Best Nonprofit Online Annual Reports (And What Makes Them Work)

Dense PDFs and flipping books have dominated nonprofit annual reports for years. Lead with a letter from the executive director, include a handful of impact stories, and close with several pages of charts that rarely get read beyond the finance committee.

That model still exists. But some organizations have moved well beyond it.

An online annual report now carries real strategic weight. It shapes how donors understand progress. It signals priorities to partners. It gives your community a window into how decisions translate into outcomes. It also gives you access to engagement data that simply isn’t available with a static PDF or many flipbook formats.

When it’s thoughtfully built, it becomes part of your brand.

Three examples worth studying: Exploratorium, Carnegie Science, and Girls Who Code. Each approaches its report differently, but all build for digital with intention.

Here’s what they get right.

Exploratorium: Make Impact Easy to See

Exploratorium’s online report feels immersive from the start.

Bold, vibrant photography does real work here. Full-bleed images capture movement, interaction, curiosity in action. The energy mirrors what the institution actually feels like. That alignment matters.

Imagery isn’t filler between metrics. It reinforces the mission. Hands-on learning. Experimentation. Participation. You understand the work before you parse the numbers.

Metrics then ground that experience. Participation data connects directly to visitors, educators, and students. Scale becomes tangible because it’s tied to people. 

Structure keeps everything moving. Sections are clean and scannable. Visual hierarchy guides the scroll. Financial information is easy to find and easy to understand.

What holds it together is cohesion. Tone, pacing, and visuals reflect the organization’s identity. The report feels integrated, not assembled.

Best practices to borrow:

• Use bold, mission-aligned imagery that reinforces your identity

• Let photography carry emotional weight, not just decorate the page

• Connect metrics directly to lived experience

• Build visual hierarchy that guides the scroll

Exploratorium shows what happens when design and storytelling are working toward the same goal.

Carnegie Science: Give the Story Structure

Carnegie Science approaches its online yearbook with editorial discipline.

Narrative drives the experience. Discovery becomes the through line, and the people behind that discovery anchor the story. Researchers are central. Their work shapes the structure.

Depth is handled with confidence. Scientific concepts are presented with enough substance to feel meaningful. Context is layered in thoughtfully. The tone assumes an engaged, curious reader.

Pacing reinforces that intention. Leadership framing provides orientation, then the focus narrows into specific stories of research and impact. Sections unfold with purpose.

Design supports the content rather than competing with it. Clean layouts and restrained visuals create room for complex ideas to land.

The report reflects the institution’s rigor and seriousness. It feels curated and composed.

Best practices to borrow:

• Build a narrative arc that guides the reader

• Center the people behind the work

• Respect your audience’s intelligence

• Use restraint in design to support complex content

Carnegie treats online reporting as an editorial space.

Girls Who Code: Let Data Lead

Girls Who Code brings momentum to its online report.

Large metrics appear early and clearly. Growth, participation, alumni reach. The scale of impact is unmistakable. Context strengthens those numbers, connecting them to broader conversations about technology, access, and opportunity.

Visual hierarchy directs attention. Bold figures draw the eye. Supporting copy clarifies meaning. Sections move with energy while maintaining focus.

Forward movement runs throughout the report. Current outcomes connect to future ambition. You understand where the organization is heading.

Color, typography, and spacing reinforce that momentum. The experience feels contemporary and assured.

The report reflects the organization’s voice and its position in a fast-moving field.

Best practices to borrow:

• Use data as a primary storytelling device

• Frame metrics within relevant context

• Design hierarchy that guides the scroll

• Make future direction visible

Girls Who Code builds its online report with focus and momentum.

Shared Principles That Make Online Annual Reports Work

Across these examples, several common traits emerge. 

They’re built for scrolling. Content is broken into sections that respect how people read on screens.

They’re selective. Not every internal update makes it onto the page. What’s included supports a larger story.

They use design to guide understanding. Typography, spacing, imagery, and layout all serve the message.

They feel cohesive. The report reflects the organization’s voice and identity.

None of this happens by accident. It requires editorial judgment and strategic thinking from the start.

Building Your Next Online Annual Report

If you’re planning an online report, begin with these questions: What is the core story we’re telling about our role in the world? What evidence best supports that story? How should the reader move through this experience?

Online reports aren’t simply digitized PDFs. They are structured environments. They require thoughtful pacing and restraint. When done well, they reinforce trust and extend your brand.

A Note on Web vs. PDF

Nonprofits often ask whether to invest in an online report when donors still request a PDF.

If you have to choose, start with your primary audience. Institutional funders may expect a downloadable document. Community engagement, search visibility, and long-term content value live on the web.

Format should follow strategy.

What matters most is the standard you set. A weak PDF is still weak. A rushed website is still rushed.