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The 9 sections:
1. Chairman of the Board Letter -This should be within the first 5 pages. Topics covered: evolving developments, achieved or missed goals, corporate actions, and the industry “weather.” At least 1 page, 2 max.
2. Sales and Marketing-Usually put close to the front and usually written by the marketing department. Where the corporation sells and profits. The company’s divisions, lines and operations should be concise.
3. Decade Summary of Financial Figures-The CFO usually provides—the closer to the front, the better.
4. Management Discussion and Analysis-This should appear before financial statements and the author should be the CFO. Significant trends of the prior 2 years should be covered.
5. CPA Opinion Letter-Written by a noted CPA firm and can appear before or after financial statements.
6. Financial Statements-From the CFO or CAO.
7. Subsidiaries, Brands and Addresses-Usually provided by the legal department and in the last few pages.
8. List of Directors and Officers-Usually provided by the corporate secretary in the last or next-to-last pages.
9. Stock Price-The analysts hunger for this, and it is best to have it near the front of the report. Inclusions should be where the stock is traded, the stock symbol, the high/low history, and the price/dividend over time. Usually from the corporate secretary.
14 things to consider when creating an annual report:
1. The budget.
2. The desired involvement of COB, CEO and CFO.
3. The production team: a committee or an individual—and who calls the shots?
4. The experience of the graphic designers, writers and photographers.
5. The major purpose and/or concept of the report.
6. The creativeness of the report. Things such as die cuts, inserts, paper stock, response cards, etc.
7. The size and shape of the report, binding and print run.
8. What is the theme? The tone? And what to put on the cover: the main visual should be interesting, though most companies miss the boat here. Essential information recommended: Annual Report for (year), The __th Report, (date), (name of company).
9. Items that should definitely be included and excluded.
10. The competition.
11. Corporate responsibility. Does the company “wear a white hat?”
12. Testimonials and photos. These can be powerful in attracting investors.
13. Critiques of other annual reports, especially the competition.
14. Testing of final copy and layout for interest, readability and comprehension.