annual report

Newsletters and Websites

The type of information you can put on a website is almost limitless...

Newsletters

Newsletters are published more frequently than the annual report and are therefore a good way of communicating on a more regular basis about current issues.

Working with the Media

Working with the media is not about sending hundreds of press releases

The media has an important role to play in the life of community and voluntary organisations. It can enhance organisations’ profiles, enabling them to raise awareness of their activities, to reach out to potential new supporters and to influence policy debate. It also needs to be considered as an important part of crisis management in the unlikely event of the organisation receiving unfavourable publicity.

Working with the media is not about sending hundreds of press releases

Communications

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” - GB Shaw

Annual Reports

Producing a report on an annual basis that communicates the key information as noted below is good practice.

An annual report is an underused publicity vehicle. If it is produced at all, frequently it is dull, providing only the minimum reporting and financial information required by the Companies Registration Office (if your organisation is a company). For organisations that are not companies, reports on finances and progress, as would normally appear in an annual report, are often only produced for donors at intervals specified by various funding programmes.

Annual reports can have multiple purposes:

Communications Strategy

The reputation of your organisation is one of your biggest asset

Your communications strategy

Do you have a strategy for regular and effective communication with your stakeholders (the people who would have a particular interest in your organisation)? If not, consider drawing one up. Think carefully about the image you wish to portray. (In marketing terms, things means things like consider your ‘brand’ and ‘market position’.) Your image need not be overly glossy; in fact spending a disproportionate amount of money on publicity materials can be off-putting for those who fund you and may misfire.