Creator / originator

Team MCC.

Summary / objectives

MCC has consistently campaigned with voluntary organisations to produce brief, communicative annual reports. This annual report – besides showcasing the year's work – also serves as a guide to the characteristics of a communicative annual report for public distribution.

Background

MCC trains and offers hands-on support in communications and fundraising to voluntary organisations. We have been campaigning on the need to produce communicative annual reports that meet accepted standards of financial and organisational disclosure, through research into the quality of annual reports (in 1999, 2001 and 2007) and through annual workshops.

Special characteristics

Size: 8"x8". Colour: two. Type of paper: 170 gsm art paper. Circulation: printed – 3000; e-mail: 3000. The eight-page annual report is designed in comic-book fashion with speech bubbles on every page highlighting the essential characteristics of a communicative annual report. Usually, the life of an annual report is one year; MCC hopes that people and their organisations will keep this annual report to use as a handy checklist when producing their own report. (Printing of this annual report was sponsored by MCC's in-house voluntary payroll scheme, which allows staff to donate to causes annually selected by a staff committee.)

Influence / impact

MCC is getting anecdotal evidence and comments from organisations saying they find the report both interesting and useful. We are yet to track how this is influencing any other organisations to produce simple, readable reports.

Costs

US$ 875 (sponsored).

Merits

Annual reports are normally seen as statutory tools that no one reads. This report shows how an eight-page annual report can:

• Communicate achievements, tell stories and thank donors.
• Raise funds and other forms of support.
• Build credibility by disclosing financial information in a manner that's easy to understand and by following the Credibility Alliance's norms of public disclosure in annual reporting.

It's interesting as well as easy to read, inexpensive to produce – about 20¢ (US cents) a copy – and is a model that any organisation can easily adapt and use.