Moving From a Paper to a Digital Annual Report

http://philanthropy.com/article/How-to-Move-From-Paper-to/126407/?sid=&utm_source=&utm_medium=en

"The Salvation Army discovered a few years ago that nobody opened about half the 28,800 printed annual reports it sent to its 7,000 field offices every year. So it decided to scrap the hard-copy version, moving to an all-digital one in 2009. The charity, with headquarters in Alexandria, Va., now produces a paperless annual report, including video features on its programs nationwide, an interactive financial and statistical section, and a video message from the group’s leader. The videos do triple duty: They are also used in television spots and community presentations. Four national TV spots the charity broadcast during the 2010 holiday season were first shot as clips for the online annual report."

Discusses how organizations can save money and actually get people to pay attention to the valuable information found in annual reports by switching to digital formats including video clips, animations, and mobile versions. Cautions that older and more traditional donors may not be receptive to this new technology, and gives tips on how to gradually transition into a new format rather than just changing drastically one year.

T.White