writing a charity business plan

The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Nonprofit Business Plan

A business plan can be an invaluable tool for your nonprofit. Even a short business plan pushes you to do research, crystalize your purpose, and polish your messaging. This blog shares what it is and why you need it, ten steps to help you write one, and the dos and don’ts of creating a nonprofit business plan.

Nonprofit business plans are dead — or are they?

For many nonprofit organizations, business plans represent outdated and cumbersome documents that get created “just for the sake of it” or because donors demand it.

But these plans are vital to organizing your nonprofit and making your dreams a reality! Furthermore, without a nonprofit business plan, you’ll have a harder time obtaining loans and grants , attracting corporate donors, meeting qualified board members, and keeping your nonprofit on track.

Even excellent ideas can be totally useless if you cannot formulate, execute, and implement a strategic plan to make your idea work. In this article, we share exactly what your plan needs and provide a nonprofit business plan template to help you create one of your own.

What is a Nonprofit Business Plan?

A nonprofit business plan describes your nonprofit as it currently is and sets up a roadmap for the next three to five years. It also lays out your goals and plans for meeting your goals. Your nonprofit business plan is a living document that should be updated frequently to reflect your evolving goals and circumstances.

A business plan is the foundation of your organization — the who, what, when, where, and how you’re going to make a positive impact.

The best nonprofit business plans aren’t unnecessarily long. They include only as much information as necessary. They may be as short as seven pages long, one for each of the essential sections you will read about below and see in our template, or up to 30 pages long if your organization grows.

Why do we need a Nonprofit Business Plan?

Regardless of whether your nonprofit is small and barely making it or if your nonprofit has been successfully running for years, you need a nonprofit business plan. Why?

When you create a nonprofit business plan, you are effectively creating a blueprint for how your nonprofit will be run, who will be responsible for what, and how you plan to achieve your goals.

Your nonprofit organization also needs a business plan if you plan to secure support of any kind, be it monetary, in-kind , or even just support from volunteers. You need a business plan to convey your nonprofit’s purpose and goals.

It sometimes also happens that the board, or the administration under which a nonprofit operates, requires a nonprofit business plan.

To sum it all up, write a nonprofit business plan to:

• Layout your goals and establish milestones.
• Better understand your beneficiaries, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Assess the feasibility of your nonprofit and document your fundraising/financing model.
• Attract investment and prove that you’re serious about your nonprofit.
• Attract a board and volunteers.
• Position your nonprofit and get clear about your message.
• Force you to research and uncover new opportunities.
• Iron out all the kinks in your plan and hold yourself accountable.

Before starting your nonprofit business plan, it is important to consider the following:

• Who is your audience?  E.g. If you are interested in fundraising, donors will be your audience. If you are interested in partnerships, potential partners will be your audience.
• What do you want their response to be? Depending on your target audience, you should focus on the key message you want them to receive to get the response that you want.

10-Step Guide on Writing a Business Plan for Nonprofits

Note: Steps 1, 2, and 3 are in preparation for writing your nonprofit business plan.

Step 1: Data Collection

Before even getting started with the writing, collect financial, operating, and other relevant data. If your nonprofit is already in operation, this should at the very least include financial statements detailing operating expense reports and a spreadsheet that indicates funding sources.

If your nonprofit is new, compile materials related to any secured funding sources and operational funding projections, including anticipated costs.

Step 2: Heart of the Matter

You are a nonprofit after all! Your nonprofit business plan should start with an articulation of the core values and your mission statement . Outline your vision, your guiding philosophy, and any other principles that provide the purpose behind the work. This will help you to refine and communicate your nonprofit message clearly.

Your nonprofit mission statement can also help establish your milestones, the problems your organization seeks to solve, who your organization serves, and its future goals.

Check out these great mission statement examples for some inspiration. For help writing your statement, download our free Mission & Vision Statements Worksheet .

Step 3: Outline

Create an outline of your nonprofit business plan. Write out everything you want your plan to include (e.g. sections such as marketing, fundraising, human resources, and budgets).

An outline helps you focus your attention. It gives you a roadmap from the start, through the middle, and to the end. Outlining actually helps us write more quickly and more effectively.

An outline will help you understand what you need to tell your audience, whether it’s in the right order, and whether the right amount of emphasis is placed on each topic.

Pro tip: Use our Nonprofit Business Plan Outline to help with this step! More on that later.

Step 4: Products, Programs, and Services

In this section, provide more information on exactly what your nonprofit organization does.

• What products, programs, or services do you provide?
• How does your nonprofit benefit the community?
• What need does your nonprofit meet and what are your plans for meeting that need?

E.g. The American Red Cross carries out its mission to prevent and relieve suffering with five key services: disaster relief, supporting America’s military families, lifesaving blood, health and safety services, and international service.

Don’t skimp out on program details, including the functions and beneficiaries. This is generally what most readers will care most about.

However, don’t overload the reader with technical jargon. Try to present some clear examples. Include photographs, brochures, and other promotional materials.

Step 5: Marketing Plan

A marketing plan is essential for a nonprofit to reach its goals. If your nonprofit is already in operation, describe in detail all current marketing activities: any outreach activities, campaigns, and other initiatives. Be specific about outcomes, activities, and costs.

If your nonprofit is new, outline projections based on specific data you gathered about your market.

This will frequently be your most detailed section because it spells out precisely how you intend to carry out your business plan.

• Describe your market. This includes your target audience, competitors, beneficiaries, donors, and potential partners.
• Include any market analyses and tests you’ve done.
• Outline your plan for reaching your beneficiaries.
• Outline your marketing activities, highlighting specific outcomes.

Step 6: Operational Plan

An operational plan describes how your nonprofit plans to deliver activities. In the operational plan, it is important to explain how you plan to maintain your operations and how you will evaluate the impact of your programs.

The operational plan should give an overview of the day-to-day operations of your organization such as the people and organizations you work with (e.g. partners and suppliers), any legal requirements that your organization needs to meet (e.g. if you distribute food, you’ll need appropriate licenses and certifications), any insurance you have or will need, etc.

In the operational plan, also include a section on the people or your team. Describe the people who are crucial to your organization and any staff changes you plan as part of your business plan.

Pro tip: If you have an organizational chart, you can include it in the appendix to help illustrate how your organization operates. Learn more about the six types of nonprofit organizational charts and see them in action in this free e-book . 

Step 7: Impact Plan

For a nonprofit, an impact plan is as important as a financial plan. A nonprofit seeks to create social change and a social return on investment, not just a financial return on investment.

Your impact plan should be precise about how your nonprofit will achieve this step. It should include details on what change you’re seeking to make, how you’re going to make it, and how you’re going to measure it.

This section turns your purpose and motivation into concrete accomplishments your nonprofit wants to make and sets specific goals and objectives.

These define the real bottom line of your nonprofit, so they’re the key to unlocking support. Funders want to know for whom, in what way, and exactly how you’ll measure your impact.

Answer these in the impact plan section of your business plan:

• What goals are most meaningful to the people you serve or the cause you’re fighting for?
• How can you best achieve those goals through a series of specific objectives?

E.g. “Finding jobs for an additional 200 unemployed people in the coming year.”

Step 8: Financial Plan

This is one of the most important parts of your nonprofit business plan. Creating a financial plan will allow you to make sure that your nonprofit has its basic financial needs covered.

Every nonprofit needs a certain level of funding to stay operational, so it’s essential to make sure your organization will meet at least that threshold.

To craft your financial plan:

• Outline your nonprofit’s current and projected financial status.
• Include an income statement, balance sheet , cash flow statement, and financial projections.
• List any grants you’ve received, significant contributions, and in-kind support.
• Include your fundraising plan .
• Identify gaps in your funding, and how you will manage them.
• Plan for what will be done with a potential surplus.
• Include startup costs, if necessary.

If your nonprofit is already operational, use established accounting records to complete this section of the business plan.

Knowing the financial details of your organization is incredibly important in a world where the public demands transparency about where their donations are going.

Pro tip : Leverage startup accelerators dedicated to nonprofits that can help you with funding, sponsorship, networking, and much more.

Step 9: Executive Summary

Normally written last but placed first in your business plan, your nonprofit executive summary provides an introduction to your entire business plan. The first page should describe your non-profit’s mission and purpose, summarize your market analysis that proves an identifiable need, and explain how your non-profit will meet that need.

The Executive Summary is where you sell your nonprofit and its ideas. Here you need to describe your organization clearly and concisely.

Make sure to customize your executive summary depending on your audience (i.e. your executive summary page will look different if your main goal is to win a grant or hire a board member).

Step 10: Appendix

Include extra documents in the section that are pertinent to your nonprofit: organizational chart , current fiscal year budget, a list of the board of directors, your IRS status letter, balance sheets, and so forth.

The appendix contains helpful additional information that might not be suitable for the format of your business plan (i.e. it might unnecessarily make it less readable or more lengthy).

Do’s and Dont’s of Nonprofit Business Plans – Tips

• Write clearly, using simple and easy-to-understand language.
• Get to the point, support it with facts, and then move on.
• Include relevant graphs and program descriptions.
• Include an executive summary.
• Provide sufficient financial information.
• Customize your business plan to different audiences.
• Stay authentic and show enthusiasm.
• Make the business plan too long.
• Use too much technical jargon.
• Overload the plan with text.
• Rush the process of writing, but don’t drag it either.
• Gush about the cause without providing a clear understanding of how you will help the cause through your activities.
• Keep your formatting consistent.
• Use standard 1-inch margins.
• Use a reasonable font size for the body.
• For print, use a serif font like Times New Roman or Courier. For digital, use sans serifs like Verdana or Arial.
• Start a new page before each section.
• Don’t allow your plan to print and leave a single line on an otherwise blank page.
• Have several people read over the plan before it is printed to make sure it’s free of errors.

Nonprofit Business Plan Template

To help you get started we’ve created a nonprofit business plan outline. This business plan outline will work as a framework regardless of your nonprofit’s area of focus. With it, you’ll have a better idea of how to lay out your nonprofit business plan and what to include. We have also provided several questions and examples to help you create a detailed nonprofit business plan.

Download Your Free Outline

At Donorbox, we strive to make your nonprofit experience as productive as possible, whether through our donation software  or through our advice and guides on the  Nonprofit Blog . Find more free, downloadable resources in our Library .

Many nonprofits start with passion and enthusiasm but without a proper business plan. It’s a common misconception that just because an organization is labeled a “nonprofit,” it does not need to operate in any way like a business.

However, a nonprofit is a type of business, and many of the same rules that apply to a for-profit company also apply to a nonprofit organization.

As outlined above, your nonprofit business plan is a combination of your marketing plan , strategic plan, operational plan, impact plan, and financial plan. Remember, you don’t have to work from scratch. Be sure to use the nonprofit business plan outline we’ve provided to help create one of your own. 

It’s important to note that your nonprofit should not be set in stone—it can and should change and evolve. It’s a living organism. While your vision, values, and mission will likely remain the same, your nonprofit business plan may need to be revised from time to time. Keep your audience in mind and adjust your plan as needed.

Finally, don’t let your plan gather dust on a shelf! Print it out, put up posters on your office walls, and read from it during your team meetings. Use all the research, data, and ideas you’ve gathered and put them into action!

If you want more help with nonprofit management tips and fundraising resources, visit our Nonprofit Blog . We also have dedicated articles for starting a nonprofit in different states in the U.S., including Texas , Minnesota , Oregon , Arizona , Illinois , and more.

Learn about our all-in-one online fundraising tool, Donorbox, and its simple-to-use features on the website here .

Raviraj heads the sales and marketing team at Donorbox. His growth-hacking abilities have helped Donorbox boost fundraising efforts for thousands of nonprofit organizations.

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Business Planning for Nonprofits

Business planning is a way of systematically answering questions such as, “What problem(s) are we trying to solve?” or “What are we trying to achieve?” and also, “Who will get us there, by when, and how much money and other resources will it take?”

The business planning process takes into account the nonprofit’s mission and vision, the role of the board, and external environmental factors, such as the climate for fundraising.

Ideally, the business planning process also critically examines basic assumptions about the nonprofit’s operating environment. What if the sources of income that exist today change in the future? Is the nonprofit too reliant on one foundation for revenue? What happens if there’s an economic downturn?

A business plan can help the nonprofit and its board be prepared for future risks. What is the likelihood that the planned activities will continue as usual, and that revenue will continue at current levels – and what is Plan B if they don't?

Narrative of a business plan

You can think of a business plan as a narrative or story explaining how the nonprofit will operate given its activities, its sources of revenue, its expenses, and the inevitable changes in its internal and external environments over time. Ideally, your plan will tell the story in a way that will make sense to someone not intimately familiar with the nonprofit’s operations.

According to  Propel Nonprofits , business plans usually should have four components that identify revenue sources/mix; operations costs; program costs; and capital structure.

A business plan outlines the expected income sources to support the charitable nonprofit's activities. What types of revenue will the nonprofit rely on to keep its engine running – how much will be earned, how much from government grants or contracts, how much will be contributed? Within each of those broad categories, how much diversification exists, and should they be further diversified? Are there certain factors that need to be in place in order for today’s income streams to continue flowing?

The plan should address the everyday costs needed to operate the organization, as well as costs of specific programs and activities.

The plan may include details about the need for the organization's services (a needs assessment), the likelihood that certain funding will be available (a feasibility study), or changes to the organization's technology or staffing that will be needed in the future.

Another aspect of a business plan could be a "competitive analysis" describing what other entities may be providing similar services in the nonprofit's service and mission areas. What are their sources of revenue and staffing structures? How do their services and capacities differ from those of your nonprofit?

Finally, the business plan should name important assumptions, such as the organization's reserve policies. Do your nonprofit’s policies require it to have at least six months of operating cash on hand? Do you have different types of cash reserves that require different levels of board approval to release?

The idea is to identify the known, and take into consideration the unknown, realities of the nonprofit's operations, and propose how the nonprofit will continue to be financially healthy.  If the underlying assumptions or current conditions change, then having a plan can be useful to help identify adjustments that must be made to respond to changes in the nonprofit's operating environment.

Basic format of a business plan

The format may vary depending on the audience. A business plan prepared for a bank to support a loan application may be different than a business plan that board members use as the basis for budgeting. Here is a typical outline of the format for a business plan:

• Table of contents
• Executive summary - Name the problem the nonprofit is trying to solve: its mission, and how it accomplishes its mission.
• People: overview of the nonprofit’s board, staffing, and volunteer structure and who makes what happen
• Market opportunities/competitive analysis
• Programs and services: overview of implementation
• Contingencies: what could change?
• Financial health: what is the current status, and what are the sources of revenue to operate programs and advance the mission over time?
• Assumptions and proposed changes: What needs to be in place for this nonprofit to continue on sound financial footing?

