National Trust goes online and interactive with annual report

Finance | Ian Allsop | 12 Aug 2008

The National Trust has made its latest annual report available as an interactive online version as part of its strategy for engaging supporters.

The online version is designed to make it easy and fun for supporters to find out about the inner workings of the charity. Available at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/annualreport, the report for the year ending 29 February 2008 includes an interactive timeline of key activity, as well as videos, animations and case studies that aim to provide a fresh take on the “often sober world of financial reporting”.

Speaking to Charity News Alert, Andrew McLaughlin, head of communications at the Trust, said he was not aware of any other charities that had done something similar, although one or two companies, including Sainsbury’s, have.

“We have looked at the report in terms of how we can highlight our achievements in meeting our strategic aims, and how we can inspire people to join in and get involved with the Trust,” McLaughlin said.

“We have brought these case studies to life with multimedia features that reflect the personal stories of the staff and volunteers that have made these achievements possible, and have also improved the way people navigate through the report using interactive animations."

“We’ve been able to give the case studies more life by using videos and photo galleries that help tell the story of the year. Importantly, users of the site also have the opportunity to let us know what they think about the things they had read, seen and heard in the report.”

Supporter engagement was placed at the heart of the new strategy launched by the National Trust in 2007. In her introduction to the report, Fiona Reynolds, director general, says she wants the spirit of engagement to "seep into every corner" of the charity’s work.

As part of its e-engagement strategy, the National Trust is investing more than £4.6m over the next two years.

Who's Who: Ian Allsop

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