How to Choose the Right Partner for Writing & Designing Your Annual Report

Every nonprofit reaches that point in the year when the annual report starts to creep onto the calendar. You feel the weight of it long before anyone opens a blank document. And if you’ve ever had to chase content, wrestle with messy data, or try to design something beautiful in Canva at midnight (see The Hidden Costs of Using Canva for Annual Reports), you already know: the partner you choose makes or breaks this process.

A strong annual report doesn’t just get done, it raises money, strengthens donor trust, and gives your entire organization a clear narrative for the year ahead. Finding the right partner is how you get there.

Here’s what to look for.

1. Look for a Partner Who Understands Nonprofits—Deeply

Working with nonprofits is vastly different from working with corporate clients. Your partner needs to understand under-resourced teams, competing priorities, the pressure of donor communications, and the reality that content gathering is often the biggest bottleneck. As we emphasize in our messaging strategy, nonprofits want a partner who already knows the terrain, because annual report challenges are predictable, and solvable with the right guidance.

Years of nonprofit-specific experience mean faster onboarding, fewer revisions, and a process that feels like someone finally turned the lights on.

2. Choose Someone Who Brings Strategy, Not Just Design

A beautiful annual report is great. A beautiful annual report that doesn’t help you raise money? Not great.

Your partner should understand donor psychology, outcomes vs. outputs, and how to translate your data into meaningful, donor-facing impact stories. As our ToolTrunk explains, your report is only as strong as the data and strategy behind it, and donors engage more when stories are clear, succinct, and supported by real outcomes.

Design matters, but strategy is what makes your message stick.

3. Look for a Clear, Supportive Process

Chaos is not a process. And it shouldn’t be your norm.

A strong partner will give you a structured, repeatable system that eliminates stress, confusion, and internal delays. We call this a “clear and supportive process from start to finish”, not just making things look good, but making the experience feel good.

You should know:

• What’s expected of your team

• When content is due

• How revisions work

• What happens next

A well-defined workflow means your staff stops scrambling and starts breathing again.

4. Choose a Partner Who Can Extract (and Elevate) Your Story

You shouldn’t have to write your annual report alone, and you definitely shouldn’t write around internal jargon, conflicting drafts, or unclear impact.

Your partner should help you:

• Identify your strongest stories

• Pull context that gives your data meaning

• Make donors the hero

• Say more with fewer words (the ToolTrunk is unapologetically firm about recommended word counts)

This is where many DIY approaches fall short. A strategic partner knows what to ask, how to ask it, and how to transform raw content into a narrative donors immediately understand.

5. Find a Partner Who Helps You Use the Report All Year Long

Your annual report isn’t a recap. It’s a fundraising tool for the next twelve months.

The right partner will help you think beyond the PDF, considering social graphics, email teasers, talking points, and how your board and development team can leverage the report to strengthen donor relationships. When a report is done well, it becomes one of your most valuable communication assets, not just a once-a-year deliverable.

6. Evaluate Whether They Actually Make the Process Enjoyable

This might sound small, but it’s not.

Most nonprofits dread their annual report every year. A great partner turns that feeling into confidence, clarity, and even excitement. They guide your team, minimize your workload, and remove the pressure, not add to it.

If a partner can make this process enjoyable, you’ve found the right one.

Final Thought: You Deserve a Partner Who Helps You Win

Your nonprofit works too hard to settle for an annual report that’s rushed, unclear, or disconnected from your fundraising strategy. The right partner will help you create a report that looks professional, tells your story clearly, and sparks generosity all year long.

If you’re ready for guidance, simplicity, and a process that actually supports your team, we’d love to talk.