It's time to build that annual report! And boy, have we got some new tools for you. Friend, this is the year that you bring AI into your annual report in an intelligent way. Give us a listen as we explain how, why, and what AI can do for your annual report. 

How can AI enhance your nonprofit annual report?

First and foremost, artificial intelligence tools can change your annual report from a boring, routine task into a badass tool that has a real impact on your fundraising efforts.

Not far behind is the fact that a focused annual report will provide you with content you can use all year long—and next year, you can expand on what you have for even more valuable insights.

We like this little hidden gem: Use your AI-informed impact reports to drive donor engagement. When you build an interactive report, you can incorporate a variety of fun, interesting, or actionable elements to appeal to a variety of donor segments.

Which leads us to... FOMO! Use these machine learning tools how potential donors what they're missing out on. You might even get yourself a new major donor.

Finally, fundraising tools! Even if your annual report design doesn't have a hard ask, make it part of your fundraising process. Add in a donate button, embed a donation form, or encourage donors to join your recurring donor program. 

Use AI to make your Annual Report

Now, here's where it gets good. These are the steps and the tools to make AI produce the annual report of your dreams.

Step 1: Pull the data

Use your best reporting tools, like Funraise's Fundraising Intelligence, to break out 2023's impact highlights. One AI tool we love for creating reports from raw data is Taskade.

Keep AI In Check: Confirm with a human that the numbers are correct. Your foundation has to be rock solid for your report to stand strong. And don't forget, there's more to impact than just numbers; take a moment to pull in personal impact stories as bonus materials.

Step 2: Uncover insights

It's time to feed the beast! Input your reports into an AI tool like AnswerRocket to uncover insights, analyze the data, and get answers. These report generator tools will be key to adding actionable insights to your annual report design.

Keep AI In Check: Confirm with a human that these insights are legit—none of this AI hallucination business. Use these insights as a jumping-off point and probe further. What else can you uncover?

Step 3: Create the report!

The magic moment has arrived! If you're creating a standalone site, try Storydoc.com. For a slide deck, Typeset is awesome.

Keep AI In Check: Confirm with a human that your branding, logo, and message are accurate. Once you have a draft, turn it into a comprehensive report by bringing in the humanity! AI can't deliver what you can, which is lived experience, an opinion, and hope for the future.

Step 4: Make marketing assets

The best parts of an annual report are all the juicy moments of impact you get to share. So make 'em shareable! Tools like Followr can suggest content, build a social calendar, and create social media posts highlighting the highlights.

Keep AI In Check: Confirm with a human that the wording and images are on point. Get create with the type of content you're creating—think video and audio clips, financial reports, blog posts, and even work the content into your fundraising events.

Bonus Step: Acknowledge the AI

Although you've had a human monitoring each step, AI has played a major role in the creation of this annual report. It makes sense to recognize this role in the interest of transparency and historical authenticity.

As well, acknowledging your full journey—not just your accomplishments—rounds out the story of your impact and reminds your audience there is still work to be done.

Artificial Intelligence is moving fast, and the ways that your nonprofit can use this tool are gonna change just as quickly. That means that this is one of those articles that we're going to continually update—so keep an eye on this space!