129 Willowbrook Lane West Chester, PA 19382-5578 610-436-4600 Email: writing@writingcenter.com

Writing Course Descriptions | Public Writing Course Schedule | Writing Tips | Contact Us | HOME

QUICK CHECKLIST FOR ANNUAL REPORTS

COPYRIGHT 1997 BY THE WRITING CENTER, INC., 129 Willowbrook Lane, West Chester, PA 19382-3300. All rights reserved. This article or any part thereof must not be reproduced or used in any form without the written permission of the authors.

Use this quick checklist to improve the impact of your annual report:

1. The cover, layout, and message (including all text and photos) reflect the organization's image, support a unified selling message, and complement other organization publications. Content includes both significant accomplishments and strategies for future success.

2. The annual report begins with an organization profile that serves as an executive summary, highlighting trends and critical messages.

3. The letter or message from the organization's leader reflects the personality and well-being of the organization, highlights why the organization is successful, highlights growth, and provides insights into the future, including explaining the impact of any social, economic or political trends.

4. Selling headings and captions are used to communicate key organization messages.

5. Wording is simple, clear, and factual. Technical words have been double-checked for spelling and are defined for lay readers.

6. Long sections of copy are broken by photos, subheads, break-out quotes, bold print, etc. Long paragraphs are divided into shorter paragraphs.

7. Numbered or bulleted lists are used for increased readability.

8. All text and graphical content, including dates, numbers, quotations, and spelling of people's names, has been double-checked for accuracy against a reliable primary source.

9. The names of the organization, its products and services are presented in a style consistent with the organization's style guide. Trademarked products or services are presented as required by the organization's legal department.

10. The report has been spell-checked and proofread to ensure correct punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure. Spelling of any "suspect" words is correct. Homonyms (their, there) and commonly confused words (affect, effect) have been double-checked. There are no typographical errors.