Houston Nonprofit Experiments With Instagram to Draw Attention to Annual Report

As a way to draw more attention to its online annual report, and also to attract a new and younger audience, the nonprofit Neighborhood Centers turned to Instagram.

In mid-December, the Houston community development organization posted a series of 60 photos, each portraying individuals or groups engaged in its various activities and programs. Accompanying each photo is a description of the need for services the organization provides. Each image also prompts viewers to click the link in the group’s profile, which takes them to its full online annual report.

Together, when viewed on the nonprofit’s Instagram profile, the 60 small images create one larger image with a message that unites the pictures: “Sometimes you need to see things in a new way to understand them. Sometimes big things start small. Sometimes there’s a bigger picture made up of lots of smaller pictures. (Literally.)”

Normally the nonprofit’s social-media platforms draw visitors with an average age of about 40. But after posting the images on Instagram, the nonprofit saw the age of its audience trending downward, says Stephenie Schillaci Olguin, Neighborhood Centers’ senior director of marketing and communications. The charity saw this as a sign that they were attracting the attention of people who had not previously interacted with their networks — and that they now had a way to draw them in.

The expansion to Instagram was not the first step the group has taken to modernize its annual report’s presentation. In past years, the nonprofit produced a printed report and a downloadable PDF featuring a retrospective of the preceding year, including the organization’s full financials. A few years ago, it started to take a more innovative approach: The group still produces a printed report, which it hands out at events. But the online version is now a webpage, with many photos and videos plus a link to the organization’s financial information.

“It was a way of really celebrating our partners and telling our supporters, ‘This is where the future of the organization is going,’” Ms. Olguin says.

The group usually starts working on the annual report in mid-summer and publishes it by mid-fall. Black Sheep Agency, a Houston-based marketing and PR firm that works with many nonprofit clients, helps with design and copyediting.

Ms. Olguin says Neighborhood Centers plans to use Instagram again next year to drive attention to the report. “Think about how your report can be inviting and welcoming so that you’re not just pushing out your message but are pulling viewers in,” she suggests to other charities. “Don’t be afraid to try something new.”