18 Awesome Nonprofit Impact and Annual Report Examples and What You Can Learn From Them

18 Awesome Nonprofit Annual Report Examples and What You Can Learn From Them

Erin Booker

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February 13, 2025

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8 minutes

Nonprofit Trends

Reports and Statistics

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18 Best Nonprofit Annual Reports: Great Digital & Small Examples & How You Can Learn From Them

Nonprofit annual reports. A useful community engagement communications piece, or a complete time suck that takes your organization months to produce? Nonprofit annual reports are a standard communications piece nonprofits produce every year and we often view them as an obligation. Something we have to do, as opposed to other, more inspiring, creative communications pieces in your portfolio. We're here to say that creating annual reports does not have to stink!

In fact, we think it's time that you let go of the boring, uninspired annual report and set a new standard. We've rounded up a few of our favorite nonprofit annual report examples and shared key takeaways you can apply to your nonprofit's next annual report.

What’s the Difference Between an Annual Report and an Impact Report?

Screeeeech, hold up! Sometimes we see people talking about "annual reports" and sometimes we hear them say "impact report"... what's the difference? Is there a difference?

We'd say yes, there's a difference, but it's slight and nuanced. An annual report is a more rounded retrospective of your nonprofit's work over the last year, including soft stuff like staff morale. An impact report can show results over any period of time; doesn't have to be the past year. And the impact report is usually more focused on goals achieved and hard-hitting budget excitement.

In case that wasn't clear enough for you, we asked our AI colleague for input. Here's what it had to say (with editorial oversight by us, ofc):

"Annual reports and impact reports serve distinct but complementary purposes for nonprofits. An annual report is your organization’s yearly "highlight reel," detailing financial health, operational milestones, donor lists, and governance updates. It’s a compliance-friendly snapshot of your nonprofit’s overall performance.

An impact report, on the other hand, zooms in on outcomes. Think of it as a tool that answers: What difference did we make? It focuses on program-specific results, beneficiary stories, and measurable data (like number of lives changed or communities served).

Tools like Funraise’s nonprofit KPI dashboards simplify creating both by auto-tracking donations, outcomes, and engagement metrics."

What to Include in Your Nonprofit Annual and Impact Reports

These are the must-haves for standout annual reports and impact reports.

Annual Report must-haves:

Financial reports: Revenue, expenses, and fund allocation
Program achievements: Key milestones and completed projects
Donor recognition: Lists of major supporters and partners
Leadership updates: Board member bios and governance changes

Essential Impact Report elements:

Outcome metrics: Quantifiable results ("500 meals distributed")
Beneficiary stories: First-person testimonials or case studies
Visual storytelling: Infographics, before and after photos, or videos
Donor impact: How contributions directly fueled outcomes ("$50 = one child’s school supplies")

Use Funraise to gather donor reports and campaign results, ensuring your reports are both accurate and engaging. (Two of our favorite adjectives!)

Nonprofit annual report comparison chart

Nonprofit

Best for

Our rating

Nonprofit:

National Parks Foundation

Best for:

Best Use of Photos

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Nonprofit:

UNHCR

Best for:

Clearest Summary and Data

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Nonprofit:

Calgary Zoo

Best for:

Best Use of Social Media

Our rating:

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Nonprofit:

Operation Lifesavers

Best for:

Best Annual Report Journey

Our rating:

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Nonprofit:

Best Friends Animal Society

Best for:

Best Can’t-Click-Away Report

Our rating:

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Nonprofit:

Invisible Children

Best for:

Best Use of… Everything

Our rating:

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Plus, we've added some honorable mentions for organizations that have used statistics, storytelling, and assets with superb foresight.

What are the best nonprofit annual reports? Here's our top 5 list:

These are some of the best nonprofit annual report examples of the last few years. They're engaging, gorgeous, and most of all, they clearly describe their nonprofit's impact. Read on to discover a why they stand out and which annual report makers were used to create these masterpieces.

1. National Parks Foundation nonprofit annual report (Best Use of Photos)

The National Parks Foundation is doing awesome work preserving and expanding parks around the country. Their annual report is the perfect opportunity to show off that work to supporters, bringing transparency around their work and impact. Many pages of the National Parks Foundation's report are dedicated to donor recognition lists, a very traditional component of annual reports.

