What is an impact report?

A report that shows funders and supporters what your work achieved: activities delivered, outcomes for people, stories, finances and lessons learned.

How long should an impact report be?

For a single grant, often two to six pages unless the funder sets a format. Annual organizational impact reports can be longer.

What if we did not meet all our objectives?

Report honestly, explain why, and say what you learned and changed. Funders value transparency.

Should an impact report include financial information?

Yes. Show how the grant was spent against the budget and explain any significant differences.

Nonprofit Impact Report: What to Include + Template

An impact report shows funders and supporters what their money achieved. Include a short summary, results against each objective, the numbers behind your activities, one or two stories that bring the results to life, a financial summary against the budget, honest lessons learned, and a thank-you with what comes next. Present it visually and keep it easy to skim.

A clear, timely impact report is one of the best ways to win renewed funding.

Structure

Summary: the headline results in a few sentences.
Results against objectives: a table comparing targets and actuals.
Activities delivered: the outputs.
Stories: one or two participant stories, with consent.
Finances: spending against budget, with explanations.
Lessons learned: what worked, what you changed.
What's next: how the work continues.
Thanks: to the funder, partners and volunteers.

Results table

Objective	Target	Achieved	Notes
Pupils improving one reading level	70% of 80	74% of 82	Two pupils joined mid-year
Tutoring sessions	2,400	2,310	Snow closure in January
Family reading evenings	10	10	Average 34 families each

Bring results to life

Example story

When Amira joined the program in September, she was reading two levels below her age and avoided reading aloud. By June she had moved up two levels and volunteered to read at the end-of-year assembly. "I like reading now because I can do the hard words," she told her tutor. (Shared with her parent's permission; name changed.)

Report finances clearly

Show budget versus actual for each main line and explain differences above a small threshold. Mention any underspend and how you propose to use it, if the funder allows.

Be honest about challenges

Funders know projects do not go exactly to plan. Explain what happened, what you learned and what you changed. This builds trust far more than polished success stories alone.

Design tips

Lead with the numbers that matter most.
Use simple charts and photos.
Keep paragraphs short.
Send it on time, or early.

Plan what you will measure from the start with an evaluation plan. See what funders expect after the award in grant reporting, and the full process in how to write a grant proposal.

Nonprofit Impact Report: What to Include and How to Present Results