SOCIAL IMPACT DESIGN STUDIO

Annual reports that honor your community and expand your circle of supporters

We design belief-building annual reports for nonprofits and foundations who know their next chapter requires showing up differently, and are done waiting to look the part.

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Find your best-fit path

Smartphone displaying a webpage titled 'Five in Five: Our Strategic Goals' with a smiling woman in academic regalia and colored sections listing five strategic goals.

Two postcards featuring diverse students walking with text saying 'Back to school' and 'Back to college' from Making Waves Foundation and Academy.

Open laptop on wooden desk displaying Tides website page titled 'Tides by The Numbers' with statistics and photos of diverse people.

The donors, funders, and partners you want are already giving. Just not to you. Yet.

You've spent decades deepening your programs, proving your impact, and earning your place in this sector, but the orgs attracting major funders, national partners, and sector recognition? They look the part. And right now, yours doesn't.

That gap is costing you rooms you're ready for. Donors you should have. Recognition you've earned.

We close that gap with annual reports that position you as a sector leader, earn trust with donors you haven't reached yet, and give your team assets that work all year.

No more presenting like a scrappy startup when you've been leading this work for decades.

start here

Wherever you are right now, there's a place to start

Annual Report Design

We handle the strategy and design.

Annual Report Design Intensive →

DIY Reports

Templates for teams building in-house.

DIY Templates + Planner →

Annual Report Review

A fresh set of expert eyes on your report.

Annual Report Deep Dive →

We’re Acton Circle, the go-to social impact design firm

Trusted by nonprofits improving education, health, and community well-being.

Since 2019 we've partnered with 60+ nonprofits and foundations—designing annual reports and storytelling tools that help supporters understand your work, feel compelled to support it, and keep coming back.

That’s BELIEF by Design™ in practice.

annual report design intensive

Your annual report shouldn't be a one-and-done document.

It should be the foundation everything else grows from.

We design digital-first reports—interactive, web-ready, and built to stay visible long after launch.

You walk away with:
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→ A report built on BELIEF by Design™
→ Assets designed for repurposing
→ A system your team can build on next year

explore the Annual Report Intensive

“A beautiful job bringing our foundation's report to life.”

Kris L., CEO, Chiron Community Giving Foundation

Open report showing pages discussing social determinants of mental health with a photo of urban buildings and text highlighting uninsured residents and rates of poor mental health.

annual report template kits

Building your report in-house?

Start with the same foundation our 1:1 clients use.

If you’re creating your report in-house, our DIY tools give you the foundation already built.

→ Annual Report Planner
→ The Belief-Building Annual Report Playbook
→ DIY Template Kits
→ Free Thank You Templates

Built from the same system we use with 1:1 clients.

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Annual Report deep dive

Not sure what's working in your current report?

Let's find out together.

The Annual Report Deep Dive gives you a fresh, expert perspective of your current report before you invest.

We identify what’s working, what’s weakening trust, and what deserves attention next. You leave with clear takeaways and a priority action list.

check out the Deep dive

free resource

Belief-Building Report Playbook

A practical guide to planning and designing an annual report that people actually understand and remember.

get the guide

THE ACTON CIRCLE DIFFERENCE

Why nonprofits choose us as their social change design agency

Because we only design for social change organizations.

We know nonprofit speak and design. We understand multiple stakeholders, high board expectations, and the weight of building public trust because we've been doing this work for over a decade.

Because you'll never wonder what's happening next.

Clear timelines, proactive communication, and built-in review points at every stage. You always know what's coming, why it matters, and how it connects to your goals.

Because we believe in depth over surface.

We're not here to make things look clean and professional. We're here to make supporters feel your mission. Every font choice, texture, and layout carries meaning because it really is that deep.

Because you should know exactly what you're paying before you say yes.

No hourly rates. No surprise invoices. Just fixed pricing built for nonprofit budgets with clear scopes and zero scope creep. You know exactly what you're investing and what you're getting. Period.

our clients

From the orgs we've partnered with

They were where you are. Here's what shifted.

WHO WE SERVE

As a social impact design studio, here’s who we work with best

If you’re expanding access, improving well-being, and strengthening communities... your story deserves to be seen, felt, and understood.

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view our work

about acton circle

Behind the design is a team that believes in your mission as much as you do.

Olivia founded Acton Circle because she couldn't stop thinking about all the nonprofits doing extraordinary work that the world was missing—powerful missions, real community impact, and materials that didn't come close to telling the story.

She built a team around the belief that that gap is unacceptable.
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That your supporters should feel your work before they read a single word. That design isn't decoration, it's the thing that makes people believe.

MEET YOUR DESIGN PARTNER

on the blog

Is your annual report the foundation your story can grow from?

We guide you through what to say, how to design it, and how to turn it into materials that support your work year-round.

Impact Report vs Annual Report for Non-Profits

Confused about impact reports vs annual reports? Learn how nonprofits should use each, when to separate them, and how to avoid overcrowded, forgettable reports.

What Is a Nonprofit Annual Report & What to Include

Learn what a nonprofit annual report is, what to include, and how to combine annual and impact reporting into one clear, trust-building story for donors.

How to Write an Annual Report Without Oversimplifying Your Work

Learn how to write an annual report that builds trust without oversimplifying complex community work. Context matters more than clean stories.

Design that builds belief. For the organizations doing the most important work.