Let your photos shine in your nonprofit reports

Because of the nature of their work (see what we did there?), the National Parks Foundation has a lot of photo ops for their nonprofit reports. Their use of photos throughout their report showcases impact locales through beautiful photos. What a way to bring the work directly to your supporters! Photography might be a “nice to have” investment for your nonprofit, but consider the mileage you can get out of a set of really good photos: social media posts, annual report graphics, website photos, and so on.

A page of the National Parks Foundation's annual report, with the headline "Stronger Together" and a photo of Bryce Canyon National Park.

2. UNHCR annual report (Clearest Summary and Data)

The UNHCR is a huge international development organization with dozens of programs. Like most nonprofits, they release an organization-wide annual report each year. But unlike some nonprofits, they also release program-specific annual reports. Enter the Educate a Child Annual Report 2018. We’ll admit this report is meaty at over 100 pages. Even so, we think there are some useful takeaways that you can apply to your annual report.

Develop a summary of highlights

Given how in-depth this report is, we think it's a super smart idea to provide a summary of the report highlights at the outset. After all, not everyone is going to read the report cover to cover. Giving them a summary of the highlights is a great way to make sure readers get the essential information.

A page from the UNHCR annual report, offering objectives and achievements in blue text on light blue background.

Bring data to life

We've all "read" those great annual reports that are chock full of numbers and stats. Sometimes they are literally presented in a laundry list format. It's 2-thousand-something, nonprofit friend, so let's get a little more creative with how we present data. The UNHCR has a wealth of data and they've smartly found ways to bring that data to life through infographics, charts, and other illustrations.

3. Calgary Zoo annual report (Great Use of Social Media)

This annual report is a few years old, but we think it offers some pretty interesting innovations when it comes to annual report designs. For starters, it has a standalone Instagram account that uses the platform to deliver and share the impact. Talk about an interesting way to rethink using a digital platform! Here's a key takeaway you can apply to your nonprofit's impact report.

Rethink digital engagement

We think the Calgary Zoo’s annual report is a big invitation to rethink what kind of engagement annual reports can encourage. Given that this annual report is shared through a series of Instagram posts, the nature of the report inherently invites engagement. Readers can like, reshare or comment on each of the images. This is a pretty big contrast to a hardcopy paper annual report.

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A screenshot of Calgary Zoo's 2012 annual report Instagram account.

While your nonprofit may still want to produce a hardcopy or PDF version of your annual report, how could you repurpose your report to encourage digital engagement? You may not need to open up a separate Instagram account, but we're willing to bet that you've got some creativity waiting to be unleashed.

4. Operation Lifesavers, Inc. annual report (Top Annual Report Journey)

Not everyone is interested in setting up a social media account or live online party for their report, but that's not the only way you can put tech to work! Continuing the enhanced digital experience theme, check out the interactive menu in Operation Lifesavers, Inc.'s annual report.

Regulate the journey

Their report was put together with Storyraise's digital tools, which can produce some prrrettypretttty great reports. In this example of an annual report for a nonprofit, the reader's journey is regulated by the sectioning of the contents so that scrolling is easy but each chapter can stand on its own. And with as many different topics as OLI touches, forcing the reader to slow down and smell the stats is crucial.

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Screenshot of the digital menu in Operation Lifesaver, Inc.'s annual report. The left side is a table of content in black text on white and the right side is a picture of a railroad crossing sign.

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5. Best Friends Animal Society annual report (Can’t-Click-Away Report)

Best Friends Animal Society is a beloved nonprofit with huge brand recognition. They have their full annual report available to download on their website and they ingeniously created a kind of mini version of their report for the landing page. It gives all the key highlights from the report for readers who just want to the top level information. But being the nonprofit nerds that we are, we also enjoyed reading the full version of their annual report so we could give you a few ideas for your annual report.

Keep ‘em scrolling

The full version of the Best Friends Animal Society report lives on a web page, which creates a problem that most digital assets must deal with: keeping people's attention all the way to the end. This report solves that problem by keeping things visually interesting. As you scroll, text placement, font size, and images are changing, which makes you want to see what's next. You can apply a similar principle to hardcopy annual reports by making them visually interesting in a way that keeps eyes scanning.

