Best Ways to Publish Your Annual Impact Report: Beyond Just a PDF

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How do nonprofits choose the right way to publish their annual impact report — from free PDFs to interactive digital experiences?

Sharing your annual impact report doesn’t have to be a boring attachment or a one-size-fits-all PDF. Depending on your audience, budget, and goals, you’ve got several options — from simple web-friendly PDFs to interactive flipbooks and publishing tools that feel like a magazine. This post walks through those choices so you can pick the publishing method that helps your nonprofit in education or youth work connect with supporters, celebrate impact, and make your story easy to explore.

Start Simple: Adobe Publish Online

If you’re working with me, or another professional designer, Adobe Publish Online is the easiest way to put your report on the web. It’s free, creates a shareable link, and can even be embedded on your site. The trade-off? It doesn’t offer that “page flipping” effect some people like—it’s simple, clean, and effective.

• 👉 Sample: Youth With Faces Impact Report on Adobe Publish Online

The Flip Factor: Flipbook & Issuu

For those who want the visual effect of turning pages, Flipbook and Issuu are the big names. They give your report that virtual magazine feel, which can be nice for readability. The catch is the price—subscriptions usually run around $200/year. Worth it if you’re publishing multiple pieces, but definitely not if you’re only doing one report a year.

Canva + Third-Party Tools

Whether or not your design is made in Canva, you’ve got some additional publishing options right inside the platform. Canva integrates with services like Simple Booklet and Hey Zine, which you can also access directly through their websites.

• Simple Booklet: Lets you create a custom URL for sharing and has a reasonably priced premium plan at $60/year.
  👉 Sample: Youth With Faces Impact Report on Simple Booklet
  
  
  

• Hey Zine: Offers up to five books at a time for free. The Hey Zine branding is minimal and tucked away in the corner. You don’t get custom URLs, but the end product looks professional.
  👉 Sample: Youth With Faces Impact Report on Hey Zine 

For many, launching these through Canva might be easier if you’re already familiar with the platform—but it also works to go straight to the source!

Final Thoughts

Whether you keep it simple with Adobe, go interactive with Flipbook or Issuu, or experiment with platforms like Simple Booklet and Hey Zine, the key takeaway is that you have choices. These tools make your report easier to access and share, but what truly makes it shine is the content and the design. A thoughtfully crafted, well-designed report will always stand out—no matter the platform—by clearly illustrating your organization’s impact and drawing your audience in.

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FAQs

• 1. What are the main ways to publish an annual impact report?

  You can share your impact report as a downloadable PDF, use basic online publishing tools like Adobe Publish Online, or go for interactive page-flipping formats with platforms like Flipbook or Issuu.

• 2. When is a simple PDF a good choice?

  A PDF is easy, familiar to readers, and free — perfect if you want something straightforward that’s easy to attach and archive. It’s especially useful for emailed newsletters or file downloads.

• 3. What’s the advantage of using tools like Flipbook or Hey Zine?

  Flipbook and Hey Zine give your report a virtual “page-turning” feel that can boost engagement. These tools make the experience feel more like a magazine, which can be great if you want readers to linger and explore.

• 4. What is Adobe Publish Online and how does it work?

  Adobe Publish Online is a feature inside Adobe InDesign that lets designers publish a report to the web with one click. It creates a clean, shareable online version that can be embedded on your website or shared as a link. If your report is designed in InDesign, your designer can usually provide this for you at no additional cost.