More About Business Planning

Budgeting for Nonprofits

Strategic Planning

Contact your state association of nonprofits  for support and resources related to business planning, strategic planning, and other fundamentals of nonprofit leadership. 

Additional Resources

• Components of transforming nonprofit business models  (Propel Nonprofits)
• The matrix map: a powerful tool for nonprofit sustainability  (Nonprofit Quarterly)
• The Nonprofit Business Plan: A Leader's Guide to Creating a Successful Business Model  (David La Piana, Heather Gowdy, Lester Olmstead-Rose, and Brent Copen, Turner Publishing)
• Nonprofit Earned Income: Critical Business Model Considerations for Nonprofits (Nonprofit Financial Commons)
• Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability  (Jan Masaoka, Steve Zimmerman, and Jeanne Bell)

Disclaimer: Information on this website is provided for informational purposes only and is neither intended to be nor should be construed as legal, accounting, tax, investment, or financial advice. Please consult a professional (attorney, accountant, tax advisor) for the latest and most accurate information. The National Council of Nonprofits makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy or timeliness of the information contained herein.

CHARITY BUSINESS PLAN: The Ultimate Guide To Writing A Non-Profit Business Plan

• by Kenechukwu Muoghalu
• August 14, 2023
• No comments
• 7 minute read

Table of Contents Hide

What is a charity business plan , why do i need a charity business plan, #1. executive summary, #2. present your opportunity, #3. target audience, #4. strategic plan objective, #5. your products and services, #6. operational plan, #7. marketing plan, #8. financial plan, #9. management team and board, #10. appendix, charity business plan template checklist, how many pages should my charity business plan be, how do i start a non-profit with no money, do not let your charity business plan miss out, charity business plan faqs, can i make money owning a charity business, how do charity owners make money, how do i start a small charity.

A lot of charity organizations do not like the idea of having a business plan. This is because they think that creating a business plan for their charity organization is a waste of time. But wait! What makes you think so? Isn’t a charity organization a form of business? Be it a profit or nonprofit, it makes no difference. Learn to accept that it is still in the business genre. This is why we have created an example of what a UK template checklist looks like, just to guide you while writing your charity business plan.

There are lots of benefits to having a business plan for your charity organization. This article will furtherly cover those grounds. Shall we! 

A charity business plan isn’t just a document of many pages. When you define it like that, it is said to reduce its actual value. A charitable business plan details the products and services your nonprofit organization provides. A charity business plan also contains the people on your team, the community you work for, your financials, goals, and how to attain those goals. Now, this right here can count as a definition. 

Don’t make the mistake of starting that excellent idea of yours without having a charity business plan on standby. Even those dreams and ideas can turn useless if you cannot formulate, execute, and implement a plan that can help you achieve them. 

Creating a nonprofit business plan doesn’t have to be long and bulky. Even a short business plan can serve its purpose more than a long one. All it needs to contain is the necessary information about your organization and you are good to go.

Heaven yes! You do need a charity business plan. Having a charity business plan will save you tons of pitfalls. A charity business plan can help you create forecasts for revenue and also help you plan how to utilize any money that comes in. You would have a clear guide on all the activities your organization goes through. You can even measure your growth and denote where changes are needed for more growth. 

When you talk about good business planning, you talk about setting goals , carrying your team along, tracking performance, and improving. Every business needs these essentials to grow, no matter the nature of the business. Even if you are not interested in whatever profits the organization will yield due to your large heart, you still need to run a healthy organization. Whichever angle you come from, you can’t run from it. 

Read Also: How To Register A Business: Detailed Guide To Business Registration In The Uk

For example, when you run a charity business, you need to always report and plan with the board of directors. Most of the time, the financial status of the organization is mostly what is being discussed. This is where your charity business plan comes in. It can help you compare your actual results to your financial forecasts. It can guide the amount of spending you do while keeping your financial position in check. 

Moreover, keeping a charity business plan can also help attract sponsors, donors, or even lenders who want to understand how your organization works and help you achieve your goals. 

The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Non-profit Business Plan

To create a charitable business plan, you will need to either follow some examples, which can also be accessed in a PDF, or follow these outlines. These outlines should be in check while creating a business plan for your charity organization. Nothing should be left out. This ultimate guide includes:

This is the general overview of the whole business plan. It is usually the first section to read and the last to write. While in this section, avoid jargon and write as though an external eye is going to access it. It should be easily accessible and easy to read. Go ahead to briefly state the overview of your mission. Include the services you provide and how you fundraise. 

A great way to do this is by using a positioning statement . In this section, describe the problems people face and how your organization can solve them. It can be giving tutors to kids or providing food to a large number of people. Explain how your organization is different from other, and state what you do to help the community and saves lives. 

If you have a specific target audience that your organization caters to, then specify it in this section. State who benefits from the services you render. You should also note that it is possible not to have a particular target market. This means that your product is utilized by all. 

In your strategic plan objective , mention those plans and visions you want to observe next in your organization. With those improvements and a project plan, you are ready to take. For example, you feed 300 people per year, but then you are planning on making it 500 this particular year. It can even be about your organization. You can choose to grow from a regional nonprofit to a national nonprofit organization. Talk about those long-term goals in this section and work towards getting them done. 

Just like the name implies, you will need to define the products and services you offer. Talk about how you will raise money and serve your community. Detail every item and avoid keeping it general. In this section, you will need to include even the smallest detail that you think no one would notice. 

How will your charity organization operate? What are the legal structures, organizational structures, location, and inventory? What about the management team? How would they operate? You will need to answer these questions in this section. 

When writing your charity business plan, our marketing strategy is an important factor because you will need to promote your organization. You will need to make it known, and let people know the services you offer and what your charity organization is all about. While at this, you can indirectly attract sponsors or donors that love what you do and will help in any way. 

This section will have information on your financial details. You will include all your current funding, expenses, liabilities, revenue, and assets. Add statistics and make it more professional. Add graphs to make it more comprehensive. This section is also the most crucial to loaners and donors. Add expected expenses as well, salaries, utility bills, website hosting, insurance, subscriptions, and anyone expenses that the organization will be running.

List the individuals that will be present in your organization. Clearly, they have different duties and responsibilities. Both your day-to-day team and your board members should not be left out. Feature those capable workers that always put the organization first before any other thing. Indicate their qualifications and degree, and don’t forget to also mention how good you are too. 

In this section, you will be free to include anything extra that you wish to. Any special feature that you think shouldn’t be exempted from your charity business plan? It can be the bios of your board members and any other details you feel are relevant for the section. When you follow all these, there shouldn’t be a reason why you will not have a successful charity organization. 

To help you get started with your UK charity organization, we have created a business plan example template. This charity business plan template can also be utilized in other locations apart from the UK. So we urge you to explore. Don’t fret. Let’s take a look at our charity business plan example template. They include: 

• Define your goals and milestones.
• Understand your team and other stakeholders.
• Assess your financing model.
• Identify your risks and manage them. 
• Attract investment and volunteers.
• Research and discover new opportunities.
• Kink your plan.

You can have from seven to thirty pages in your business plan. It must not be made too long before it can serve its purpose in your organization. Just keep it clear and concise for anyone to scale through without difficulty. But why bother when we have an already composed charity business plan that is highly convertible. All you need to do is to get a copy here and start your journey to success. 

The best action to take is to approach potential investors or donors for help. While doing this, you will need to explain the nature of your organization and whatever idea you have for its growth. Even with no cash at hand, you can still make this work. 

Meanwhile ,

Our main priority is to boost your charity organization and to give you an opportunity that is rare to find. 

Have you tried creating a plan and it seems tough? Do you have questions that you don’t have an answer to even after multiple trials? Stop trying! 

Your plea has been heard and that is why we will be giving you a uniquely designed charity business plan. A plan that multiple charity organizations have tested and confirmed its productivity. You won’t have to stress more because it is simplified and easy for anyone to access. Take your charity organization to another level now!

Nonprofit organizations have proven to be created out of passion and enthusiasm. But passion without a proper business plan will render your zeal powerless. Imagine being patriotic, going to war without a weapon. How would you win? Just because it is labeled “nonprofit” doesn’t mean that you should operate it like any other business out there. Make a difference with your charity business plan. 

A non-profit organization doesn’t earn a taxable profit. But that does not mean that the people that run it can’t receive a taxable salary. The founder can ensure that its workers earn a living, while still running a charity organization.

Charity businesses can earn money through regular activities like using volunteers, hosting fundraising events, sponsoring occasions, selling products, or even running adverts that can bring in donations.

Starting a charity business can be hectic but there are some steps to follow to make it a better experience. Start by defining your mission, picking a name, registering the business, opening a website, raising some cash and staying lean. Don’t forget to also own a Charity Business plan, which you can create using a UK template.

Starting a charity business can be hectic but there are some steps to follow to make it a better experience. Start by defining your mission, picking a name, registering the business, opening a website, raising some cash and staying lean. Don't forget to also own a Charity Business plan, which you can create using a UK template.

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Kenechukwu Muoghalu

Kenny, an accomplished business writer with a decade of experience, excels in translating intricate industry insights into engaging articles. Her passion revolves around distilling the latest trends, offering actionable advice, and nurturing a comprehensive understanding of the business landscape. With a proven track record of delivering insightful content, Kenny is dedicated to empowering her readers with the knowledge needed to thrive in the dynamic and ever-evolving world of business.

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Ten giving ideas more creative than cash, how to create a nonprofit business plan.

The most important thing to remember is that your nonprofit needs to be unique so it stands out from other nonprofits. Secondly, you want to convey the value that those who engage with your organization or donate money will receive. This can be making them feel charitable but also more productive and engaged. Think about the value/emotion you are hoping to evoke and convey it through your business plan.

The following sections should be included in your nonprofit business plan:

Executive Summary

Organization overview.

• Products, Programs, and Services

Industry Analysis

Customer analysis, marketing plan, operations plan, management team, financial plan.

Let’s break each of these down.

Start your nonprofit business plan by clearly stating your organization’s mission and describing how it plans on reaching its goals. Include a concise description of what makes your organization stand out among competitors (e.g., “We are the only non-profit animal welfare organization in XYZ county” or “Our college student volunteers provide assistance at less than half the cost as our competitors”).  Succinctly communicate why people should care about your organization so they will choose to support you. Include other pertinent information about your organization such as the bios of key staff members and the amount of funding you are looking to raise.

The purpose of the executive summary is to convey key information about your organization so readers can decide whether they are interested and willing to read the rest of your plan. Keep the executive summary to one to two pages in length. Create it after completing the other sections so you can simply summarize them. But make sure you do so in an exciting and compelling manner, so readers want to read and learn more about your organization.

This section should include a description of your organization’s overall structure, beginning with who founded it and how it is currently governed. Other important information to provide includes your the nonprofit is located, how many paid/unpaid staff members there are, what facilities are available for use by customers or employees, and what kind of support services are provided (e.g., IT, HR). Lastly, explain any accomplishments your organization has achieved to-date, as the best indicator of future success is past performance.

Products/Services/Programs

In this section, write about your nonprofit’s services or programs in detail. Document the programs you offer and how they function. Provide details, sketches, etc. to clearly communicate the offerings and value your organization provides. If applicable, consider including audience testimonials that express satisfaction with your nonprofit’s offerings.

For industry analysis, address some questions and provide information that supports your answers. Consider this: how big is the industry? For example, if you provide education to high school students, discuss the market size for public and private high school education.

Also answer the following questions:

• What trends are facing the industry (positive or negative)?
• What are some of the industry challenges facing organizations?
• How can your organization help people overcome those problems?

This section should begin with a definition of who the organization considers to be its primary target market (e.g., high school students, working moms, etc.). Based on this group’s needs and wants, prioritize which benefits/offerings from your services or programs are most important to them. This section should also include facts about your supporters’ key needs and pains or other information that might be helpful for your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts.

The marketing plan should discuss how the individuals you serve are likely to find out about your organization’s services and programs along with what promotional activities will be used to reach new audiences .  Outline why each activity is beneficial for growing your nonprofit and which demographic it best targets. For strategies that have already been used, provide specific figures on results achieved.

Below are sample promotional activities that many nonprofit organizations use:

Public relations

Developing relationships with the media and utilizing earned media coverage helps with free public exposure. This in turn gets the word out about an organization’s mission. For example, you can create press releases related to new staff additions or upcoming events and share them with your media contacts. 

Social media marketing  

Social media sites allow organizations to stay connected with supporters and advocates at any time of day. There are different social media platforms that work for different organizations. For example, Twitter is a great way to have quick conversations with people about an issue. Facebook is a good place for sharing more in-depth content and articles on a particular subject area. LinkedIn is a platform where you can build your network of contacts and share information about your organization or topic area.

Blogs and Other Content  

Producing great content for blogs or other channels can be an extremely effective way to bring people back to your site or area of social media where they are more likely to donate. A blog can allow you to have conversations with supporters and advocates, answer questions, give more information about your organization or cause, and talk about the issues in your community. In addition, the use of photos, videos, infographics, etc., is a great way to get information across in a compelling manner.

E-newsletters  

Sending out an e-newsletter is a great way to engage your supporters. You can include links back to your website, send updates about your organization, share compelling videos or photos from recent events, etc. Just make sure your audience has opted in to hear from you and be sure you don’t spam their inboxes with constant updates every day. 

Event marketing  

Organizing special events around a particular subject area is a good way to inform the public about an issue or about your organization. Some examples of events are panel discussions about a subject, fundraising dinners, etc. Webinars have grown in popularity with nonprofits in recent years as well. With so many options for virtual, hybrid or in-person gatherings, you’ll be sure to find a way to boost your nonprofit’s audience and growth.

Newspaper/Magazine ads  

Just because digital marketing has grown doesn’t mean that traditional media isn’t viable. Unfortunately, this can be one component of advertising that nonprofits often neglect due to lack of funds. Adding an ad to the back of a newspaper with some basic information about what you do, how people can get involved, and what you are looking for in terms of volunteers, donors, etc., is still a great way to spread the word.

PPC advertising  

Don’t forget about pay-per-click advertising on search engines like Google. This makes it possible to drive traffic to your website based on specific keywords your target audience searches or pages they visit online. You can write compelling ads that allow you to get the word out about what your organization does. 