And while it sounds like we're encouraging shorter reports, there's something to be said for longer reports that keep the super engaging info rolling along. Would you rather read a 3-page report with dense blocks of text or an 8-page report that breaks up the text with pictures, infographics, and clickable resources?

A page from Best Friends' annual report featuring a cat staring into the camera.

Play up your best assets

It's kind of a no-brainer that people love pics of dogs and cats. Best Friends Animal Society uses that to their advantage in their report by integrating a ton of adorable animal photos. They give the people what they want! Your nonprofit can do this too, even if you don't work with dogs and cats. Chances are, there's some aspect of your nonprofit's work that gets your community and supporters revved up and excited. Whatever that thing is, play it up in your report.

Bonus: The best nonprofit annual report

Invisible Children's annual report. Overall, this is an amazing sample nonprofit annual report that utilizes all of the takeaways we've noted here. With a targeted goal and vision, a celebratory look back at past work, gorgeous, on-brand photos and design, and a solid online presence, this gets top marks across the board.

Small nonprofit annual report examples

Just because you're a smaller nonprofit doesn't mean that you can't have an annual report with big personality! These small nonprofit annual report examples will show you just what you can do with a bit of time, creativity, and a great nonprofit annual report maker.

1. The People Concern (overall best small nonprofit annual report example)

The People Concern may not be a huge nonprofit, but their annual report humanizes the data in a way that shows the enormous capacity of their impact. The smiling faces, personal messages and stories, and custom branding all bring us on a journey instead of shoving numbers in our faces.

The People Concern Annual Report Example

Make it personal

When you look at this annual report nonprofit example, what's the first thing you notice? The people. The images and stories that go along with them have a distinctly moving effect on a normally dry annual report. Your takeaway? Bring the smiles and the love.

2. Encircle

This annual report is consistent, from the font to the image styles, to the copy. No matter which page you flip to, you can tell that it's part of Encircle's annual report.

Keep it on the level

Staying consistent with your imagery is almost as important as keeping your message consistent. At the end of the day, your goal is to provide transformational value to the people or community who need your services—even when you're building an annual report.

3. Zoe Empowers

Check it out! Zoe Empowers gives a by-country breakdown in this colorful annual report. Combined with joyful, playful photos, this annual report celebrates the growth and impact in each country.

Break it down

It's common to break out visual reports by different programs, but this example shows growth and adoption by country. Find common threads among your programs and constituents and mix up your measurement methodology!

4. The Phoenix

The Phoenix is one of our favorite nonprofits for the out-of-the-box way they're tackling addiction recovery. Their annual report works as hard as they do, and relies on community in the same way.

Never underestimate the power of testimonials

Yeah, community pulls the weight in this impact report! Get your supporters, clients, and staff involved: quotes keep your amazing data grounded while action photos emphasize the effort required to make change.

Best digital annual reports

Digital reports make it easy to keep your current donors and supporters updated on your nonprofit's impact. Cost-effective, eco-friendly, and shareable, the best digital annual reports use technology to keep their message engaging, organized, and motivating so that supporters become donors (and then major donors) and donors spread the love.

1. DIGDEEP (overall best digital annual report)

Honestly, what can we even say about DIGDEEP? This report is so cool, so fun, so impactful, so... digital! The colorful waves are reminiscent of water, the section organization is engaging, the dedication is heart-wrenching, and the impact is growing.

Make it reflect where you're going

The #1 best thing about DIGDEEP's impact report isn't the exciting images or insightful words, it's the focus on what's happening next. Not just a look back at the year in review, this report dives in hard to upcoming projects, provides links to all the relevant resources, and ends with an ask.

2. Code 2040

Code 2040 took a page from their fundraising campaign sites and built a website just for their report. Don't worry, they created an annual report pdf as well, but their site is the real masterpiece.

Go with what you know

Don't be afraid to use the tools that you know work for you—this report-turned-standalone website pulls in recognizable and familiar tools like impact cards, tables and graphs, and moving background and images.

3. Yalari

If you've never used issuu, this is your introduction. Check it out. Now. Yalari is lucky enough to have great images and content, but issuu is what really makes it a page-turner.

Find yourself a nonprofit annual report tool

As important as impact reports are to nonprofits, not all of us have been blessed with report-building skills, so find a nonprofit annual report maker program software thingy and follow the template or instructions or whatever. Everyone will think you're a data-designing, impact-exhibiting, storytelling annual report master. (Don't worry, your secret's safe with us.)

