Does your organization’s annual report matter to donors?

It might not be the most effective tool for reaching everyone, but it does matter to donors like Karen Ansara.

Ms. Ansara is a philanthropist who, with her husband, Jim, started the Ansara Family Fund, a donor-advised fund at the Boston Foundation, in 2005. The fund gives a total of $500,000 annually to organizations that work to fight global poverty.

In a recent live discussion with the Chronicle, Ms. Ansara said she considers annual reports to be a key measure of an organization’s strength.

“I look at the financials — the comparison of the quantities of income from various funding sources from year to year — and the list of funders to sense the stability of the organization,” she said. “I also read the program summaries.”

What are the other factors that drive Ms. Ansara’s philanthropy? Read the transcript of our recent live discussion with Ms. Ansara and fellow donor Anne Ellinger to learn more.