This section should describe in detail how your nonprofit runs or plans to run its business day-to-day. Outline internal systems that will be used to track and monitor each product, service, or program offered by the organization (e.g., accounting software). Describe what kind of training employees may need to perform their duties effectively. Also include information about whether future hiring plans are scheduled. If so, mention whether all positions will need to be filled immediately or if some can be temporarily contracted out until permanent staff is hired. Finally, create a chart showing the milestones your organization hopes to achieve annually over the next five years.

Provide a list of important management team members within your organization. Make sure to include each person’s title, how long they have been working there, and what responsibilities are part of their role. For each person, include any previous experience they have as well as personal traits that would help them succeed in it. If there are no existing employees with enough business expertise to serve certain roles, list the qualifications the ideal candidate would possess instead.

In this section of your business plan, provide a detailed breakdown of how much funding you are seeking broken down by category (e.g., marketing, staffing, etc.).  Provide information about how much revenue is expected from donors and customers compared to funds needed to cover operating costs such as salaries, advertising, and rent. If the organization already has an existing revenue stream, explain how new funding will be used to fund new operations.

The appendix is a good place for any additional information that you would like readers of your nonprofit business plan to have. This includes additional industry research and information on your products, services, or programs. It might also include testimonials from satisfied customers or profiles of board members. Or, it might include architectural designs of a new facility you hope to build.

In summary, a nonprofit business plan is a document that outlines your nonprofit organization’s goals and objectives. A well-written, comprehensive plan can help you attract funding from potential donors or investors. It will also provide clarity to stakeholders by giving them an understanding of your vision for the organization’s future growth.

*This spotlighted blog post is courtesy of Growthink

The post How to Create a Nonprofit Business Plan appeared first on Nonprofit Hub .

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How To Write a Business Plan for Charity & Nonprofit Marketplace in 9 Steps: Checklist

By alex ryzhkov, resources on charity & nonprofit marketplace.

• Financial Model
• Business Plan
• Value Proposition
• One-Page Business Plan
• SWOT Analysis
• Business Model
• Marketing Plan
• Bundle Business Plan & Fin Model

Welcome to our blog post on how to write a business plan for the charity and nonprofit marketplace! With the growing demand for socially impactful initiatives, it's crucial for organizations in this industry to have a solid plan in place. Did you know that the volunteer-based model is the most common and sought-after business model for nonprofits in the US? According to recent statistics, volunteerism in the US has been steadily increasing, with around 77.4 million Americans volunteering their time in 2020 alone (source: Bureau of Labor Statistics) . In this article, we will guide you through the essential steps to create a comprehensive business plan that will set your organization up for success.

The first step in writing a business plan for the charity and nonprofit marketplace is to identify the mission and vision of your organization. This will serve as the foundation for all your activities and guide your decision-making process. Next, conducting thorough market research and analyzing the current landscape will help you understand the existing challenges, opportunities, and trends in the industry.

Defining your target audience and beneficiaries is crucial to ensure that your organization is effectively addressing the needs of the community. Identifying potential partners and collaborators can also greatly enhance your reach and impact. Additionally, determining the legal structure of your organization and obtaining necessary registrations will ensure compliance and credibility.

A clear financial plan and budget are essential for any nonprofit. It is crucial to identify potential funding sources, create a realistic budget, and develop strategies for sustainability. Establishing key performance indicators and metrics for success will help you measure your progress and make informed decisions.

Creating a marketing and communication strategy is essential to raise awareness about your organization's mission and attract support. Finally, developing a strategic plan to guide your organization's activities is crucial for achieving long-term goals and making a significant impact in your community.

By following these nine steps, you can ensure that your business plan for the charity and nonprofit marketplace is comprehensive, strategic, and well-prepared. Stay tuned for our in-depth articles on each step, where we will provide valuable insights and practical tips to help you succeed in this rewarding industry.

Identify The Mission And Vision Of The Charity & Nonprofit Marketplace

At the core of every successful charity and nonprofit marketplace is a clear and compelling mission and vision statement. These statements serve as the foundation for the organization's purpose and guide its activities and decision-making processes. By identifying and articulating the mission and vision, the charity or nonprofit marketplace can establish a sense of direction and communicate its goals to stakeholders.

The mission statement should succinctly describe the purpose of the organization and the impact it aims to make in the community or cause it serves. It should answer the question of why the organization exists and what specific problem it seeks to address. The mission statement should be concise, memorable, and clearly convey the organization's values and principles.

• Ensure the mission statement aligns with the organization's goals and activities.
• Include specific and measurable language to define the desired impact.
• Consider involving key stakeholders, such as volunteers and beneficiaries, in the development process to ensure inclusivity and diversity of perspectives.

The vision statement, on the other hand, presents a future-oriented picture of what the organization aspires to achieve in the long term. It serves as a guiding light and inspires stakeholders to work towards a common goal. A well-crafted vision statement creates a sense of motivation and purpose, helping the charity or nonprofit marketplace to stay focused on its ultimate objective.

• Frame the vision statement in a way that captures the imagination and inspires action.
• Ensure the vision is realistic and achievable, yet ambitious enough to drive progress.
• Regularly review and revise the mission and vision statements to ensure they remain relevant to the organization's evolving needs and goals.
• Identify the mission and vision of the charity and nonprofit marketplace to establish a clear purpose and direction.
• To develop a compelling mission statement, succinctly describe the purpose, impact, values, and principles of the organization.
• Create a future-oriented vision statement that inspires stakeholders and aligns with the organization's long-term goals.

Conduct Market Research And Analyze The Current Landscape

Market research is a crucial step in developing a successful business plan for the charity and nonprofit marketplace. By conducting thorough research and analyzing the current landscape, you can gain valuable insights that will inform your strategy and help you stand out in a crowded market.

When conducting market research, consider the following:

• Identify the existing nonprofits: Take note of the nonprofits operating in your chosen cause area. Analyze their missions, programs, and impact to understand what sets them apart and how you can differentiate your organization.
• Assess the community needs: Understand the specific needs and challenges within your target community. This will help you tailor your programs and services to address those needs effectively.
• Analyze the competitive landscape: Identify the key players in your field, including both nonprofits and other organizations with similar missions. Evaluate their strengths, weaknesses, and strategies to identify opportunities for collaboration or areas where you can offer a unique value proposition.
• Study donor behaviors: Understand the motivations and preferences of potential donors. This will inform your fundraising efforts and enable you to develop targeted strategies to attract and retain donors.

Tips for conducting market research:

• Utilize online resources such as nonprofit directories, industry reports, and social media platforms to gather information about existing nonprofits and their impact.
• Engage with local community members and stakeholders to gain firsthand knowledge of the specific needs and challenges in your target area.
• Survey potential donors and volunteers to understand their motivations, expectations, and preferences.
• Stay updated on industry trends, news, and emerging practices to stay ahead of the curve in your market.

By conducting comprehensive market research and analyzing the current landscape, you will gain valuable insights that will shape your business plan. This step sets the foundation for a strategic approach, allowing you to identify your unique positioning and develop strategies that resonate with your target audience.

Define The Target Audience And Beneficiaries

Defining the target audience and beneficiaries of your charity or nonprofit organization is a critical step in creating a successful business plan. Identifying who your organization aims to serve will guide your decisions, strategies, and resource allocation. It ensures that your efforts are focused on addressing the specific needs of your intended beneficiaries, increasing the impact and effectiveness of your programs.

When defining your target audience, consider the demographics, psychographics, and characteristics that make up the group of individuals or communities you aim to reach. This may include factors such as age, gender, location, income level, education, interests, and values. The more specific and targeted your audience definition, the better you can tailor your programs and services to meet their unique needs.

Additionally, consider the beneficiaries of your organization's activities. These are the individuals or groups who directly benefit from the services and support provided by your nonprofit. Clearly identifying and understanding the needs and challenges faced by these beneficiaries is crucial in developing impactful programs and initiatives. For example, if your charity focuses on providing food assistance, your beneficiaries may include low-income families, homeless individuals, or elderly populations with limited access to nutritious meals.

A thorough understanding of your target audience and beneficiaries will enable you to create tailored and effective solutions that truly make a positive difference in their lives. It will also help you in crafting compelling messaging and designing targeted outreach efforts to reach and engage the right people.

Tips for Defining Your Target Audience and Beneficiaries:

• Conduct surveys, interviews, and focus groups to gather insights directly from your target audience and beneficiaries.
• Utilize existing data and research on similar demographics to develop a clearer understanding of their needs and preferences.
• Consider collaborating with other organizations or experts who have experience working with similar target audiences for valuable insights.
• Regularly review and update your audience definition as your organization evolves and new information becomes available.

Identify Potential Partners And Collaborators

Identifying potential partners and collaborators is a crucial step in building a successful charity or nonprofit organization. These partnerships can provide valuable resources, expertise, and support that will contribute to the overall mission and impact of your organization. Here are some important considerations when identifying potential partners and collaborators:

• Shared Values: Look for partners and collaborators who share similar values and a passion for the cause you are supporting. Finding individuals or organizations that align with your mission will create a stronger foundation and increase the likelihood of a successful partnership.
• Complementary Expertise: Identify partners and collaborators who bring unique skills and expertise to the table. Look for individuals or organizations that can fill gaps in your organization's capabilities and help you achieve your goals more efficiently.
• Established Networks: Consider partnering with organizations or individuals who have established networks within the nonprofit or charitable sector. These networks can give your organization access to new audiences, potential donors, and additional resources.
• Strategic Alliances: Explore opportunities for strategic alliances with other nonprofit organizations or businesses that have similar goals. By collaborating with like-minded organizations, you can amplify your efforts and create a bigger impact together.
• Research and network within the nonprofit and charitable sector to identify potential partners and collaborators.
• Attend industry conferences, workshops, and networking events to meet like-minded individuals and organizations.
• Utilize online platforms and social media to connect with potential partners and collaborators.
• Develop a clear value proposition and articulate the benefits of partnership to attract potential partners.

Remember, effective partnerships and collaborations can help your organization broaden its reach, enhance its capabilities, and ultimately achieve its mission more effectively. Take the time to identify the right partners, nurture those relationships, and work together to create a positive and lasting impact on the communities you serve.

Determine The Legal Structure And Obtain Necessary Registrations

Determining the legal structure of your charity or nonprofit organization is a critical step in ensuring its stability and compliance with relevant laws and regulations. It is important to carefully consider the options available and choose the structure that best aligns with your organization's goals and activities.

Here are some important considerations when determining the legal structure:

• Research the types of legal structures: Familiarize yourself with the various legal structures available for nonprofit organizations, such as 501(c)(3) status, which offers tax-exempt status and allows donors to receive tax deductions for their contributions.
• Consult with legal professionals: Seek guidance from an attorney or legal consultant who specializes in nonprofit law. They can provide valuable insights and help you navigate the complexities of legal requirements.
• Consider governance issues: Assess the governance structure and decide on options such as having a board of directors, trustees, or executive committees. Define the roles and responsibilities of each governing body to ensure efficient decision-making and accountability.
• Register with the appropriate authorities: Once you have determined the legal structure, you will need to register your organization with the relevant authorities, such as the state's Secretary of State office, to obtain the necessary legal status and recognition.

Helpful Tips:

• Research local, state, and federal laws pertaining to nonprofit organizations in your area to ensure compliance.
• Consider consulting with an accountant to understand any financial reporting requirements specific to your legal structure.
• Ensure you have a comprehensive understanding of the legal obligations and responsibilities that come with your chosen legal structure to protect the integrity of your organization.

By taking the time to determine the legal structure and obtain the necessary registrations, you are setting your charity or nonprofit organization on a solid foundation for success, ensuring compliance, and gaining credibility in the eyes of donors, partners, and the community you serve.

Develop A Clear Financial Plan And Budget

A clear financial plan is crucial for the success of any charity or nonprofit organization. It helps in ensuring financial stability, managing resources effectively, and achieving the organization's goals and objectives. Here are the steps to develop a clear financial plan and budget:

• Assess the organization's current financial situation: Start by reviewing your organization's current financial status. Evaluate your assets, liabilities, and existing sources of income. This will provide a foundation for building your financial plan.
• Set financial goals: Clearly define your financial goals and objectives. Determine the amount of funding required to sustain and expand your organization's operations. This will help you understand the scale of financial support you need to seek.
• Identify potential sources of income: Explore different funding options such as grants, donations, sponsorships, fundraising events, and government support. Consider diversifying your revenue streams to reduce dependency on a single source.
• Create a detailed budget: This is the core of your financial plan. Develop a comprehensive budget that outlines the expected income and expenses for each project or program. Include both fixed and variable costs to provide a realistic estimate of your organization's financial requirements.
• Allocate resources wisely: Once you have a budget in place, allocate resources in a way that aligns with your organization's priorities. Ensure that necessary funds are allocated to critical programs and operational expenses.
• Implement financial controls: Establish financial controls and policies that govern spending, expense reimbursement, and financial reporting. This will ensure transparency, accuracy, and accountability in managing the organization's finances.
• Monitor and review: Regularly monitor your financial performance against the budget and make necessary adjustments. Conduct periodic reviews to assess the effectiveness of your financial plan and identify areas for improvement.
• Consider seeking professional guidance from an accountant or financial advisor to develop a robust financial plan.
• Regularly communicate your financial goals, progress, and achievements with donors and stakeholders to build trust and transparency.
• Stay up-to-date with relevant tax regulations and reporting requirements to ensure compliance.
• Build contingencies into your financial plan to mitigate unforeseen expenses or funding gaps.
• Align your financial plan with your organization's mission and strategic objectives to maximize impact.