4. GLAAD

GLAAD's comprehensive report takes supporters through twenty-five pages of data-driven fundraising demonstrated through storytelling, statistics, timelines, and compelling images that correlate seasons and awareness days to the impact they made all year long.

Show off superlative statistics

We're awfully glad that GLAAD could join the party! Their colorful and eye-catching annual report delivers equally delightful key achievements. You can do the same by looking at your impact by month or season rather than by campaign or program.

5. The Gathering for Justice

The Gathering for Justice uses their annual impact report to galvanize and mobilize supporters to continue advocating for and alongside the organization. We love the call to action on the last page of their report, which gives supporters the opportunity to make an instant, direct impact.

Call. To. Action.

Build your report with action in mind. Your audience will naturally be so moved that they're going to want to support the organization that made so much change. Give them what they need to help you do even more in the coming year.

6. Red Tent Women's Initiative

Red Tent Women's Initiative is breaking down their data into a comprehensive overview of their lifetime achievements that lives in a legacy page on their website! Easy access to impact info? We love to see it.

Red Tent Women's Initiative accomplishments webpage

Let it live on

You've put a ton of time and effort into an awe-inspiring, effective impact report. Don't let it go to waste by letting it languish—make a permanent place on your website for not just yearly reports, but also specific, significant accomplishments that show progress and growth over the years.

7. A New Way of Life Reentry Project

A New Way of Life Reentry Project knows that statistics are stories that deserve to be told. That's why they use their report to tell the stories of those they serve and the lives they impact.

A New Way of Life's personal stories within their annual report.

Give a face to the facts

Facts can be dry and boring, especially if you've got a whole report full of 'em! Humanize your data and turn stats into stories. Not only will this highlight the impact behind the numbers, it will also carry your audience through what could otherwise be a dry impact report.

8. The Bloc Chicago

As a youth-focused org, The Bloc Chicago's fiscal year ends in June, making winter the perfect time to cherry-pick compelling impact info collected for their annual report.

The Bloc Chicago breaks their annual report into smaller assets.

Use your annual report all year long

Once your impact report is created, you'll see which pieces resonate the most with readers. Take those moments and build them into standalone assets that you can use in ads, social posts, and even as individual campaigns throughout the year.

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Nonprofit impact report FAQ

How do I make my impact report more interactive?

Make an interactive report by adding clickable infographics, embedded videos, and scroll-triggered animations. Maybe you can even integrate powerful tools like interactive dashboards to display real-time donor impact. Use quizzes and donor-specific data visual elements to engage readers, and don't forget those on-the-go! Mobile-responsive, clean designs ensure accessibility across devices.

Are nonprofits required to publish annual reports?

Nonprofits must file IRS Form 990 but aren’t legally required to publish annual reports. However... 78% of donors expect them (so make one!!!) Funraise simplifies engagement and fundraising strategies by helping you prioritize impact metrics, making voluntary reporting efficient and strategic.

What should a nonprofit impact report include?

Pack that impact report!! No one has ever been excited over skimpy stories of impact. Include donor-funded outcomes, beneficiary stories, financial overviews, and visual data. Add timelines and comparative charts to highlight year-over-year growth, aligning content with donor priorities.

What makes an effective nonprofit impact report?

Effective reports prioritize donor-centric metrics, visual storytelling, and clear calls-to-action. Funraise’s reporting tools track the success of your fundraising strategies, enabling precise impact narratives. Build an annual report website with donation buttons directly in your digital report to convert engaged readers into recurring supporters.

How do you write a nonprofit impact report?

Start with donor-funded achievements, using Funraise to pull campaign-specific data. Structure sections: mission recap, quantitative outcomes, beneficiary testimonials, and financial transparency. Use interactive heatmaps to show geographic impact. Close with future KPIs for nonprofits tied to donation opportunities to get potential donors motivated.

Another hot tip: let your fundraising analytics and fundraising software do the heavy lifting. Get those boring reports to export themselves and then you just accessorize!

More nonprofit report resources

There are lots of ways your nonprofit can jazz up its annual report this year. By looking at awesome examples of nonprofit annual reports, we hope you’re feeling inspired and ready to roll up your sleeves.