Most annual reports are read by very few people. A three-minute film built from the same results can be watched by every donor, partner and board member you have, and shared by them. This playbook sets out how to make one.

Why a donor report video

• Reach: a short film travels by email, WhatsApp and social media in a way a PDF does not.
• Proof: donors increasingly want to see the change they funded. In Kenya, 61% of people in the KCDF and CAF World Giving Report said information on impact would make them give more (KCDF, July 2025).
• Reuse: the footage feeds your website, proposals and social media for the rest of the year.

A simple structure

1. The opening (15 seconds): one person, one place, one moment that sums up the year.
2. The problem (30 seconds): what you set out to change, in plain words.
3. The work (60 seconds): two or three short scenes of the programme in action.
4. The results (45 seconds): three numbers at most, each tied to a person or a place on screen.
5. The thank-you and the ask (30 seconds): thank donors by name where appropriate, and say what comes next.

What to film

• A participant whose story shows the change, interviewed in their own language.
• A staff member explaining the work simply.
• Activity, not meetings: people doing things.
• Place: wide shots that show where the work happens.

Using data well

Pick the few numbers donors care about most, round them, and show them over footage of the thing they measure. A number next to a face is remembered; a chart on its own is not.

Getting consent right

Donor report films are public. Everyone identifiable needs to consent to that use, in writing, and children need parental or guardian consent. See our field guide to consent.

Launching it

• Put the film at the top of the report’s web page and in the email that announces it.
• Cut three or four 30-second vertical clips for social media.
• Play it at your AGM or donor event.
• Send a personal version to major donors.

We make donor report films for NGOs in Kenya and East Africa. See also fundraising films.

Afrovo Studios is a Nairobi-based production company making films for NGOs, conservation groups and purpose-led organisations across East Africa. If you are planning a project, get in touch.