Introduction
Abide Women's Health Services is a maternal justice organization based in South Dallas, Texas. Their mission focuses on improving birth outcomes in underserved communities by providing accessible, holistic, and judgment-free healthcare and support services, primarily for BIPOC clients. To showcase their growth, sustainability, and impact to key stakeholders like funders and corporate partners, Abide required an Annual Report highlighting their accomplishments from the previous year.
Project Scope and Goals
The main objectives for the Annual Report were to demonstrate Abide's expanding reach, increasing demand for services, and successful initiatives in reducing maternal health disparities. The target audiences included current and potential funders, corporate partners, community supporters, and Abide's own team members.
Project Team and My Role
I coordinated a cross-functional team of over 20 staff members to collect and synthesize content for the report. As the project lead, my responsibilities included creating a detailed production outline, gathering all required content, facilitating reviews with the executive team, and executing the design and printing process. I innovated by developing a comprehensive client case study and securing a jointly-released partnership announcement with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas.
Design and Content Strategy
The creative direction aimed for a professional yet on-brand look and feel. Custom illustrations and professional photography humanized the report. To convey data efficiently, I incorporated visual elements like pie charts and graphs. A major undertaking was coordinating and writing the 54-page report amidst stringent timelines and other projects.
Final Deliverable
The final Annual Report was delivered as both a digital file for online hosting and a print-ready version. The 54-page report featured sections spotlighting Abide's services, impact statistics, client success stories, partner announcements, and organizational updates.
Reception and Impact
Abide's staff expressed joy in seeing their efforts celebrated, while the CEO and Board Chair praised the compelling showcase of the organization's growth. The report has been published online and printed copies are used for fundraising efforts.
Lessons Learned
Maintaining firmer internal deadlines and having individual meetings with all contributors would improve future report development. Establishing an overarching theme to connect content and design is also recommended.
Conclusion
This comprehensive Annual Report powerfully captured Abide's expanding influence in an engaging, multi-faceted way. The project highlights my strengths in project management, content development, multi-stakeholder coordination, and holistic storytelling through written and visual communication. I'm proud that this report will support Abide's mission of achieving maternal health equity.