3 Reasons to Include Video in Nonprofit Annual Reports

Most nonprofit annual reports only include long, dense paragraphs. They often read more like textbooks than annual reports.

You might be thinking: so what? Who cares if my nonprofit annual or impact report is boring?

The truth is, your impact or annual report has the potential to be one of your best fundraising tools. If written well, you’ll attract donors, bring in new volunteers, and build a lasting connection with your community. When you bore readers, you lose their attention. That attention is crucial for keeping them inspired and engaged—two keys to expert fundraising. 

One of the best ways to turn readers into donors is by including videos in your reporting. 

Don’t panic just yet. This doesn’t mean you have to grab your iPhone or camera and start recording. Some of the best annual and impact reports recycle old videos in their reporting. So, no need to start from scratch. Take a look at past event videos, volunteer videos, or other clips from the year. Some of the most successful nonprofit annual reports only use recycled content! 

In this blog post, we’ll walk you through exactly why you should include recycled or new videos in your digital report, and how to do it with Yearly.

So, before we jump into how you can include videos in your annual report, let’s dig into some interesting statistics behind why you should do it.

Why should nonprofits include videos in their reports?

1. It’s one of the most popular marketing strategies

Video marketing has quickly become one of the most popular marketing methods. In fact, 54% of consumers, on average, have cited wanting to see more video content from the brands and organizations they support.

2. It creates better connection

According to research, video marketing deepens emotional connection and feelings. For nonprofits, this is essential. Donors should feel emotionally tied to the organization. Without that connection, they might not be compelled to give.

3. It pays (literally)

Video marketing has an incredibly high ROI in comparison to other forms of marketing. Whether you’re trying to encourage more donations or bring in new volunteers, video is essential.

Ready to get started building your annual report—with lots of video? Let’s jump in.

How to include videos in your nonprofit annual report

Yearly’s built-in tools are perfect for embedding any social media or YouTube videos.

Once you’ve logged into your account, click on your draft. Then, open the page you’d like to embed a video on.

Step 1: Click the drop-down arrow from the top of the page

Step 2: Click on the “embed” button

Step 3: Go to YouTube and click on share, and then the “embed” button 

Step 4. Copy your embed code from YouTube 

Step 5: Paste that embed code into the annual report embed tool

Voila! You’re done. Now, customize your report with more videos, photos, and more!

Want to start your annual report for free? Check out Yearly’s free trial to make your first digital report.