Project Management Sample: 2023 Annual Report

One of the biggest projects I manage on an annual basis is our Annual Report: an overview of impact metrics, stories of hope, financials, and our holistic one-stop-shop model.

Project Components

  • Theme

    “Building” was our theme for the 2023 Annual Report for many reasons: our ongoing $25 million capital campaign “Breaking Barriers. Building Momentum,” the growth we built upon in 2023, and the handful of affordable housing units we built in the surrounding community. Our graphic designers creatively made blueprint elements to bring the theme to life.

  • Stories of Hope

    Stories of Hope are inspiring testimonies of transformation from those who have evolved from crisis situations. We chose one major story featuring a mother and her children who utilized all four programs on campus, as well as three minor stories featuring individuals who used variations of several programs. I as well as another photographer and copywriter composed these four stories of hope.

  • Who We Are

    City of Refuge is a faith-based environment that helps individuals and families transition out of crisis. When you really break down the four programs that make that mission possible, there are several moving parts. That’s why we used four of the 12 pages of this report to tell our story and explain our unique one-stop-shop model that drives impact year after year.

  • Data

    As a 501(c)3 non-proit, we are committed to transparency when it comes to our operations. It’s my job to work with directors in each department to acquire metrics that convey important KPIs for what we do. My team also helps gather financial information to further our integrity in all we do. These numbers are an organization-wide effort I help bring together at the end of each year.

Multi-Platform Communication

Once the annual report is sent to print for direct mailing efforts, I start launching our digital marketing campaign across multiple platforms. This includes e-newsletters, social media, and our website.

E-Newsletters

While we announced our annual report in multiple newsletters and a dedicated email campaign, we prioritized sharing the report with our recurring donors: City Lights members. This ensured they got the first look and received exclusive content as an appreciation for their continued support.

Social Media

Our primary social media platforms are Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook. This year, instead of linking individuals from social media to a offline PDF of the report, we instead linked them directly to our website to drive traffic and boost audience numbers.

Website

Building out our annual report on a dedicated webpage was a new digital marketing strategy this year. We wanted to minimize as much friction as possible for readers by directing them straight to our website instead of adding an extra step of prompting readers to download the PDF. This not only streamlined our campaign, but boosted traffic.

Driving Conversions

After sharing stories of hope, metrics, financials, and our mission through the annual report, it was also important for us to share content that served as a call-to-action in order to drive donations, volunteerism, partnerships, and conversions.

I wrote a piece on our top 10 accomplishments of 2023. The writing style attributes each victory to the donor and how they made each moment possible. This piece is meant to remind donors of their contributions and encourage the same in 2024.

In order to give donors a motivation to give in 2024, we shared a list of goals for the year ahead. Thanks to all departments, my team was able to compile and prioritize 10 goals we felt were of utmost importance. Finally, we added three opportunities to drive support with accompanying QR codes to boost web traffic.