Six Strategies for Sharing Nonprofit Financial Data with Your Non-Finance Stakeholders

It doesn’t matter how engaging you are as a presenter. If your audience doesn’t care about—or understand—the financial story you are telling, you might as well be the teacher in a Charlie Brown comic.

But when you do financial storytelling right, you give your whole team backstage passes to the story behind every dollar. You give them the tools to make important decisions and see how their work connects to the larger organization.

Here are six tips to help you make your financial communications clear, compelling, and actionable, so your audience knows the next step—even if they are multi-tasking.

1. Know Your Audience First and Tailor Every Message

If you want your audience to care about your message, you need to customize financial information for them. Before you put any information on a slide, identify who needs the data: board members, funders, program staff, executive leaders, or community stakeholders.

For example, your board’s finance committee expects detailed variance analysis and cash flow projections, while program staff need high-level summaries connected to their specific initiatives. Adjust the depth, language, and context to match your audience’s expertise and decision-making needs.

With audience-specific context, each group receives actionable insights without being overwhelmed by irrelevant details. More “aha!” and less “waa-waa.”

2. Structure Every Story with the Context, Signal, and an Ask

Present every financial update with context, a clear signal, and a specific ask.

Begin by framing the situation—such as noting increased personnel costs due to strategic pay adjustments—so your audience understands the “why.” Then highlight the critical takeaway. For instance, “Personnel expenses are up 15% year-over-year as we continue to get salaries in line with industry averages.” Conclude with a clear action or decision request, like “Approve the revised budget allocation.”

Incorporate this three-part structure into board reports, staff meetings, and email updates to simplify your message and get more than blank stares at the end of your presentation.

3. Design Visuals That Speak for Themselves

A well-designed chart communicates more than a spreadsheet ever can. Use visuals to spotlight key numbers, ensuring every chart or graph is simple enough to interpret at a glance.

Prioritize one message per slide or graphic, employ color and labeling for clarity, and maintain consistent templates across reports. For example, use a bar chart to show program expense trends and add explanatory captions for context. Before sharing, check that your visuals are readable from a distance, like from the far end of your board room, and accessible if printed in black and white. Integrate standardized templates into your workflow to save time and promote consistency.

Make sure your multi-tasking co-workers still understand your main takeaway, even if they were only half-listening.

4. Clarify Assumptions and Invite Questions to Improve Transparency

You don’t want your team to think that financials are a black box and your income statements just poof into existence. Openly share any assumptions and sources for your information.

In each report, state where you are using estimates or where any data gaps may exist. For example, “Revenue projections assume the grant from the state Department of Education will be renewed.” Include glossaries for industry jargon and footnotes for non-obvious figures. Always provide full financials in an appendix so stakeholders can dig deeper if they choose. During presentations, welcome questions and create space for discussion, showing you value transparency and collective understanding.

5. Handle Objections and Address Gaps Proactively

You have that one board member who always asks about doing a golf tournament. Or the development officer who loves to present pledges as actual dollars in.

Anticipate and address questions about incomplete numbers and technical details. If you’re still waiting for a final grant reimbursement, explain the pending status and the assumptions used in interim figures. When possible, simplify technical concepts—such as stripping out depreciation from operational summaries—so the focus stays on actionable information. Offer recommendations and options when presenting alternatives, so your team feels confident asking questions and making nuanced decisions.

6. Empower Teams for Action—and Self-Service

Equip your team to use financial data for real-time decisions. After sharing financial updates, prompt managers to apply insights to their planning, such as adjusting spending based on projected cash flow. Build view-only dashboards in your accounting system so staff can access key numbers before and after meetings. This self-serve approach boosts confidence, encourages accountability, and transforms data into action across the organization.