When done right, it’s not just a recap. It’s a fundraising tool, a trust-builder, and a marketing piece that can open doors to new donors, grants, and partnerships.

1. It Builds Trust with Donors and Stakeholders

A beautifully designed printed annual report feels tangible and lasting—something your donors can hold in their hands, flip through, and display. Meanwhile, an interactive online annual report offers a shareable, trackable way to showcase your impact with embedded videos, animations, and clickable calls to action. Both formats, when executed well, inspire confidence by making your results and financial transparency crystal clear.

Pro Tip: Choose the format (or combination) that best fits your audience. Many organizations benefit from having a condensed, high-impact print piece alongside a fully featured digital version.

2. It Turns Numbers into Stories

Data is powerful, but stories make it unforgettable. Whether you’re printing it on premium paper or presenting it in a scrolling, mobile-friendly website, pairing your financials with human-centered stories brings them to life. Donors remember the faces, voices, and moments they’ve helped create—not just the charts and graphs.

Pro Tip: Use large visuals, pull quotes, and infographics in both formats so the impact is immediately visible.

3. It Works All Year Long

A printed annual report can live on desks, coffee tables, and conference tables—serving as a conversation starter. A digital version can be shared in grant applications, emails, and on social media, driving new audiences to your mission year-round. Both become a content goldmine when designed with repurposing in mind.

Pro Tip: Pull short quotes, stats, and photos from your report to fuel your marketing calendar for months after it’s released.

4. It Positions You for Bigger Funding Opportunities

Grantmakers and corporate sponsors want to see that your organization is credible, organized, and results-driven. A polished printed report demonstrates professionalism in face-to-face meetings, while a sleek online report shows your adaptability and tech-savviness—both key in winning major funding.

Pro Tip: Include a dedicated section for partnership opportunities, with clear contact info and a call to action.

5. It Inspires Action Immediately

Whether it’s a printed piece with a tear-off donation form or a digital report with clickable “Donate” buttons, your annual report should make it easy for supporters to act while they’re inspired.

Pro Tip: Don’t end with just “thank you”—end with “join us,” “give today,” or “become a monthly supporter.”

Need Help? Reach out.

We design print-ready annual reports that your donors will keep—and interactive web-based reports that your audience can explore anywhere, anytime. From concept to design to launch, we ensure your report doesn’t just inform—it inspires, engages, and drives support.

If you’re ready to transform your next annual report into your most impactful fundraising tool yet, we’re here to make it happen.

Contact us to start building an annual report that works harder for your mission.

The post The Secret to Using Your Annual Report to Drive Donations appeared first on Ace Studios.

PROPER MARKETING ETIQUETTE… we all need it.

Did you get another yucky unsolicited spammy phone call, text, or email from a business that you swear you didn’t give your information to? It feels endless. A vicious cycle you can’t get out of no matter how many times you say no, send stop, or try to unsubscribe yet somehow, you’re still on their listing? Did you know that’s ILLEGAL? As a business, you should know that you can be reported and be given a hefty fine. Businesses have now had to start paying up… BIG TIME. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. You would feel like you’re trapped constantly trying to delete voice mails, texts, and emails that you tried to opt out of. Is this de ja vu or are you stuck in a futuristic time loop like Edge of Tomorrow? So, what do you do?

Since the phone was invented, we have been bombarded with constant calls with ‘miracle this’, ‘beauty that’, or ‘get a loan now’. Then the FTC came along banning deceptive and abusive acts and practices which also restricted the times they could call you (9 AM – 8 PM… Yay!). With the internet came email, phones came text, and now… AI.

Fortunately, we recently went to a fun workshop that helped remind us of some of the DO’s AND DON’Ts of proper marketing etiquette. Thanks to the brilliant Jennifer Baker of Performance & Engagement Consulting. She helped us see the light (insert angelic music).

• BE HONEST. BE AUTHENTIC. Don’t lie or try to trick people. Never give false information or promises in your advertising to only hook them in. It’s like starting a relationship with someone. You don’t want to start things off by lying. Be real.
• IDENTIFY YOURSELF. You can’t go around telling people you’re just a “person” trying to get to know your customers when you’re a company or non-profit trying to sell a service or a product. Let’s not catfish.
  1. Example: “Hey, it’s me, Danny. Long time no see friend. Just trying to catch up. Get a free trial to MadeUpGym for 7 days and get the bod you want for 2024 if you click on the link below.” Sound familiar? Obviously, not a friend. Like, who are you? Don’t you hate this? Me too.
• GIVE THEM A WAY OUT. Don’t trap your customers in a cycle of unsolicited phone calls, texts, and emails. You have to give someone an option to opt-out or unsubscribe. No one wants to be held hostage. Yikes.
  • BONUS: Do you know what hours a business is allowed to send text messages to a customer? (Hint: It’s the same as phone calls… the answer is at the top of this article.)
• STAY AWAY ILLEGAL CONTENT. If you didn’t know, absolutely NO marketing of illegal substances, sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, or tobacco.
  1. For texting specifically: NO gambling!
• KNOW THY AUDIENCE. Remember you have to look at your stats. You’re not just putting out content to let people know you exist, but you want to know who’s listening, reading, or watching so you can better understand how you can market more effectively rather than spending countless hours doing random things that don’t work. DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME!
• CONSISTENCY IS YOUR FRIEND. Honestly, this is one of the most important ones to remember. Consistency is KEY. There are many times businesses will start something and just stop (we say this because we are so guilty of it). As a small business, it is so important to remain consistent to get your information out there. Here are some tips to make it easier for you:
  1. Create a template.
  2. Have your topics lined up.
  3. Create a calendar.
  4. Have a scheduling system.
  5. Have fun and be creative.

