Business and Administrative Communication 10th Edition by Kitty Locker,Donna Kienzler

Exercise 12

Creating Graphs for Two Audiences and Scenarios
"Assume that you work for a local nonprofit organization with the following income expense for 2011 (see Table 1).

As directors of the organization, you are responsible for bringing in more money and must present the past year's financial information to two groups of people, described in the following scenarios:
1. Within the community is a core group of consistent contributors who give the same amount each year, although the cost of running your organization continues to go up. You must convince these contributors to give additional funds during your presentation at the annual fund-raising banquet. You need to create graphic representations of financial data that will convince the contributors of the need for additional funds and that will reassure them the money they have given in the past has been spent wisely.
2. Your organization is eligible for a new grant from a federal government agency. You have to write a proposal explaining why your organization needs the money and demonstrating that it is fiscally responsible. There is a strict page limit, so you must present financial information concisely but in enough detail to make a strong case."
With a group of two or three peers, as your instructor directs,
a. Create a graphic representation of the financial data for the presentation and the proposal.
b. Write a memo that justifies the choices you made in creating the graphics for the different audiences and situations.
c. Prepare a brief presentation to the class that justifies your choices in creating the graphics.
Quoted from Susan M. Katz, "Creating Appropriate Graphics for Business Situations," Business Communication Quarterly, 71, 1, March 2008, pp: 71-75. Copyright © 2008 by sAGe Publications. Reproduced by permission of SAGE Publications via Copyright Clearance Center.