Establish Key Performance Indicators And Metrics For Success

When it comes to running a successful charity or nonprofit organization, establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics for success is crucial. These measurements will help you track your progress, evaluate your impact, and make informed decisions to ensure your organization is effectively meeting its goals. Here are some important steps to consider when establishing KPIs and metrics for success:

• Align KPIs with the mission and vision: Start by identifying the key objectives and goals of your organization. Your KPIs should align directly with these objectives, ensuring that you measure what matters most to the success and impact of your organization.
• Choose relevant metrics: Select specific metrics that will provide meaningful data related to your organization's activities and outcomes. Whether it's the number of beneficiaries served, funds raised, or volunteer retention rates, choose metrics that accurately reflect the progress and impact of your organization.
• Set measurable targets: Establish clear benchmarks or targets for each KPI. These targets should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) to provide a clear framework for evaluating your organization's performance. Regularly assess your progress towards these targets to identify areas of improvement.
• Regularly track and analyze data: Implement systems and processes that allow you to collect and analyze data related to your chosen metrics. This may involve using tracking tools, surveys, or other data collection methods. Regularly review this data to assess your progress, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions.
• Communicate and report: Establish a regular reporting process to keep your board, staff, and stakeholders informed about the organization's progress towards its KPIs. Prepare clear and concise reports that highlight both successes and challenges, and use this information to inform strategic discussions and actions.
• Focus on quality over quantity when choosing your KPIs. It's better to track a few meaningful metrics effectively than to track numerous metrics that provide little actionable insight.
• Regularly revisit and evaluate your KPIs to ensure they remain relevant to your organization's evolving mission and goals. Adjust them if necessary to reflect changing priorities or strategies.
• Engage your staff, volunteers, and beneficiaries in the KPI-setting process. Their input can help you identify additional metrics that capture the nuances of your organization's impact.

Create A Marketing And Communication Strategy

Marketing and communication are essential for the success and growth of any charity or nonprofit organization. A well-planned strategy helps in raising awareness, attracting donors and volunteers, and building a positive reputation in the community. Here are some important steps to create an effective marketing and communication strategy:

• Identify Your Target Audience: Determine who your organization wants to reach with its message. Understand their demographics, interests, and motivations to tailor your communication efforts.
• Define Your Unique Selling Proposition: Identify what sets your organization apart from others in the nonprofit marketplace. Highlight the key benefits and impact of your work to attract supporters.
• Establish Clear Communication Goals: Set specific objectives for your marketing and communication efforts. Whether it's increasing donations, volunteer recruitment, or community engagement, having clear goals ensures focused messaging.
• Create Compelling Content: Develop engaging and inspiring content that aligns with your mission and resonates with your target audience. This can include blog posts, social media updates, videos, and impactful stories.
• Utilize Multiple Communication Channels: Determine the most effective channels to reach your target audience. This could include social media platforms, email newsletters, website, press releases, events, and partnerships.
• Build Relationships: Cultivate strong relationships with your donors, volunteers, and beneficiaries. Regularly communicate with them, express gratitude, and keep them updated on the impact of their support.
• Measure and Analyze Results: Track the effectiveness of your marketing and communication efforts. Monitor metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, email open rates, and donation patterns to refine your strategy.

Tips for Creating an Effective Marketing and Communication Strategy:

• Develop a consistent brand identity that reflects your organization's values and resonates with your target audience.
• Use storytelling techniques to convey the impact of your work and evoke emotions in your audience.
• Engage with your supporters by responding to their comments, messages, and inquiries promptly and thoughtfully.
• Collaborate with influencers, media outlets, and other organizations to amplify your message and reach a wider audience.
• Regularly review and update your marketing and communication strategy to adapt to changing trends and audience preferences.

By creating a well-thought-out marketing and communication strategy, your charity or nonprofit organization can effectively convey its mission, attract supporters, and make a significant impact in the charity and nonprofit marketplace.

Develop a Strategic Plan to Guide the Organization's Activities

Developing a strategic plan is crucial for any charity or nonprofit organization as it provides a roadmap for achieving its mission and objectives. A well-defined strategic plan helps to streamline and guide the organization's activities, ensuring that every action taken aligns with the overall vision and goals.

To create an effective strategic plan, consider the following steps:

• 1. Define your organization's goals: Start by identifying the specific objectives you want to achieve. These goals should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) to provide clarity and a clear direction for your organization.
• 2. Conduct a SWOT analysis: Perform a thorough evaluation of your organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis). This analysis will help identify areas where your organization excels, where improvements are needed, and potential external factors that may impact your success.
• 3. Set strategies and tactics: Based on your SWOT analysis, develop strategies and tactics that will enable your organization to reach its goals. These strategies should be actionable and tie directly to the identified opportunities and strengths of your organization.
• Involve key stakeholders and team members in the strategic planning process to gain diverse perspectives and inputs.
• Consider both short-term and long-term strategies to ensure the sustainability and growth of your organization.
• 4. Allocate resources: Determine the necessary resources, such as funding, staff, and volunteers, required to implement your strategies. This includes developing a budget that aligns with your financial plan.
• 5. Establish timelines and milestones: Create a timeline that outlines key milestones and deadlines for each strategy. This ensures accountability and allows for regular progress monitoring and adjustments if necessary.
• 6. Monitor and evaluate: Implement a monitoring and evaluation process to track the progress of your strategic plan. Regularly review your KPIs and metrics, analyze the data, and make any necessary adjustments to keep your organization on track towards achieving its goals.

A well-developed strategic plan serves as a valuable reference document that helps guide decision-making, resource allocation, and communication within an organization. It provides a framework for measuring success, adapting to changes in the nonprofit marketplace, and ensuring that your organization remains focused on its mission and vision.

Writing a business plan for a charity and nonprofit marketplace is crucial for setting clear goals and strategies to achieve them. By following the nine steps outlined in this checklist, organizations can ensure they have a solid foundation to effectively serve their mission and make a positive impact in their communities.

The first step is identifying the mission and vision of the organization, which provides a clear direction for all activities and decision-making. Conducting thorough market research and analyzing the current landscape helps identify existing gaps and opportunities to address within the marketplace.

Defining the target audience and beneficiaries ensures that the organization's efforts are focused on serving the right people and maximizing their impact. Identifying potential partners and collaborators helps create valuable partnerships that can enhance the organization's capabilities and reach.

Ensuring the organization has the appropriate legal structure and necessary registrations is important to operate within the legal framework and maintain transparency. Developing a clear financial plan and budget helps allocate resources effectively and ensure sustainable operations.

Establishing key performance indicators and metrics for success allows organizations to measure their impact and track progress towards their goals. Creating a marketing and communication strategy helps raise awareness about the organization's work and attract support.

Finally, developing a strategic plan guides the organization's activities and helps prioritize initiatives that align with the overall mission and vision.

By following these steps, organizations can build a strong foundation for long-term success, allowing them to make a real difference in their communities and the world.

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Charity Business Plan Template

What is a Charity Business Plan?

A charity business plan outlines the goals, projects, and initiatives of a non-profit organization or social enterprise. It serves as a roadmap for the organization's activities, and helps to ensure that the organization is working towards achieving its objectives in an effective and efficient manner. The charity business plan template provides a structure for outlining the organization's mission and goals, as well as the strategies, projects, and KPIs that can be used to achieve them.

What's included in this Charity Business Plan template?

• 3 focus areas
• 6 objectives

Each focus area has its own objectives, projects, and KPIs to ensure that the strategy is comprehensive and effective.

Who is the Charity Business Plan template for?

The charity business plan template is designed for non-profit organizations and social enterprises that want to develop a business plan that outlines their mission, goals, and strategies. The template provides an organized and systematic way to create a business plan that takes into consideration the organization's resources, goals, and objectives. It is designed to help organizations create an effective and efficient business plan that can be used to track their progress and ensure that they are on the right path towards achieving their mission.

1. Define clear examples of your focus areas

Focus areas are the broad topics that the organization is focusing on. Examples of focus areas may include increasing outreach, improving efficiency, or increasing impact. Each focus area should have several objectives and projects that are related to that focus area.

2. Think about the objectives that could fall under that focus area

Objectives are the goals that the organization wants to achieve within a particular focus area. These objectives should be specific, measurable, and achievable. Examples of objectives may include reaching new donors, engaging existing donors, or automating data entry.

3. Set measurable targets (KPIs) to tackle the objective

KPIs, or key performance indicators, are measurable targets that are used to track progress towards an organization's objectives. Examples of KPIs may include increasing website visits, increasing email response rate, or decreasing time to process donations.

4. Implement related projects to achieve the KPIs

Projects are the actions that are taken to achieve the organization's objectives and KPIs. Examples of projects may include creating a digital marketing campaign, implementing email strategies, or automating data entry.

5. Utilize Cascade Strategy Execution Platform to see faster results from your strategy

Cascade Strategy Execution Platform provides a comprehensive suite of tools and resources to help organizations develop and implement a successful business plan. It offers features such as goal setting, project tracking, real-time reporting, and automated notifications, which can help organizations see faster results from their strategy.

Business Plan Template for Charity Organizations

• Great for beginners
• Ready-to-use, fully customizable Subcategory
• Get started in seconds

Charity organizations play a crucial role in making the world a better place. But to truly make an impact, they need a solid roadmap. That's where ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Charity Organizations comes in.

This template is specifically designed to help charity leaders and managers:

• Clearly define their organization's mission, goals, and strategies
• Secure funding and establish key partnerships by presenting a comprehensive plan
• Guide their day-to-day operations towards maximizing social impact

Whether you're a non-profit veteran or just starting out, this template will provide the structure and guidance you need to create a powerful business plan that sets your charity up for success. So let's get started and make a difference together!

Business Plan Template for Charity Organizations Benefits

A business plan template for charity organizations offers a range of benefits to help leaders and managers effectively navigate the complex world of fundraising and social impact. Some of the key benefits include:

• Streamlining the planning process by providing a structured framework to outline the organization's mission, vision, and goals
• Enhancing credibility and professionalism when presenting the organization to potential donors, partners, and stakeholders
• Guiding strategic decision-making by identifying key priorities, target demographics, and sustainable funding models
• Facilitating effective communication and alignment among team members, board members, and volunteers
• Increasing the likelihood of securing funding and partnerships by demonstrating a clear roadmap and measurable outcomes.

Main Elements of Charity Organizations Business Plan Template

ClickUp’s Business Plan Template for Charity Organizations is designed to help charity organization leaders and managers create a comprehensive and impactful business plan. Here are the main elements of this template:

• Custom Statuses: Keep track of the progress of each section of your business plan with statuses like Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do.
• Custom Fields: Add important information to your business plan such as Reference, Approved, and Section, making it easy to organize and reference key details.
• Custom Views: Explore different perspectives of your business plan, including Topics, Status, Timeline, Business Plan, and Getting Started Guide, to easily navigate and focus on specific areas of your plan.

With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Charity Organizations, you can streamline the process of creating a comprehensive and effective business plan to guide your organization's success in maximizing social impact.

How To Use Business Plan Template for Charity Organizations

If you're a charity organization looking to create a business plan, follow these six steps to make the most of the Business Plan Template in ClickUp:

1. Define your mission and vision

Start by clearly defining the mission and vision of your charity organization. What is the purpose of your organization? What impact do you hope to make in the world? This will serve as the foundation for your business plan and guide all of your future decisions.

Use a Doc in ClickUp to articulate your mission and vision statements.

2. Identify your target audience and beneficiaries

Next, identify the specific audience or beneficiaries that your charity organization aims to serve. Who are the individuals or communities that will benefit from your work? Understanding your target audience will help you tailor your programs and services to meet their needs.

Create tasks in ClickUp to list and categorize your target audience and beneficiaries.

3. Outline your programs and services

Now it's time to outline the specific programs and services that your charity organization will offer. What initiatives will you undertake to fulfill your mission? This could include fundraising events, community outreach programs, educational workshops, or any other activities that align with your goals.

Use custom fields in ClickUp to define and track your programs and services.

4. Develop a fundraising and financial strategy

Every charity organization needs a solid fundraising and financial strategy to support its operations. Determine the different fundraising methods you'll use, such as grants, donations, sponsorships, or partnerships. Additionally, create a budget and financial plan that outlines your expected income and expenses.

Utilize the Goals feature in ClickUp to set financial targets and track your progress.

5. Establish a marketing and communication plan

To raise awareness about your charity organization and attract supporters, you'll need a well-defined marketing and communication plan. Consider the various channels and strategies you'll use to reach your target audience, such as social media, email campaigns, press releases, or partnerships with influencers or media outlets.

Use the Calendar view in ClickUp to schedule and manage your marketing and communication activities.

6. Set goals, milestones, and measures of success

Finally, set specific goals, milestones, and measures of success for your charity organization. What do you hope to achieve in the short term and long term? Break down your goals into actionable steps and establish deadlines to keep yourself accountable.

Create Milestones in ClickUp to track your progress and celebrate your achievements.

By following these steps and utilizing the Business Plan Template in ClickUp, your charity organization will be well-equipped to create a comprehensive and effective business plan.

Get Started with ClickUp’s Business Plan Template for Charity Organizations

Charity organization leaders and managers can use the Business Plan Template for Charity Organizations in ClickUp to create a comprehensive plan that aligns with their mission and goals, and helps them secure funding and partnerships.

First, hit “Add Template” to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you designate which Space or location in your Workspace you’d like this template applied.

Next, invite relevant members or guests to your Workspace to start collaborating.

Now you can take advantage of the full potential of this template to create a powerful business plan:

• Use the Topics View to organize your plan into different sections, such as mission, goals, strategies, and financials
• The Status View will help you track the progress of each section, with statuses like Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do
• The Timeline View will give you a visual representation of your plan's milestones and deadlines
• The Business Plan View will provide a comprehensive overview of your plan, allowing you to easily navigate and make updates
• The Getting Started Guide View will provide step-by-step instructions on how to use the template and create an effective business plan
• Utilize custom fields like Reference, Approved, and Section to add additional information and track key details
• Collaborate with team members to gather input, make revisions, and ensure everyone is aligned with the plan's objectives
• Monitor and analyze your plan's progress and performance to make informed decisions and drive social impact.
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How to write a business plan

Guide published: 6 may 2020  minute read.

The resource provides information, support and templates to help you produce a Business plan for your charity or community group.

A business plan is important to help manage your organisation by stating your objectives and how and when you aim to achieve them. Your business plan be useful as a point of reference for staff, trustees, potential investors and other stakeholders in your organisation.

This resource covers all of the main areas your need to consider when producing a business plan. These range from writing your mission statement to defining and describing your services, making financial projections to carrying out risk analyses.

This guide is for all community groups but has a focus on cooperatives.

What will I learn?

• What a business plan is and why you need one
• Writing a mission statement
• Describing your products and services
• Explaining your social impact
• Knowing your market
• Writing a marketing plan
• Identifying the key people involved in your organisation
• Your organisational structure
• Making financial projections
• Carrying out a risk analysis

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Partnership

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How to Write a Business Plan for a Charity

By Lisa McQuerrey

• How to Make a Business Plan for a Sole Proprietorship

Writing a business plan for a charity is similar to writing a business plan for a for-profit organization. Key elements include identifying competition, developing a marketing strategy and forecasting income. The main difference is that while a for-profit business relies on sales projections to form the basis of a comprehensive business plan, a charity must evaluate its current and future funding sources, which typically come from donors, fundraisers and grants.

