Every Great Annual Report Starts With One Story:
Ten Years of Covers, Ten Ideas to Borrow
As we close out 2026, it’s time to start planning your annual report. The first step is finding the story of your year, the through-line that ties your activity together. Did you celebrate a milestone anniversary, troubleshoot a difficult problem, break ground on a new facility, expand programming to a new audience, reach a fundraising goal or welcome new senior management? How did those events affect your mission and effectiveness?
The most successful reports revolve around one clear story. Once it’s nailed down, I let it drive the visuals. I’ve designed the Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie’s annual report for ten years, and each year’s story led to a different cover. Here they all are, each with an idea you can borrow. Of course, it helps to have great partners!
2016 Theme: A Community of Friendship
The illustrations I created for this report were inspired by a mural Mill Street Loft artists painted on the outside wall of CHP’s gym with the help of CHP students. The rich colors and dynamic imagery drew such a strong response that CHP asked Full Deck Design to redesign their brochures with complementary illustrations. Try this: Find something physical at your facility that might inspire your community.
2017 Theme: 170 Years of Healing & Hope
The 170th anniversary coincided with the opening of a new addition on CHP’s main building. The design mixes new imagery with vintage photos, some a century old. Try this: Your archives are an asset. Dig out the vintage photos.
2018 Theme: Over 171 Years of Caring
Flowers drawn by students are worked into simple illustrations for a playful design. Try this: Invite the people you serve to contribute artwork.
2019 Theme: Growing with Our Community
Children form the trunks of the trees, and shapes like leaves, hearts and books fill out the canopies to capture the idea of growth. Try this: Joy is allowed in an annual report! A playful image can say as much as a statistic.
2020 Theme: We Are One
Students created the cover puzzle artwork. The words love, peace, kindness and hope are at the core of CHP’s mission, and the color palette came straight from the cover art. Puzzle icons carry the theme throughout. Try this: Pull your palette from the cover art so every page feels connected.
2021 Theme: 175th Anniversary
A square format set the 175th anniversary report apart. Vintage black and white photos became duotone images, offset by full color photos from 2021 programs and events. Try this: A change in format can be a distinguishing feature for a milestone year.
2022 Theme: Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie 2022 Annual Report
A photo of the new roadside sign takes the cover, and boldly colored shapes add tension and interest throughout. Sometimes a strong photo is all the theme needs. Try this: A strong photo can carry a cover.
2023 Theme: A Future of Healing & Hope
The logo itself was the inspiration. The sun shining through the safe arms of a strong tree captures the theme, “A Future of Healing and Hope.” Try this: Look at your own logo for ideas.
2024 Theme: A Place of Healing & Hope Since 1847
Heart shapes found in nature inspired this theme, symbolizing the love and care that fill CHP every day. What symbol could represent your organization? Try this: One simple image and a few words can say it all.
2025 Theme: A Sanctuary for Healing and Hope Since 1847
Calm spaces have a way of centering us. The newly rededicated Sanctuary Garden is a fitting anchor for this report, as CHP enters its second year of implementing the Sanctuary® Model, a trauma-informed framework that shapes how they care for youth and every aspect of how they operate. Try this: Anchor the story in a place.
Where to Start
Every one of these reports began the same way: with one story, told clearly. Before the year-end rush, gather your team and ask what the one story is that your 2026 report needs to tell. Then let it drive everything else. This checklist will help you get going.
- Pick the one story of the year before picking imagery
- Start collecting photos now
- Decide the budget and print vs. digital early
- Flag any milestone or anniversary
- Gather key stats and quotes as they happen
- Set a timeline backward from your mail or event date