Annual Report Tips

• Make it attractive.
• Use graphics to highlight information and display data.
• Tailor the content and layout to your audience.
• Only give them what they want.
• Highlight the important points through effective use of color, fonts, italics, bold, etc.

Annual Report Outline Example

The annual report should start with the most important information. It should be concise and as formal as the audience needs it to be. In a highly formal report all of the following should be included:

• Front cover
  • Title of program and its location
  • Name of evaluators
  • Period covered by the report
  • Date report is submitted
• Summary or abstract
  • What was evaluated?
  • Why was the evaluation conducted?
  • What are the major findings?
  • What are the major recommendations?
  • Were there any decisions to be made?
• Background information concerning the program
  • Write this section while planning the evaluation.
  • Include program origin, goals and characteristics, and clients, staff  and others involved in the program.
• Description of the evaluation study
  • Make it detailed
• Purposes of the evaluation
  • Who requested the evaluation?
  • Who is the evaluation intended to enlighten?
  • What data were collected?
  • Were the instruments developed or purchased?
  • Give the instruments' reliability and validity.
  • What are the limitations of the measures?
• Data collection procedures
  • Describe data collection schedule.
  • How were data collected?
  • Was training provided to data collectors?
  • Was sampling used? Explain. Results
  • Always write results section after all data is collected, analyzed, recorded in tables, graphed and analyzed.
  • Make it come alive with testimonials or interview excerpts.
  • Present the results of findings from the data.
    • How many pretests were given?
    • What were the results of the pretest or per measure compared to the final results?
    • Describe what the program finally looked like.
    • If alterations occurred to the implementation, what effect did they have?
    • Describe any data contamination.
    • Describe the differences and/or similarities between the different sites investigated.
    • Describe attrition: How many who started in the sample were still in the program at the end?