Collect financial and operating data, if available. If the charity is already in operation, this material should include profit and loss statements, detailed operating expense reports and a spreadsheet that indicates income sources, amounts and time lines for funding. If the charity has not yet been launched, compile materials related to any secured funding sources and operational funding projections, including anticipated startup, overhead and operating costs. Read More: How to List a Charity as Your Beneficiary

Write a one-page executive summary that outlines the intended goals for the charity in one-, three- and five-year increments. The summary should provide an overview of program and fundraising goals. If the charity has an advisory board or board of directors responsible for guiding the organization, their input should be considered as the executive summary is written.

Describe current and planned marketing activities. This may include community outreach initiatives, public awareness campaigns or specific use of contributions to be used for marketing. Include in-kind marketing provided by donors and charity supporters. The description should include anticipated costs for marketing and anticipated outcomes. For example, “$1,000 will be invested each month in local newspaper advertising with an anticipated return of recruiting between 10-20 new program participants."

Describe your competition and how their activities have the potential to impact your operating plans. For example, if your charity is an after-school program for at-risk youth and a new community center opens in your neighborhood, you will need to evaluate how the new center has the potential of impacting your charity goals and adjust your calculations appropriately.

Detail your current and anticipated operating procedures, including details about staffing. This should include creating an organizational chart that includes details about positions, responsibilities and salaries. Include time donated by charity volunteers.

Develop a budget. Include startup costs, if necessary, the cost for supplies, equipment, securing a facility, if applicable, and monthly operating costs. If the charity is already operational, use established accounting records to complete this section of the business plan.

Evaluate revenue streams. Use information gathered as part of steps one and six as reference if necessary. For a charity organization, this is a vital component of business plan development. Established charities can use income statements from previous years of operation as a benchmark for developing a cash flowchart, including multi-year grants and endowments. New charities should use pledged gifts and anticipated revenue from fundraising and grant writing activities.

Assess your compiled business plan materials to look for areas that don’t support one another and adjust accordingly. For example, if you have less anticipated revenue than necessary to meet operating expenses, adjust either your operating budget or your fundraising budget to bring your plan into line.

Business plans should be reviewed every few months to ensure the charity is on track.

• University of Wisconsin Extension: Ten Keys to Successful Strategic Planning for Nonprofit and Foundation Leaders; Richard A. Mittenthal
• Inc: How to Write a Great Business Plan

Lisa McQuerrey has been a business writer since 1987. In 1994, she launched a full-service marketing and communications firm. McQuerrey's work has garnered awards from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the International Association of Business Communicators and the Associated Press. She is also the author of several nonfiction trade publications, and, in 2012, had her first young-adult novel published by Glass Page Books.

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Charity Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Charity Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their charity companies. We have the experience, resources, and knowledge to help you create a great business plan.

In this article, you will learn some background information on why business planning is important. Then, you will learn how to write a charity business plan step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a Charity Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your charity business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategies for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Charity

If you’re looking to start a charity business or grow your existing charity company, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your charity business to improve your chances of success. Your charity business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Charity Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a charity business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans, and major donors . When it comes to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan (hand it to them in person or email to them as a PDF file) and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to ensure that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Donations and bank loans are the most common funding paths for charity companies.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

How to write a business plan for a charity business.

If you want to start a charity business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. The guide and sample below details the necessary information for how to write each essential component of your charity business plan.

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your executive summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the kind of charity business you are running and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a charity business that you would like to grow, or are you operating more than one charity business?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. 

• Give a brief overv iew of the charity business industry. 
• Discuss the type of charity business you are operating. 
• Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. 
• Provide a snapshot of your marketing strategy. Identify the key members of your team. 
• Offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Overview

In your company overview, you will detail the type of charity business you are operating.

For example, you m ight specialize in one of the following types of charity businesses:

• Public charity business: A charity business that is defined by the Internal Revenue Service as a “public service support,” is one that benefits the public at large. This may include chambers of commerce, labor unions, and certain types of insurance companies. If a charity business fits within the specifications set by the IRS, the charity is considered a 501c3 entity, and receives preferential tax treatment.
• Private charity business: By far, the majority of charities fall within the category of “private charities,” which can be identified as serving a specific group of people. This may include philanthropic foundations, churches or synagogues, and other clubs or associations that serve via a privately-funded means. If a private charity business fits within the specifications set by the IRS, the charity is considered a 501c3 entity and receives preferential tax treatment.

In addition to explaining the type of charity business you will operate, the company overview needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of people served, the number of charitable outcomes, reaching X number of geographic locations, etc.
• Your legal business structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry or market analysis, you need to provide an overview of the charity business industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the charity business industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating. 

Secondly, market research can improve your marketing strategy, particularly if your analysis identifies market trends.

The third reason is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your charity business business plan:

• How big is the charity business industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential target market for your charity business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Donor Analysis

The donor analysis section of your charity business plan must detail the individuals or business entities who donate or those you expect to donate to your charitable business. 

The following are examples of donor segments: individuals, families, foundations and corporations.

As you can imagine, the donor segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of charity business you operate. Clearly, individuals would respond to different marketing promotions than corporations, for example.

Try to break out your target donors in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, including a discussion of the ages, genders, locations, and income levels of the potential donors you seek.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target donors . The more you can recognize and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your donors . Ideally you can speak with a sample of your target donors before writing your plan to better understand their needs.

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With Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template you can finish your plan in just 8 hours or less!

Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are othe r charity businesses. 

Indirect competitors are other options that donors may contribute to that aren’t directly competing with your product or service. This includes service-related charitable endeavors, private foundations, and organizations that serve specific communities, etc. You need to mention direct competition, as well.

For each direct competitor, provide an overview of their business and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as

• What types of donors do they solicit ?
• What type of charity business are they?
• What is their donation model (cash, assets, estate-wealth)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the donors’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ donors what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide recognition for all your donors?
• Will you offer premium products or services for your top-tier donors?
• Will you provide consistent communication with your donors?
• Will you offer directorships or preferential placement for your donors?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a charity business plan, your marketing strategy should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type o f charity company that you documented in your company overview. Then, detail the specific products or services you will be offering. For example, will you provide food for the homeless population? Will you improve the neighborhood park? Will you invest in artwork on behalf of your charity to support the art world? 

Value : Document the specific value your charity provides and how that compares to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of yo ur plan, yo u are presenting the products and/or services you offer and their respective values.

Place : Place refers to the site of your charity company. Document where your company is situated and mention how the site will impact your success. For example, is your charity business located in an affluent neighborhood, a warehouse, a standalone office, or is it purely online? Discuss how your site might be the ideal location for the donors who contribute and the services you provide.

Promotions : The final part of your charity business marketing plan is where you will document how you will drive potential donors and charitable recipients to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertise in local papers, radio stations and/or magazines
• Reach out to websites 
• Distribute flyers
• Engage in email marketing
• Advertise on social media platforms
• Improve the SEO (search engine optimization) on your website for targeted keywords

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your charity business, including answering calls, planning and providing fund-raising events or campaigns, correspondence with donors and charitable recipients, and maintaining records of acts of service.  

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to serve your Xth charity recipient, or when you hope to reach $X in donations. It could also be when you expect to expand your charity business to a new city.

Management Team

To demonstrate your charity business’ potential to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company. 

Ideally, you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing charity businesses. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act as mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing a charity business or top-tier donors who are regularly involved in your charity business. 

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your donation and gift income statement, balance s heet, and cash flow statements.

Income Statement

An income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. In a charity business, profits can be made through sales; however, the majority of income is received from donor gifts and activity. Your income statement will show several avenues of income as a result. It will demonstrate your receipts and then subtract your costs to show the IRS the activity of your 501c3 organization. 

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you hold 5 donor events each year, and/or offer acts of service weekly ? And will your charity business grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets

Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your charity business, this will not give you an immediate return on the investment. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you maintain your charity business for years to come. Likewise, if a lender writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement

Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and ensure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can generate gifts or assets , but run out of money and go bankrupt. 

When creating your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a charity business business:

• Cost of equipment and office supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Other start-up expenses (if you’re a new business) like legal expenses, permits, computer software, and equipment

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your list of top-tier donors, or examples of how your charity has changed lives or communities for the better. 

Writing a business plan for your charity business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will understand the charity business industry, your competition, and your donors. You will develop a marketing strategy and will understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful charity business.

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Charity business plan?

OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.   Click here to see how a Growthink business plan consultant can create your business plan for you.  

Charity Business Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my charity business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily write your charity business plan.

How Do You Start a Charity Business?

Starting a charity business is easy with these 14 steps:

• Choose the Name for Your Charity Business
• Create Your Charity Business Plan
• Choose the Legal Structure for Your Charity Business
• Secure Startup Funding for Your Charity Business (If Needed)
• Secure a Location for Your Business
• Register Your Charity Business with the IRS
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get a Business Credit Card
• Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
• Get Business Insurance for Your Charity Business
• Buy or Lease the Right Charity Business Equipment
• Develop Your Charity Business Marketing Materials
• Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Charity Business
• Open for Business

Where Can I Download a Free Business Plan Template PDF?

Click here to download the pdf version of our basic business plan template.

Our free business plan template pdf allows you to see the key sections to complete in your plan and the key questions that each must answer. The business plan pdf will definitely get you started in the right direction.

We do offer a premium version of our business plan template. Click here to learn more about it. The premium version includes numerous features allowing you to quickly and easily create a professional business plan. Its most touted feature is its financial projections template which allows you to simply enter your estimated sales and growth rates, and it automatically calculates your complete five-year financial projections including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. Here’s the link to our Ultimate Business Plan Template.

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.  

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

Writing a business plan for your charity

Running a charity is a rewarding experience, but it's also something that requires a great deal of foresight and planning when it comes to ensuring that it functions successfully. Charities need a good business plan to ensure they meet their aims. For existing charities, a business plan is an opportunity to look forward in a structured way.

As soon as a charity launches, it's important to have a business plan in place. This is because an interested party may ask to see the plan, and if somebody makes a sizeable donation, the funds can be used to fulfil specific aims.

Writing a business plan will be beneficial for your charity in many ways and it means you will be able to use it to refer to and help you in the future. You should revisit the plan each month so you can make sure your charity is on track and you have met your goals.

Why a business plan

It's important for you to consider the reasons why you're writing a business plan, and you need to know who is going to use it and who will be in charge of implementing your ideas. Charities use business plans to help with their strategy, and they are also used to improve management.

It's common for charities to create business plans they can use internally to manage their work in a more sustainable way. It's also worth pointing out that charities will often share their business plan with potential donors. Whether you're looking to improve your management, secure funding or are looking at your long term goals, a business plan is a vital document.

As a charity, it's unlikely you'll be writing a business plan to apply for loans, but it's a good way for you to get your key staff to understand your vision and goals as well as what your plans are for the charity. A business plan enables you to focus on what is important and how you will finance this in a sustainable way.

A business plan is a personal document and even after you've written it, you can adapt it so that it reflects your current circumstances. Business plans are considered as fluid documents that can always be amended.

Assessing your charity’s role

Existing or potential charities should undertake an analysis of their current or intended role - they ought to research what the specific focus of their work should be. As part of this process, they should often find out if the intended (or current) market is in need (still) of a charity like the one they're hoping to launch (or continue with).

Established charities would undoubtedly benefit from this process and it may allow you to consider if your charity is achieving your aims in the best possible way. It's important to consider what impact your current plans and activities have had.

When undertaking a role assessment, it's important to research other charities in the area which are targeting the specific market you are targeting. Doing this allows you to make sure the service you will offer is effective and you aren't doing something that is similar to other organisations.

When it comes to planning a new charity, it's important for you to get as much information as you can before launching so that you are confident what you're proposing will be a success. Businesses undertake market research during their plan and it's advised that charities do the same.

When writing a business plan for your charity, it's important for you to remember that your activities will evolve and the document is just the beginning. It needs to be used in your ongoing development.

What you should include

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. An executive summary is the first section of your plan that people will read, and it acts as an overview of what is included in the plan itself. It should give a snapshot of your vision.

When writing an executive summary you need to think about the bigger picture and summarise key information by making it clear who you are, what you want to achieve and how you're planning on meeting your targets. Many people may only read this section of your business plan so you need to make sure that you include the most important information.

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHARITY. This information should expand on some of the details given in the executive summary. It should include information about who you are and what you do. You should discuss what your vision is, where the idea for your charity came from, what shape it is in, the legal standing of your charity and what products and services you offer.

As part of your business plan you need to discuss some of the finer details of your charity. Think about how important your charity is. If the service you're providing helps to save lives, shapes the local community or has a global impact, you need to explain how your charity is doing these things.

Offer plenty of details when covering this section because you can write about what you’re currently doing as part of your work but also what you'd like to achieve in the future. It allows you to discuss what worked well in the past, and what your current successes are.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR MARKET. Being able to show that you understand the market is important and you need to make sure that you include information about any stakeholders involved, as well as customers and donors.

It's also important for you to analyse the market by undertaking relevant research. Market research is a part of the planning phase so it's important for you to outline what you've done so far that has informed your decision-making process.

In this section you should also include what your marketing strategy is and what your plans are going forward. Marketing is an important part of any charity as it allows you to reach your intended audience, and by implementing a strategy, you have a greater chance of success.

Undertaking a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis is also a good idea, as it will give you an understanding of where your charity sits in the current market. It allows you to show that you have considered your position, and there are opportunities for your charity to grow.

Adopting an operational perspective

PLANNING FOR DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS. Your business plan should outline how your charity functions. Consider including information about what resources you need to ensure your charity runs smoothly, as well as people and other organisations you may work with.

As with any charity, it's important for you to have dedicated premises that you use for your day-to-day operations and the necessary equipment to undertake the CORE function of your charity. As part of this section, you should also address any legal obligations you may have.

YOUR CHARITY’S KEY PEOPLE. Provide information about the key people for your charity and address any changes as part of your plan. You may wish to include biographies for management personnel, trustees and details of any planned changes to your staffing structure. You may outline any skills gap you have at present and what plans you have in place to address this.

YOUR CHARITY’S SOCIAL IMPACT. Your business plan should show what social impact you think your charity will have in the future. Social impact refers to the way you make a difference to the people and communities that your charity will serve. This section needs to be clear and you should describe what impact your charity is currently having on these communities.

You should include information about what social change you want to make in the future, how you're going to measure this and how you'll use the things that you learn to develop further.