Yay… You made it to the finish line! These are just some of the tips we learned from the brilliant Jennifer Baker. If you want to learn more, definitely check her out. She goes into the legalities of email marketing, SMS texting, AI, and more. Overall, don’t be a pain. In simpler words, act like a human being and be real. We all want to be treated respectfully. As a business (I am a small business owner myself), it is understandable that we have to market ourselves in any way that we can, but people have their limits. We have to treat our customers with the best care possible because we ARE customers ourselves. Ask yourself… wouldn’t you want to be cared for?

RENO, NV, JANUARY 2024

The post DEAR BUSINESSES: DON’T CALL, TEXT, OR EMAIL THAT PLEASE appeared first on Ace Studios.

It is time for change. Let’s build your brand.

Connect and build an authentic lasting impression with new photography and videography for 2024.

From food and beverage, product, headshot, editorial, event, or environmental… we love it ALL. Check out some of our work below.

PHOTOGRAPHY

VIDEOGRAPHY

To check out more of our work, go to our capabilities page: https://acestudios.com/services/ 

Written by Christopher Thigpen, COO

RENO, NV, JANUARY 2024

The post NEW YOU: PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY FOR 2024 appeared first on Ace Studios.

It is time for change in 2024. Let’s build your brand. Connect with authentic lasting relationships with new photography and videography.

From food and beverage, product, headshot, event, editorial, or environmental… we love it ALL. Check out some of our work.

PHOTOGRAPHY

VIDEOGRAPHY

For more content, go to our capabilities page: https://acestudios.com/services/ 

Copy written by Chris Thigpen.

The post NEW YOU: PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY FOR 2024 appeared first on Ace Studios.

I challenge every business owner, CEO, or president to ask themselves, are you making inclusivity central in your business? How are you embracing every voice in your business? How are you weaving representation into mainstream marketing practices? If you didn’t know, being an inclusive leader starts with you.

-Kurt Thigpen, CEO 

The post  A Word From Our CEO: May 2022 appeared first on Ace Studios.

It baffles me that most of history, when it came to literature, science, medicine, math, and even baking … the word “anonymous” was a woman. Women should never have to hide their brilliance or be overlooked. Women should never have to be second to a man. Women should never have to be transcended into gender stereotypes. Too many times, women’s contributions are left unnoticed. Do we not try to build a better world together?

Unfortunately, women in history are almost always forgotten, but the tides of their valor and persistence will never fail to carry others to push through. If it weren’t for the women in my own life, I wouldn’t have the strength to lift myself up. Their guidance gave me the courage to be better and hold myself to a higher standard.

“When they go low, we go high.”
-Michelle Obama, Attorney/Author/First Lady of the United States

For March, I challenge any cisgender male to ask themselves, what am I doing to uplift the women in my life (partner, loved one, or co-worker)? If you are in a position of power, what are you doing to help enrich the women’s lives around you? Why is this important? When one group suffers, we all fail.  The women who helped build our country are just as important as the men we put in our history books.

-Kurt Thigpen, CEO 

The post A Word From Our CEO: March 2022 appeared first on Ace Studios.

Never forget that when thoughts of failure or trepidation creep in, you aren’t alone. Days never have to be perfect. Perfection only comes at an expense of our mental health. 

This February, I challenge you to stay motivated by feeding yourself a daily diet of things that drive you. Question your happiness. What does it look like? What does it mean to you? 

-Kurt Thigpen, CEO

The post A Word From Our CEO: February 2022 appeared first on Ace Studios.

Recently, pronouns have been a huge part of societal norms and have impacted how people identify themselves in our generation. 

You may be asking, “What even are pronouns?” Pronouns are words that replace or use to identify a noun, and in this case, people. The usage of the correct pronouns is a respectful way to address someone in terms that they are comfortable with. With that, pronouns are represented as he/him, she/her, they/them, etc. These are applicable to all, and everyone has the right to choose which pronoun fits them best and provides comfort for their needs. 

Many find it nerve-wracking to ask someone for their pronouns without trying to sound rude or inconsiderate of their feelings. The easiest way to accomplish this is to introduce yourself with your own pronouns in order to give them an opportunity to mention theirs as well. For example, “Hello, my name is Allana, I go by they/them pronouns”. Learning and understanding the importance of pronouns can go a long way because it shows respect and consideration towards clients and employees. Including your own pronouns in your introductions can help to encourage others in sharing their own, which will bring an overall understanding within the business. 

It is important to be able to understand and be accepting of other people’s pronouns in business because it provides a comfortable environment for the clients. With the clients feeling comfortable working and maneuvering around with the employers, it makes for an easier process of communication and business relations between both parties. 

Learning about pronouns is a significant way of creating business relations alongside personal relations. Branching out onto that thought, pronouns are an additional way for employers and consumers to be able to form a respectful relationship as they work alongside each other. It allows for a more smooth process when the consumer doesn’t feel uneasy and will be more willing to make the business relations more beneficial. 

The post Education Hour:  The Importance  of Pronouns appeared first on Ace Studios.