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How to Gain Trust and Grow Community With This One Tool 

Providing regular updates on the social and environmental impacts that your business makes—beyond financial achievements—is crucial. This is because they help attract mission-driven investors, build trust with your communities, and enhance brand reputation with your target travelers.

This is where impact reports come in. 

While both impact reports and annual reports are essential tools for organizational transparency and communication, an impact report demonstrates the broader societal and environmental effects of an organization’s activities.

Why an Impact Report Matters

1. Demonstrating Accountability and Transparency

2. Attracting Investors With a Clear Impact Narrative

3. Winning Over Local Governments and Communities

4. Enhancing Brand Awareness and Consumer Loyalty

5. Driving Continuous Improvement 

»»» Go deeper into these benefits here

Five Steps to Develop a Compelling Impact Report

1. Define Your Objectives and Audience

To begin, some of the first important questions one should always ask oneself are: “Who is my audience?” and “What do I want them to do after reading this important report?” 

From there, tailor your report to address the priorities and interests of your audience, whether they are investors, government officials, community leaders, or travelers.

»»» Go deeper into how THE PIG Hotels uses the CEO’s letter to grab readers’ attention at the top of the report here.

2. Establish a Sustainability Narrative or Framework. 

The next step is to develop a narrative that highlights your mission and sustainability journey. This narrative must be built on real stories and case studies, supported with visuals like infographics and charts to make your points engaging and memorable.

One of the easiest ways to elaborate on your narrative – which is most likely how businesses can be a force for good –  is to categorize your achievements. 

»»» Take a look at how The Datai Pledge demonstrates the impact of the four key pillars here.

3. Collect, Analyze, and Present Data to Build A Narrative, in A Transparent Way. 

The process of data collection and analysis is meant to help you gather evidence and build the narrative that you need. But as you include the data in the impact report, you can enhance the credibility if you explain your data collection and analysis methods even in a few short sentences. 

However, collecting and analyzing data is only half the job, presenting it in a compelling way to make your case is equally important. Take a look below how The Long Run uses well-designed infographics to contextualize its achievements.

4. Spotlight the (S)Heroes and Use Smart Graphic Design. 

You may be surprised to learn that on average, an impact report requires the collaboration of more than three people. This is because it involves individuals with specific skill sets, such as copywriting and graphic design. (The good news for creatives is that AI is not yet advanced enough to replace our human ability to customize a brand’s impact report.)    

Some of the most compelling impact stories are told by those who carry out the work.

»»» Take a peek into how Banyan Tree uses appealing design and succinct language not only to make its impact report easy to read but also to convey the brand’s creative identity effectively here.

5. Review and Validate.

We cannot stress enough the importance of reviewing and editing your report multiple rounds. It may be worthwhile to consider sharing the report with independent, third-party individuals to provide feedback.