SUMMARISE YOUR FINANCES. You need to include a summary of your finances, which should outline your costs and expenditure, what your main source of income is and any pricing strategy you use for products and services. You should also use this section to include forecasts as they play an important role in a business plan.

Risks you face

Consider what risks you have when it comes to the various aspects of your charity. You may include any relevant external, regulatory, financial and operational risks.

You should take time to explain what the likelihood of each risk is and how you plan to manage each risk, ensuring that you give details of how these risks may impact your charity.

Ultimately, a business plan is an important document for your charity because it allows you to make sure that your plans are clearly set out and that you have a strategy in place to achieve your goals. For both potential and existing charities, a business plan is a document for the future.

END OF ARTICLE

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How to Write a Charity Business Plan

Nonprofit organizations working on a worthy cause may need a business plan to show the donors or Government funders what it does and how it helps the cause.

The basic elements of the business plans for charity will be the same as if you write a business plan for any profitable organization.

These elements start with Executive Summary, Description of Charity its objectives and key activities, Market analysis, Competitors who run a similar charity, operational plan, and financial forecasts.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY GIVES A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF CHARITY, ITS OBJECTIVES AND DETAILS OF FOUNDER, MARKET IT OPERATES, HOW IT WILL RAISE FUNDS AND AWARENESS AND FINANCIAL SUMMARY.

Then it gets into details.

Below is a sample of a charity involved in Homelessness in Ireland.

Homelessness Charity is a start-up not for profit social service agency providing shelter or temporary accommodation for the people in need. The organization was founded by Mr. Joe who has both the practical experience and the education to lead the organization.

For thousands of people in Ireland, including people from working households, homelessness is a frightening reality.

People become homeless for a wide range of complex reasons. That involves pressures from their personal circumstances such as relationship breakdown combined with structural factors such as high housing costs, poverty, and welfare policies. Their experience of homelessness can take many forms, including rough sleeping, living in a hostel, living in temporary accommodation, or ‘sofa-surfing’ with friends and family.

Many people who have experienced homelessness want to work and see working as the best way out of homelessness. However, many face significant barriers to work. Unstable housing makes it difficult to hold down a job, but more subtle barriers remain for people even once they have stable accommodation.

Homelessness Ireland provides shelter which will be an excellent opportunity for homeless individuals to think about their lives, get back up, and once again start living independently.

County Councils, churches, as well as NGOs are the sole owners of many of the facilities around Ireland.

The primary role of Homelessness Ireland is to provide temporary shelter or housing for families as well as individuals who currently are not in a position to lease their inherent apartments. Concisely, they bestow armament to the singletons from the harsh outdoor conditions, especially during wintery wet and cold months.

Keys to Success

• Build a strong, active Board of Trustees.
• Ensure that the offered services satisfy market needs.
• Design and implement strict financial controls and accountability.
• Secure sufficient funding, both start up and operational.
• Create a women’s-only transitional housing facility that provides housing and a variety of empowering skills.
• Develop a strong Board of Trustees that can offer guidance, help with fundraising efforts, and oversee the smooth operation of the organization.

MISCONCEPTIONS

• Rough sleeping is the only form of homelessness
• Homelessness affects a specific type of person
• Homelessness is a result of poor life choices
• Homelessness is inevitable and a social problem that can’t be solved.
• Homelessness can take many forms, including rough sleeping, living in a hostel, living in temporary accommodation or ‘sofa-surfing’ with friends and family.
• Some groups are at greater risk of homelessness than others. Income, race, sexual orientation, age and time spent in state sponsored institutions, including prisons and the care system, all factor into a person’s risk status. People experiencing social disadvantages are less likely to have the resources – financial, social, health-related – to obtain and maintain stable housing.
• Homelessness is caused by structural issues, such as a lack of affordable housing, wage stagnation and cuts to social welfare programmes which can push people into a variety of insecure housing situations – and personal factors such as relationship breakdown, job loss, bereavement or health problems.

Fund raising skills and close connections with Donors in the community

Commitments of Trustees /Founders

Knowledge in particular area of shelter homes.

Only organization in the area that provides these types of services, no direct competition

• Community trust in the initial stages of operations
• Cash flow problems/Low reserves
• Lack of volunteers
• Lack of experience
• Positive relations with funders
• Diversification of services
• Strong links with government bodies
• Expertise in welfare reform
• More established NGOs working already in society
• Change in government regulations
• Acceptance of the cause in society

Competitors Analysis

Competition among charities for donor income has increased in recent years. Charities compete against each other for cause-related marketing contracts with commercial enterprises and sponsorship deals and must bid competitively for government grants. There is competition for support from foundations, corporations, and individual donors, with many organizations, compete for grants. Investing in fundraising capacity and talent is seen as a strategic response to the struggle for donations, and for salaries for proven development professionals to continue to rise. Still, competition for funding is driven by an odd combination of performance, reputation, and personal relationships.

The competitive market for Homelessness Ireland is divided as per below,

Competitive advantage

Homelessness Ireland will have below advantage which will help to grow and serve the community,

• Ability to raise funds
• Rapid service delivery
• People friendly
• Quick response time to crises
• Strong publicity campaign
• Loyal donors

Target Market

All the people in the surrounding of Mayo will be part of Homelessness Ireland’s service program with a special focus on the homeless.

Total Market Valuation

The Charity sector in Ireland has an annual turnover of over €14.5bn, employs over 190,000 staff, benefits from the voluntary work of over 50,000 volunteer board members/directors and the work of over half a million “operational” volunteers, (valued by the  Central Statistics Office  at around €2bn per year). Indecon Economic Consultants estimate (in a  report  published by the Charities Regulator in 2018) that the total direct, indirect, and induced value of the impact of the work of Ireland’s charities exceed 24bn Euro.

As per the charity regulator report, 2,165 charities reported annual income of over €250,000 in 2019, 875 of the categories had income in excess of €1million. This is up from 855 in 2018.

52% of charities on the Register had an income of more than €100,000, 32% had an income of between €10,000 and €100,000, and 16% had an income of less than €10,000.

72% of charities on the Register had fewer than 20 volunteers. 43% of charities had no employees.  42% reported having between 1-19 employees, 8% had between 20-49, 5% had 50-249 while 2% had between 250-499 (Source: charitiesinstituteireland.ie).

Market Growth

Nonprofit organizations directly employ 189,000 people and are supported by 300,000 volunteers.

A report by Indecon International Economic Consultants, commissioned by the Charities Regulator, shows that registered Irish charities have a direct, indirect and induced expenditure of €24.98 billion and support 289,000 employees which shows charities are already an established sector in Ireland.

Based on the number of volunteers and the donations collected, it is clear that the future of charities is very bright in Ireland and these are supposed to serve better in future

Market Trends

Below are the fund-raising trends which are common in the charities sector,

• Donor spend big but less often
• Value and trust
• Digital technology is the new growth engine
• Slight fall in public donations

Marketing and Sales

Homelessness Ireland marketing and communication section will consist of below,

• Number of views on the website page
• Material downloaded from the website
• Social media activity
• Media placement and press coverage
• Newsletter distribution and subscription

Social Media Ads on Facebook and Instagram

Social media will be our hub for connecting with donors in order to develop a personalized relationships and to keep them involved in the events. Here again, the power of word of mouth will be utilized and people will be convinced via the testimonials our trust will receive from the satisfied beneficiaries.

Social media has been the enabler and has motivated many trends to hold a place in the market. Social media has been driving our lives according to the needs of the market as what we see affects a lot of our needs.

Trust has a dedicated website that is hosting all the information about our services and donors will be able to donate from the same platform.

Print Media

Trust will advertise its services in the social and community section of local magazines and newspapers. Also, the trust will distribute its own customized broachers with details of services mentioned over them.

a) Market Positioning

Homelessness Ireland will position itself as the leading charity trust in the surroundings of Mayo.

Homelessness Ireland will distinguish itself from other charities in the following ways,

• Strong purpose and vision
• Loyal and recurring donors
• The increased donor growth rate
• Ability to raise funds quickly

Income sources

Homelessness Ireland will run its activities by the donations given by the donors. Below will be the source of funding for Homelessness Ireland,

• Membership dues
• Private donations
• A grant from other NGOs
• Government funding
• Funding from corporations

Sales strategy

Charity will approach donors by following ways/activities:

• Organizing awareness and fund-raising events
• Use of social media to reach the donors and spread the message by creating social media groups/Fundraising appeal on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Directly approaching the donors for the donations/Direct mailing the donors
• Placing donation boxes
• Online donations through the website
• Fundraising through training, seminars, and conferences

  Membership

The general membership fee for a life time period will be 250 euros for one person. Homelessness Ireland will be very transparent and informative in its pricing plans. Trust will encourage its members to contribute to specific events organized for the fulfillment of objectives.

The executive council of Homelessness Ireland will consist of below seven positions,

• Vice President
• And three executive members.

Trust has developed a complete process to grant membership to any individual and pre-set criteria have to be fulfilled in order to get a membership. Along with honorary memberships will also be granted.

Moreover, initially, trust has assigned below positions to the respective persons,

• Secretory: Mr. AAA
• President: Mr. BBB
• Member: Mr. CCC

Role of Founders

• Responsible for providing direction of Homelessness Ireland and its services.
• Creates, communicates, and implements his vision, mission, and overall direction
• Responsible for the day to day running of the Homelessness Ireland.
• Responsible for fixing fees and activities in consultation with staff and feedback by beneficiaries and donors.
• Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of Homelessness Ireland.
• Evaluates the success of the Homelessness Ireland.

• Sample Charity

FREE 12+ Charity Business Plan Samples in MS Word | PDF | Google Docs | Pages

With more than one million charities in the United States, one can expect a close competition, if there is any. Depending on the category your charity falls under, you can be unique and remain on the top of your game. To do that, you need to innovate to keep up with the industry and grow. But even a striving charity can experience plight on its journey, often heading downhill. Despite that, you can establish a charity business plan to lead the organization to its goals. With a business plan, you can set your expectations and maneuver a process in achieving it. Find out more about a business plan and how it affects charity projects with this article. Continue reading below.

Charity Business Plan

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The simplest way to define a business plan is to compare it with a guideline. It is a detailed plan that outlines goals and how to achieve these goals. Even if you have written down ideas on a piece of paper with some tasks you need to do, you have written a basic business plan . At its core, a business plan is a plan for the business operations, and how you are going to make it work.

Documenting your business ideas can take a lot of work. Often, it takes more writing and thinking. Thus, we recommend creating a lean business plan unless you are required to pass a formal business plan. Why? Aside from it is shorter than a usual business plan, it easier to create, and it includes pitch, strategy, tactics, business, schedule, budget, and committees. With this, companies can perform on their ideas fast and frequently. By writing a lean business plan , you can quickly sort useful things from what is not.

Essentially, you can only execute sample ideas right after a business plan is completed. That said, preparing a business plan is the smartest decision that an organization can make so that it can size up in terms of growth. With a charity business plan, you can set out the parts that the organizations should cover. Since it describes the charity and its undertakings, it can help in setting more goals, plans, finances, and risks that the organization might encounter.

According to a report posted by Harvard Business Review, based on research, a business plan makes a small business start-up more likely to become successful. In the report, it found out that a business person who writes a formal business plan has a 16% chance to achieve his goal compared to a non-planning entrepreneur. Furthermore, business start-ups that aim to gain high-growth are 7% more likely to write a plan. On top of that, entrepreneurs who are seeking external financial support are 19% more likely to commit to writing a business plan .

Successful organizations did not have it all until they come up with a plan. As an organization, a charity should give its administrator a reason to establish a strategic plan before it gets worse. Whether you are just a starting charity or a seasoned organization, you might consider the following steps beneficial for writing a charity business plan.

1. Keep It Simple and Straightforward

Along with  charity membership forms ,  charity profiles ,  charity fundraising letters , and  sponsorship forms , a  charity business plan is a document made for a professional reader. That said, wordy sentences and jargon might be complex to some of your audiences. As much as you want to make your plan to sound good, you cannot put its content at risk by using hifalutin words. Rather, pay more attention to keeping it concise and straightforward. Though you can use infographics as visual elements, keep them to a minimum.

2. Be As Logical As Possible

When writing a business, clear your head, and do not be biased in making decisions. It’s important to remind yourself that the business plan can make a series of effects on your other plans, which involve marketing and other related areas. If you fail to foresee its impact to the organization, you might forget to anticipate the circumstances that could make or break the charity profile .

3. Write a Realistic Plan

Your ambitions are great guideposts, but limits exist for a reason. Being too positive can cause negative effects in most situations, as it locks your focus on your goals but not on the process of achieving it. Knowing this, take the time to create a roadmap or plot a schedule that will keep you on track. Whatever goals you have set for the charity, make sure you can execute them. Or you will waste your time believing your goals are doable.

4. Support Your Claims with Facts

Making a convincing business plan means incorporating facts from articles, statistics, research papers, and other references. All these will add credibility to the charity business plan. However, many references make it hard to choose a source. With this, verify the information, so you can use it to back up your claims. If you do not support your plan with relevant details, it is unlikely to become successful. You can even gather information from an existing charity business plan if there is any.

A basic business plan contains the following: an executive summary , problem, solutions, market analysis, target supporters, target clients, competition, and promotions for funding strategy.

Yes, a charity needs a business plan for its undertaking. Without a plan, the organization could not outline goals and how to achieve those goals.

State laws define whether an organization can accept donations or not. If your state allows donations for a non-profit organization, then you can accept charitable funds from donors.

A business plan is a forwarding tool for a charity. With no plans, an organization cannot implement growth, as it cannot execute its ideas. If you want your charity to be successful, start building a plan now.

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14 Reasons Why You Need a Business Plan

10 min. read

Updated May 10, 2024

There’s no question that starting and running a business is hard work. But it’s also incredibly rewarding. And, one of the most important things you can do to increase your chances of success is to have a business plan.

A business plan is a foundational document that is essential for any company, no matter the size or age. From attracting potential investors to keeping your business on track—a business plan helps you achieve important milestones and grow in the right direction.

A business plan isn’t just a document you put together once when starting your business. It’s a living, breathing guide for existing businesses – one that business owners should revisit and update regularly.

Unfortunately, writing a business plan is often a daunting task for potential entrepreneurs. So, do you really need a business plan? Is it really worth the investment of time and resources? Can’t you just wing it and skip the whole planning process?

Good questions. Here’s every reason why you need a business plan.

