Face it: most annual report are boring and they suck. Reading or (worse) writing them will suck your life force, transforming you into a dry, withered shell that your loved ones will stare at and kick around, wondering what happened to you. And producing them will do the same to your organization’s time and financial resources. I hate annual reports.
But it seems that donors, sponsors, shareholders, or whatever you call those lovely folks you depend on, love them. Or at least they demand them. Sorta like Rumpelstiltskin. He provides what you need to get your work done and demands a steep payment in return: the output of your lifeforce. But he hasn’t really thought through what he’s going to do with that payment once he collects it. Can you picture Rumpelstiltskin changing diapers? Do donors actually read these long, mind-numbingly boring documents? But, as usual, I digress.
The catch: there’s some important critical info in those reports. It’s good to know what you’ve achieved. Documenting your accomplishments and failures matters. Your organization’s stories matter. Knowing where you’ve been and where you’re going and all that. Trick is to make sure you’re gathering and sharing the info that will work for you.
But there is a way. Call it out. Admit that annual reports are boring. Have some fun. That’s what the brilliant folks at the Amazon Conservation Association did. Enrique Ortiz, co-founder of the ACA, awesome Peruvian biologist, and one of my mostfavorite people ever, shared with me their masterpiece: The Los Amigos Moore Project Final Report, NON-BORING VERSION (download PDF, 5.5MB).
I read it. Twice. And so did the people at the Moore Foundation (yes, that Moore — a huge donor to things Amazon, as well as to Conservation International). Rumor has it one of the first reports read widely cover to cover. Ever ever.
The comic was produced with an application that turns photos into illustrations. Will ask Enrique and post name of it in the comments. Yes, I’m sure it took a lot of time to produce. But I bet you the team felt energized after creating it. It’s a wonderful example for the rest of us. Thanks ACA!
March 23rd, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Amazing! Got gooseflesh reading this, thinking maybe one day I could work there. :)
June 11th, 2009 at 6:18 am
OK, this is awesome, even for someone who understands the need for the appearance of propriety in annual reports — remember this is what investors, stockholders and the regulators (SEC) go to see if you are a well-run company, and if want to put their $$ into.
As a less graphical version, I would urge people to look at the Annual Report for Leukadia Corp — a conglomerate (mining, gambling, wine companies, financial services). The writing is amazing — clear, direct, funny as hell, and yet it preserves the sanctity of the annual report, as an instrument of investment information (namely honest, transparent and informative for those who read it) plus retaining the usual financial reports, footnotes and corporate image (serious, conservative) through their choice of color (none) and pictures (none.)
June 11th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
I went to look at Leucadia National Corporation‘s website. Here’s the report. Yeah, looks so boring and yet some great writing in here. Sure makes them appear more credible — like no-bullshit-let’s-get-stuff-done folks. The sort you might invest in.
Some excerpts:
June 13th, 2009 at 12:01 am
I also really like their admission that investing in a floating casino on the Mississippi River, next to New Orleans, right before Hurricane Katrina hit, was a big mistake. If only politicians and elected officials could look into their actions and admit when they screwed up, and why, and learn from it, we’d all be better off. Usually when mistakes are made, we look for excuses and factors outside our control to blame them on. It is unusual in the business world for managers to own up –good for them, it makes investors feel reassured that they are being dealt with as adults.