written all over it. This two-page template uses charts, icons and stats to rouse interest by breaking up the text with visuals.
Pro tip: while this template is geared towards organizations dealing in food insecurity, don’t be scared to make it speak to your own cause! Venngage’s powerful editor lets you easily customize your design – simply swap out any visual elements for ones that suit your needs.
Best practices for creating a nonprofit annual report
A well-crafted nonprofit annual report strengthens transparency, builds donor trust and highlights your organization’s impact. Follow these six best practices to create a report that informs and inspires:
1. Tell a compelling story
Data matters, but storytelling brings it to life. Share success stories, donor testimonials and case studies to connect with supporters and showcase your mission.
The Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre does this by using real drone footage to highlight their work’s impact. They also replace formal headshots with candid, smiling photos of staff in action. Layering quotes from staff and beneficiaries over these images makes their impact clear. Paired with strong calls-to-action, this approach boosts engagement and encourages support.
2. Keep it concise and clear
Avoid overwhelming readers with excessive details. Focus on key achievements, financial summaries, and impact metrics in a structured format. A concise and well-organized report improves readability and ensures donors stay engaged.
3. Use strong visuals
Enhance engagement with infographics, charts and high-quality images to break up text and simplify complex information. A visually appealing nonprofit report improves retention and encourages sharing on social media.
For example, the National Parks Foundation uses its annual report to showcase its work in preserving and expanding parks across the country. The report brings transparency to their efforts while engaging supporters. Many pages are dedicated to donor recognition lists, a traditional yet effective way to highlight contributions and build trust.
4. Make it accessible
Optimize your nonprofit annual report for all devices. Ensure mobile-friendliness, use alt text for images, and follow accessibility guidelines to reach a broader audience, including visually impaired users.
5. Highlight key metrics
Transparency matters—clearly present financial reports, program results, and measurable impact. Use bold headings, callouts, and data points to make critical insights easy to find.
DREAM’s annual report excels at this by pairing full-page images of students with key stats that support the organization’s mission. This mix of showing and telling creates an emotional connection with readers while reinforcing impact through data.
6. Include a clear call to action
End with a strong call to action (CTA) to encourage further engagement. Whether it’s donating, volunteering or subscribing to updates, make the next steps clear and actionable. A strategic CTA helps convert readers into active supporters.
Why every nonprofit needs an annual report (4 key benefits)
Before we dive into some nonprofit annual report examples and templates, let’s take a moment to touch on the benefits that come from their creation. Aside from providing a summary of an organization’s year, there are many advantages these documents offer…
Highlight the importance and impact of your organization
In summarizing their objectives, metrics and motivations, a nonprofit annual report highlights key information about an organization’s impact, direction and leadership.
Translation: these documents pack quite the illuminating punch.
For example, donors can get a glimpse at how successful a nonprofit is at executing on their initiatives, and see if resources were allocated accordingly. Readers of these reports can also gain insights over a nonprofit’s decision-making processes, and where the organization is headed.
Build trust through financial transparency
Let’s face it: the misappropriation of funds is nothing new. (Ahem, Trump Foundation anyone?).
So by providing information about an organization’s revenue streams and allocation of funds – in other words, the amount of money they’ve raised and the ways it’s been spent — nonprofit annual reports help assure donors that their contributions are being put to good use.
Check how this annual report template provides a snapshot of a nonprofit’s financials, alongside impact, to validate the cause:
Even if revenue targets and charitable impact goals were not achieved, being forthright about the flow of funds affirms an organization’s legitimacy. There’s no need for platitudes or promises when anxieties can be quelled, and confidence conferred, just by checking over a document.
Raise awareness and attract potential donors
Did you know only 56% of Americans trust nonprofits?
Combine that statistic with the fact there’s an ever-increasing pool of competition, and you’ll understand why accountability is key for potential backers’ buy-in. After all, folks are more likely to support your cause — and feel comfortable donating — when they see evidence that they can trust you with their money, time and energy. Luckily, a nonprofit annual report does just that.
What’s more, upping the engagement factor with appealing visuals can spark new interest in your cause. These components liven up dry information, make complex data digestible and can even reinforce your organization’s branding.
No design skills? No problem! Simply choose one of the templates below and use Venngage’s My Brand Kit (available with a Business account) to apply your brand colors with one click. Then, drag and drop in data visualizations throughout.
Express gratitude to contributors and stakeholders
Last but certainly not least, nonprofit annual reports are a great opportunity to thank all those who’ve contributed over the last year. Your gratitude goes a long way in building loyalty and rapport with donors, volunteers and board members (whose ongoing support is your key to accomplishing anything).
As Mother Teresa so aptly said, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
Nonprofit annual report FAQ
Do nonprofits need to create an annual report?
While not legally required, a nonprofit annual report helps build transparency, engage donors and showcase impact. It’s a valuable tool for strengthening credibility and securing future funding. Many organizations use it to highlight achievements and financial accountability.
What should a nonprofit annual report include?
A nonprofit annual report typically includes the organization’s mission, key accomplishments, financial statements, donor recognition and impact stories. It should provide clear, engaging insights into the past year’s progress. Visuals, data, and testimonials can enhance its effectiveness.
How long should a nonprofit annual report be?
There’s no set length, but most nonprofit annual reports are 4–12 pages, balancing detail with readability. A concise, visually engaging report is more effective than a lengthy document. Focus on key achievements and data that matter most to your audience.
Should my organization upload our nonprofit annual report online?
Yes, publishing your report online increases accessibility and transparency. A digital version allows for easy sharing with donors, stakeholders, and the public. Consider using interactive elements or a downloadable PDF for convenience.
Create an annual report for your nonprofit with Venngage
You’ve put in a lot of time and energy towards a worthy cause, so your documents should dazzle accordingly.
A well-executed, beautiful nonprofit annual report design allows you to do just that: effortlessly engage viewers, tell your organization’s story and prove that your fundraising and hard work made a real impact.
With Venngage’s nonprofit report templates and data visualization excellence, you’re guaranteed to achieve all that, in a flash. Simply choose from any of the above templates, swap in your text, desired icons and brand colors and you’re off to the races.