• 1. Business planning is proven to help you grow 30 percent faster

Writing a business plan isn’t about producing a document that accurately predicts the future of your company. The  process  of writing your plan is what’s important. Writing your plan and reviewing it regularly gives you a better window into what you need to do to achieve your goals and succeed. 

You don’t have to just take our word for it. Studies have  proven that companies that plan  and review their results regularly grow 30 percent faster. Beyond faster growth, research also shows that companies that plan actually perform better. They’re less likely to become one of those woeful failure statistics, or experience  cash flow crises  that threaten to close them down. 

• 2. Planning is a necessary part of the fundraising process

One of the top reasons to have a business plan is to make it easier to raise money for your business. Without a business plan, it’s difficult to know how much money you need to raise, how you will spend the money once you raise it, and what your budget should be.

Investors want to know that you have a solid plan in place – that your business is headed in the right direction and that there is long-term potential in your venture. 

A business plan shows that your business is serious and that there are clearly defined steps on how it aims to become successful. It also demonstrates that you have the necessary competence to make that vision a reality. 

Investors, partners, and creditors will want to see detailed financial forecasts for your business that shows how you plan to grow and how you plan on spending their money. 

• 3. Having a business plan minimizes your risk

When you’re just starting out, there’s so much you don’t know—about your customers, your competition, and even about operations. 

As a business owner, you signed up for some of that uncertainty when you started your business, but there’s a lot you can  do to reduce your risk . Creating and reviewing your business plan regularly is a great way to uncover your weak spots—the flaws, gaps, and assumptions you’ve made—and develop contingency plans. 

Your business plan will also help you define budgets and revenue goals. And, if you’re not meeting your goals, you can quickly adjust spending plans and create more realistic budgets to keep your business healthy.

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• 4. Crafts a roadmap to achieve important milestones

A business plan is like a roadmap for your business. It helps you set, track and reach business milestones. 

For your plan to function in this way, your business plan should first outline your company’s short- and long-term goals. You can then fill in the specific steps necessary to reach those goals. This ensures that you measure your progress (or lack thereof) and make necessary adjustments along the way to stay on track while avoiding costly detours.

In fact, one of the top reasons why new businesses fail is due to bad business planning. Combine this with inflexibility and you have a recipe for disaster.

And planning is not just for startups. Established businesses benefit greatly from revisiting their business plan. It keeps them on track, even when the global market rapidly shifts as we’ve seen in recent years.

• 5. A plan helps you figure out if your idea can become a business

To turn your idea into reality, you need to accurately assess the feasibility of your business idea.

You need to verify:

• If there is a market for your product or service
• Who your target audience is
• How you will gain an edge over the current competition
• If your business can run profitably

A business plan forces you to take a step back and look at your business objectively, which makes it far easier to make tough decisions down the road. Additionally, a business plan helps you to identify risks and opportunities early on, providing you with the necessary time to come up with strategies to address them properly.

Finally, a business plan helps you work through the nuts and bolts of how your business will work financially and if it can become sustainable over time.

6. You’ll make big spending decisions with confidence

As your business grows, you’ll have to figure out when to hire new employees, when to expand to a new location, or whether you can afford a major purchase. 

These are always major spending decisions, and if you’re regularly reviewing the forecasts you mapped out in your business plan, you’re going to have better information to use to make your decisions.

7. You’re more likely to catch critical cash flow challenges early

The other side of those major spending decisions is understanding and monitoring your business’s cash flow. Your  cash flow statement  is one of the three key financial statements you’ll put together for your business plan. (The other two are your  balance sheet  and your  income statement  (P&L). 

Reviewing your cash flow statement regularly as part of your regular business plan review will help you see potential cash flow challenges earlier so you can take action to avoid a cash crisis where you can’t pay your bills. 

• 8. Position your brand against the competition

Competitors are one of the factors that you need to take into account when starting a business. Luckily, competitive research is an integral part of writing a business plan. It encourages you to ask questions like:

• What is your competition doing well? What are they doing poorly?
• What can you do to set yourself apart?
• What can you learn from them?
• How can you make your business stand out?
• What key business areas can you outcompete?
• How can you identify your target market?

Finding answers to these questions helps you solidify a strategic market position and identify ways to differentiate yourself. It also proves to potential investors that you’ve done your homework and understand how to compete. 

• 9. Determines financial needs and revenue models

A vital part of starting a business is understanding what your expenses will be and how you will generate revenue to cover those expenses. Creating a business plan helps you do just that while also defining ongoing financial needs to keep in mind. 

Without a business model, it’s difficult to know whether your business idea will generate revenue. By detailing how you plan to make money, you can effectively assess the viability and scalability of your business. 

Understanding this early on can help you avoid unnecessary risks and start with the confidence that your business is set up to succeed.

• 10. Helps you think through your marketing strategy

A business plan is a great way to document your marketing plan. This will ensure that all of your marketing activities are aligned with your overall goals. After all, a business can’t grow without customers and you’ll need a strategy for acquiring those customers. 

Your business plan should include information about your target market, your marketing strategy, and your marketing budget. Detail things like how you plan to attract and retain customers, acquire new leads, how the digital marketing funnel will work, etc. 

Having a documented marketing plan will help you to automate business operations, stay on track and ensure that you’re making the most of your marketing dollars.

• 11. Clarifies your vision and ensures everyone is on the same page

In order to create a successful business, you need a clear vision and a plan for how you’re going to achieve it. This is all detailed with your mission statement, which defines the purpose of your business, and your personnel plan, which outlines the roles and responsibilities of current and future employees. Together, they establish the long-term vision you have in mind and who will need to be involved to get there. 

Additionally, your business plan is a great tool for getting your team in sync. Through consistent plan reviews, you can easily get everyone in your company on the same page and direct your workforce toward tasks that truly move the needle.

• 12. Future-proof your business

A business plan helps you to evaluate your current situation and make realistic projections for the future.

This is an essential step in growing your business, and it’s one that’s often overlooked. When you have a business plan in place, it’s easier to identify opportunities and make informed decisions based on data.

Therefore, it requires you to outline goals, strategies, and tactics to help the organization stay focused on what’s important.

By regularly revisiting your business plan, especially when the global market changes, you’ll be better equipped to handle whatever challenges come your way, and pivot faster.

You’ll also be in a better position to seize opportunities as they arise.

Further Reading: 5 fundamental principles of business planning

• 13. Tracks your progress and measures success

An often overlooked purpose of a business plan is as a tool to define success metrics. A key part of writing your plan involves pulling together a viable financial plan. This includes financial statements such as your profit and loss, cash flow, balance sheet, and sales forecast.

By housing these financial metrics within your business plan, you suddenly have an easy way to relate your strategy to actual performance. You can track progress, measure results, and follow up on how the company is progressing. Without a plan, it’s almost impossible to gauge whether you’re on track or not.  

Additionally, by evaluating your successes and failures, you learn what works and what doesn’t and you can make necessary changes to your plan. In short, having a business plan gives you a framework for measuring your success. It also helps with building up a “lessons learned” knowledge database to avoid costly mistakes in the future.

• 14. Your business plan is an asset if you ever want to sell

Down the road, you might decide that you want to sell your business or position yourself for acquisition. Having a solid business plan is going to help you make the case for a higher valuation. Your business is likely to be worth more to a buyer if it’s easy for them to understand your business model, your target market, and your overall potential to grow and scale. 

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• Writing your business plan

By taking the time to create a business plan, you ensure that your business is heading in the right direction and that you have a roadmap to get there. We hope that this post has shown you just how important and valuable a business plan can be. While it may still seem daunting, the benefits far outweigh the time investment and learning curve for writing one. 

Luckily, you can write a plan in as little as 30 minutes. And there are plenty of excellent planning tools and business plan templates out there if you’re looking for more step-by-step guidance. Whatever it takes, write your plan and you’ll quickly see how useful it can be.

Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software , a co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning. He has an MBA from Stanford and degrees with honors from the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame. Today, Tim dedicates most of his time to blogging, teaching and evangelizing for business planning.

Table of Contents

• 6. You’ll make big spending decisions with confidence
• 7. You’re more likely to catch critical cash flow challenges early

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Free Business Plan Template for Small Businesses (2024)

Use this free business plan template to write your business plan quickly and efficiently.

A good business plan is essential to successfully starting your business —  and the easiest way to simplify the work of writing a business plan is to start with a business plan template.

You’re already investing time and energy in refining your business model and planning your launch—there’s no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to writing a business plan. Instead, to help build a complete and effective plan, lean on time-tested structures created by other  entrepreneurs and startups. 

Ahead, learn what it takes to create a solid business plan and download Shopify's free business plan template to get started on your dream today. 

What this free business plan template includes

• Executive summary
• Company overview
• Products or services offered
• Market analysis
• Marketing plan
• Logistics and operations plan
• Financial plan

This business plan outline is designed to ensure you’re thinking through all of the important facets of starting a new business. It’s intended to help new business owners and entrepreneurs consider the full scope of running a business and identify functional areas they may not have considered or where they may need to level up their skills as they grow.

That said, it may not include the specific details or structure preferred by a potential investor or lender. If your goal with a business plan is to secure funding , check with your target organizations—typically banks or investors—to see if they have business plan templates you can follow to maximize your chances of success.

Our free business plan template includes seven key elements typically found in the traditional business plan format:

1. Executive summary

This is a one-page summary of your whole plan, typically written after the rest of the plan is completed. The description section of your executive summary will also cover your management team, business objectives and strategy, and other background information about the brand. 

2. Company overview

This section of your business plan will answer two fundamental questions: “Who are you?” and “What do you plan to do?” Answering these questions clarifies why your company exists, what sets it apart from others, and why it’s a good investment opportunity. This section will detail the reasons for your business’s existence, its goals, and its guiding principles.

3. Products or services offered

What you sell and the most important features of your products or services. It also includes any plans for intellectual property, like patent filings or copyright. If you do market research for new product lines, it will show up in this section of your business plan.

4. Market analysis

This section includes everything from estimated market size to your target markets and competitive advantage. It’ll include a competitive analysis of your industry to address competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. Market research is an important part of ensuring you have a viable idea.

5. Marketing plan

How you intend to get the word out about your business, and what strategic decisions you’ve made about things like your pricing strategy. It also covers potential customers’ demographics, your sales plan, and your metrics and milestones for success.

6. Logistics and operations plan

Everything that needs to happen to turn your raw materials into products and get them into the hands of your customers.

7. Financial plan

It’s important to include a look at your financial projections, including both revenue and expense projections. This section includes templates for three key financial statements: an income statement, a balance sheet, and a cash-flow statement . You can also include whether or not you need a business loan and how much you’ll need.

Business plan examples

What do financial projections look like on paper? How do you write an executive summary? What should your company description include?  Business plan examples  can help answer some of these questions and transform your business idea into an actionable plan.

Professional business plan example

Inside our template, we’ve filled out a sample business plan featuring a fictional ecommerce business . 

The sample is set up to help you get a sense of each section and understand how they apply to the planning and evaluation stages of a business plan. If you’re looking for funding, this example won’t be a complete or formal look at business plans, but it will give you a great place to start and notes about where to expand.

Lean business plan example

A lean business plan format is a shortened version of your more detailed business plan. It’s helpful when modifying your plan for a specific audience, like investors or new hires. 

Also known as a one-page business plan, it includes only the most important, need-to-know information, such as:

• Company description
• Key members of your team
• Customer segments

💡 Tip: For a step-by-step guide to creating a lean business plan (including a sample business plan), read our guide on how to create a lean business plan .

Benefits of writing a solid business plan

It’s tempting to dive right into execution when you’re excited about a new business or side project, but taking the time to write a thorough business plan and get your thoughts on paper allows you to do a number of beneficial things:

• Test the viability of your business idea. Whether you’ve got one business idea or many, business plans can make an idea more tangible, helping you see if it’s truly viable and ensure you’ve found a target market. 
• Plan for your next phase. Whether your goal is to start a new business or scale an existing business to the next level, a business plan can help you understand what needs to happen and identify gaps to address.
• Clarify marketing strategy, goals, and tactics. Writing a business plan can show you the actionable next steps to take on a big, abstract idea. It can also help you narrow your strategy and identify clear-cut tactics that will support it.
• Scope the necessary work. Without a concrete plan, cost overruns and delays are all but certain. A business plan can help you see the full scope of work to be done and adjust your investment of time and money accordingly.
• Hire and build partnerships. When you need buy-in from potential employees and business partners, especially in the early stages of your business, a clearly written business plan is one of the best tools at your disposal. A business plan provides a refined look at your goals for the business, letting partners judge for themselves whether or not they agree with your vision.
• Secure funds. Seeking financing for your business—whether from venture capital, financial institutions, or Shopify Capital —is one of the most common reasons to create a business plan.

Why you should you use a template for a business plan

A business plan can be as informal or formal as your situation calls for, but even if you’re a fan of the back-of-the-napkin approach to planning, there are some key benefits to starting your plan from an existing outline or simple business plan template.

No blank-page paralysis

A blank page can be intimidating to even the most seasoned writers. Using an established business planning process and template can help you get past the inertia of starting your business plan, and it allows you to skip the work of building an outline from scratch. You can always adjust a template to suit your needs.

Guidance on what to include in each section

If you’ve never sat through a business class, you might never have created a SWOT analysis or financial projections. Templates that offer guidance—in plain language—about how to fill in each section can help you navigate sometimes-daunting business jargon and create a complete and effective plan.

Knowing you’ve considered every section

In some cases, you may not need to complete every section of a startup business plan template, but its initial structure shows you you’re choosing to omit a section as opposed to forgetting to include it in the first place.

Tips for creating a successful business plan

There are some high-level strategic guidelines beyond the advice included in this free business plan template that can help you write an effective, complete plan while minimizing busywork.

Understand the audience for your plan

If you’re writing a business plan for yourself in order to get clarity on your ideas and your industry as a whole, you may not need to include the same level of detail or polish you would with a business plan you want to send to potential investors. Knowing who will read your plan will help you decide how much time to spend on it.

Know your goals

Understanding the goals of your plan can help you set the right scope. If your goal is to use the plan as a roadmap for growth, you may invest more time in it than if your goal is to understand the competitive landscape of a new industry.

Take it step by step

Writing a 10- to 15-page document can feel daunting, so try to tackle one section at a time. Select a couple of sections you feel most confident writing and start there—you can start on the next few sections once those are complete. Jot down bullet-point notes in each section before you start writing to organize your thoughts and streamline the writing process.

Maximize your business planning efforts

Planning is key to the financial success of any type of business , whether you’re a startup, non-profit, or corporation.

To make sure your efforts are focused on the highest-value parts of your own business planning, like clarifying your goals, setting a strategy, and understanding the target market and competitive landscape, lean on a business plan outline to handle the structure and format for you. Even if you eventually omit sections, you’ll save yourself time and energy by starting with a framework already in place.

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Business plan template FAQ

What is the purpose of a business plan.

The purpose of your business plan is to describe a new business opportunity or an existing one. It clarifies the business strategy, marketing plan, financial forecasts, potential providers, and more information about the company.

How do I write a simple business plan?

• Choose a business plan format, such as a traditional or a one-page business plan. 
• Find a business plan template.
• Read through a business plan sample.
• Fill in the sections of your business plan.

What is the best business plan template?

If you need help writing a business plan, Shopify’s template is one of the most beginner-friendly options you’ll find. It’s comprehensive, well-written, and helps you fill out every section.

What are the 5 essential parts of a business plan?

The five essential parts of a traditional business plan include:

• Executive summary: This is a brief overview of the business plan, summarizing the key points and highlighting the main points of the plan.
• Business description: This section outlines the business concept and how it will be executed.
• Market analysis: This section provides an in-depth look at the target market and how the business will compete in the marketplace.
• Financial plan: This section details the financial projections for the business, including sales forecasts, capital requirements, and a break-even analysis.
• Management and organization: This section describes the management team and the organizational structure of the business.

Are there any free business plan templates?

There are several free templates for business plans for small business owners available online, including Shopify’s own version. Download a copy for your business.

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The 7 Best Business Plan Examples (2024)

As an aspiring entrepreneur gearing up to start your own business , you likely know the importance of drafting a business plan. However, you might not be entirely sure where to begin or what specific details to include. That’s where examining business plan examples can be beneficial. Sample business plans serve as real-world templates to help you craft your own plan with confidence. They also provide insight into the key sections that make up a business plan, as well as demonstrate how to structure and present your ideas effectively.

Example business plan

To understand how to write a business plan, let’s study an example structured using a seven-part template. Here’s a quick overview of those parts:

• Executive summary: A quick overview of your business and the contents of your business plan.
• Company description: More info about your company, its goals and mission, and why you started it in the first place.
• Market analysis: Research about the market and industry your business will operate in, including a competitive analysis about the companies you’ll be up against.
• Products and services: A detailed description of what you’ll be selling to your customers.
• Marketing plan: A strategic outline of how you plan to market and promote your business before, during, and after your company launches into the market.
• Logistics and operations plan: An explanation of the systems, processes, and tools that are needed to run your business in the background.
• Financial plan: A map of your short-term (and even long-term) financial goals and the costs to run the business. If you’re looking for funding, this is the place to discuss your request and needs.

7 business plan examples (section by section)

In this section, you’ll find hypothetical and real-world examples of each aspect of a business plan to show you how the whole thing comes together. 

• Executive summary

Your executive summary offers a high-level overview of the rest of your business plan. You’ll want to include a brief description of your company, market research, competitor analysis, and financial information. 

In this free business plan template, the executive summary is three paragraphs and occupies nearly half the page:

• Company description

You might go more in-depth with your company description and include the following sections:

• Nature of the business. Mention the general category of business you fall under. Are you a manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer of your products?
• Background information. Talk about your past experiences and skills, and how you’ve combined them to fill in the market. 
• Business structure. This section outlines how you registered your company —as a corporation, sole proprietorship, LLC, or other business type.
• Industry. Which business sector do you operate in? The answer might be technology, merchandising, or another industry.
• Team. Whether you’re the sole full-time employee of your business or you have contractors to support your daily workflow, this is your chance to put them under the spotlight.

You can also repurpose your company description elsewhere, like on your About page, Instagram page, or other properties that ask for a boilerplate description of your business. Hair extensions brand Luxy Hair has a blurb on it’s About page that could easily be repurposed as a company description for its business plan. 

• Market analysis

Market analysis comprises research on product supply and demand, your target market, the competitive landscape, and industry trends. You might do a SWOT analysis to learn where you stand and identify market gaps that you could exploit to establish your footing. Here’s an example of a SWOT analysis for a hypothetical ecommerce business: 

You’ll also want to run a competitive analysis as part of the market analysis component of your business plan. This will show you who you’re up against and give you ideas on how to gain an edge over the competition. 

• Products and services

This part of your business plan describes your product or service, how it will be priced, and the ways it will compete against similar offerings in the market. Don’t go into too much detail here—a few lines are enough to introduce your item to the reader.

• Marketing plan

Potential investors will want to know how you’ll get the word out about your business. So it’s essential to build a marketing plan that highlights the promotion and customer acquisition strategies you’re planning to adopt. 

Most marketing plans focus on the four Ps: product, price, place, and promotion. However, it’s easier when you break it down by the different marketing channels . Mention how you intend to promote your business using blogs, email, social media, and word-of-mouth marketing. 

Here’s an example of a hypothetical marketing plan for a real estate website:

Logistics and operations

This section of your business plan provides information about your production, facilities, equipment, shipping and fulfillment, and inventory.

Financial plan

The financial plan (a.k.a. financial statement) offers a breakdown of your sales, revenue, expenses, profit, and other financial metrics. You’ll want to include all the numbers and concrete data to project your current and projected financial state.

In this business plan example, the financial statement for ecommerce brand Nature’s Candy includes forecasted revenue, expenses, and net profit in graphs.

It then goes deeper into the financials, citing:

• Funding needs
• Project cash-flow statement
• Project profit-and-loss statement
• Projected balance sheet

You can use Shopify’s financial plan template to create your own income statement, cash-flow statement, and balance sheet. 

Types of business plans (and what to write for each)

A one-page business plan is a pared down version of a standard business plan that’s easy for potential investors and partners to understand. You’ll want to include all of these sections, but make sure they’re abbreviated and summarized:

• Logistics and operations plan
• Financials 

A startup business plan is meant to secure outside funding for a new business. Typically, there’s a big focus on the financials, as well as other sections that help determine the viability of your business idea—market analysis, for example. Shopify has a great business plan template for startups that include all the below points:

• Market research: in depth
• Financials: in depth

Your internal business plan acts as the enforcer of your company’s vision. It reminds your team of the long-term objective and keeps them strategically aligned toward the same goal. Be sure to include:

• Market research

Feasibility 

A feasibility business plan is essentially a feasibility study that helps you evaluate whether your product or idea is worthy of a full business plan. Include the following sections:

A strategic (or growth) business plan lays out your long-term vision and goals. This means your predictions stretch further into the future, and you aim for greater growth and revenue. While crafting this document, you use all the parts of a usual business plan but add more to each one:

• Products and services: for launch and expansion
• Market analysis: detailed analysis
• Marketing plan: detailed strategy
• Logistics and operations plan: detailed plan
• Financials: detailed projections

Free business plan templates

Now that you’re familiar with what’s included and how to format a business plan, let’s go over a few templates you can fill out or draw inspiration from.

Bplans’ free business plan template

Bplans’ free business plan template focuses a lot on the financial side of running a business. It has many pages just for your financial plan and statements. Once you fill it out, you’ll see exactly where your business stands financially and what you need to do to keep it on track or make it better.

PandaDoc’s free business plan template

PandaDoc’s free business plan template is detailed and guides you through every section, so you don’t have to figure everything out on your own. Filling it out, you’ll grasp the ins and outs of your business and how each part fits together. It’s also handy because it connects to PandaDoc’s e-signature for easy signing, ideal for businesses with partners or a board.

Miro’s Business Model Canvas Template

Miro’s Business Model Canvas Template helps you map out the essentials of your business, like partnerships, core activities, and what makes you different. It’s a collaborative tool for you and your team to learn how everything in your business is linked.

Better business planning equals better business outcomes

Building a business plan is key to establishing a clear direction and strategy for your venture. With a solid plan in hand, you’ll know what steps to take for achieving each of your business goals. Kickstart your business planning and set yourself up for success with a defined roadmap—utilizing the sample business plans above to inform your approach.

Business plan FAQ

What are the 3 main points of a business plan.

• Concept. Explain what your business does and the main idea behind it. This is where you tell people what you plan to achieve with your business.
• Contents. Explain what you’re selling or offering. Point out who you’re selling to and who else is selling something similar. This part concerns your products or services, who will buy them, and who you’re up against.
• Cash flow. Explain how money will move in and out of your business. Discuss the money you need to start and keep the business going, the costs of running your business, and how much money you expect to make.

How do I write a simple business plan?

To create a simple business plan, start with an executive summary that details your business vision and objectives. Follow this with a concise description of your company’s structure, your market analysis, and information about your products or services. Conclude your plan with financial projections that outline your expected revenue, expenses, and profitability.

What is the best format to write a business plan?

The optimal format for a business plan arranges your plan in a clear and structured way, helping potential investors get a quick grasp of what your business is about and what you aim to achieve. Always start with a summary of your plan and finish with the financial details or any extra information at the end.

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Develop your marketing plan

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Why you need a marketing plan

Download our marketing plan template.

Having a marketing plan can help you to:

• identify your target market and how your product or service can benefit it
• identify how you might attract new customers
• encourage your existing customers to continue purchasing your product or service
• set goals and time frames for your marketing activities
• map out a strategy to reach your target audience, including the messages, channels and tools you’ll use
• evaluate your marketing activities
• provide a marketing budget and see your return on investment.

Our marketing plan template helps you identify who your customers are, how you'll meet their needs and what marketing tactics you might undertake.

Marketing plan template

Our template steps you through the process of developing a succession plan with links to extra information if you need it.

You may want to check our tips below before you start.

1. Analyse your market

Market research can help you to understand your strengths, weaknesses and the opportunities that you can take advantage of. Analysing your own business and your competition can help you identify where you're positioned in the market.

It’s important to analyse your competition to identify their strengths and weaknesses. This can help you refine your marketing strategy and what's unique about your business.

A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis can help you determine where your business fits within the market and your unique selling point. Use it to help identify what your business is doing well and how you can improve.

Identifying and understanding your customers is an essential part of your marketing plan. Not everyone is your potential buyer, so it’s important to have a clear understanding of your target market early on.

Identify your target market, competitors and potential customers .

2. Set your goals and objectives

Once you're clear about your business and its positioning, you can start thinking about what you want to achieve. Think about your main business goals, whether it's the size of your business, expansion plans or desired sales. Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound (SMART) goals to increase your chances of success in achieving them.

3. Outline your marketing strategies

Once you’ve set some goals, consider what marketing activity, process or price will help you achieve them.

Try and choose marketing activities that suit your business and your customers. For example, if you want to target young adults, newspaper advertising may not be as effective as a social media campaign.

Choosing multiple activities that complement each other is a good way to help you get your message across. For example, if you're trying to establish a new product in the market, you may choose to advertise on the local radio, as well as setting up  social media channels  and introducing a low-cost pricing strategy for first-time buyers. When used together, these strategies complement each other and help you reach a broader market.

4. Set your marketing budget

Knowing how much you have to spend on marketing and how to spend it is critical to the success of your business. A marketing budget will ensure you accurately calculate your marketing campaign or advertising.

When developing your marketing budget, make sure you're only spending money on the activities that contribute to your current marketing goals. Advertising and promotion can be expensive. Make sure to pick options that will give you the best value while still reaching your target customers.

5. Keep your marketing plan up-to-date

It's important to evaluate your marketing activities. Analysing your results and being aware of new marketing trends is important to keeping your marketing plan up-to-date and reaching your business goals. You should tweak and change your plan as your business and market grow and change.

Find out the different types of advertising.

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• Sample Business Plans
• Nonprofit & Community

Charity Business Plan

Starting a charity business is a huge responsibility. To make a positive impact in society, you will need to build your charity business strong, for which you will need a detailed business plan.

Need help writing a business plan for your charity business? You’re at the right place. Our charity business plan template will help you get started.

Free Business Plan Template

Download our free business plan template now and pave the way to success. Let’s turn your vision into an actionable strategy!

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How to Write A Charity Business Plan?

Writing a charity business plan is a crucial step toward the success of your business. Here are the key steps to consider when writing a business plan:

1. Executive Summary

An executive summary is the first section planned to offer an overview of the entire business plan. However, it is written after the entire business plan is ready and summarizes each section of your plan.

Here are a few key components to include in your executive summary:

Introduce your Business:

Start your executive summary by briefly introducing your business to your readers.

Market Opportunity:

Highlight the charity programs you offer your clients. The USPs and differentiators you offer are always a plus.

Marketing & Sales Strategies:

Financial highlights:, call to action:.

Ensure your executive summary is clear, concise, easy to understand, and jargon-free.

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2. Business Overview

The business overview section of your business plan offers detailed information about your company. The details you add will depend on how important they are to your business. Yet, business name, location, business history, and future goals are some of the foundational elements you must consider adding to this section:

Business Description:

Describe your business in this section by providing all the basic information:

Describe what kind of charity company you run and the name of it. You may specialize in one of the following charity businesses:

• Humanitarian charities
• Public charity
• Private charity
• Health charities
• Educational charities
• Environmental charities
• Animal welfare charities
• Describe the legal structure of your charity company, whether it is a sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, or others.
• Explain where your business is located and why you selected the place.

Mission Statement:

Business history:.

If you’re an established charity service provider, briefly describe your business history, like—when it was founded, how it evolved over time, etc.

Future Goals

This section should provide a thorough understanding of your business, its history, and its future plans. Keep this section engaging, precise, and to the point.

3. Market Analysis

The market analysis section of your business plan should offer a thorough understanding of the industry with the target market, competitors, and growth opportunities. You should include the following components in this section.

Target market:

Start this section by describing your target market. Define your ideal customer and explain what types of services they prefer. Creating a buyer persona will help you easily define your target market to your readers.

Conduct SWOT analysis:

Competitive analysis:, market trends:.

Analyze emerging trends in the industry, such as technology disruptions, changes in customer behavior or preferences, etc. Explain how your business will cope with all the trends.

Regulatory Environment:

Here are a few tips for writing the market analysis section of your charity business plan:

• Conduct market research, industry reports, and surveys to gather data.
• Provide specific and detailed information whenever possible.
• Illustrate your points with charts and graphs.
• Write your business plan keeping your target audience in mind.

4. Products of Your Bicycle Shop

The product and services section should describe the specific services and products that will be offered to customers. To write this section should include the following:

Describe your programs:

Mention the charity programs your business will offer. This list may include:

• Direct assistance
• Education and training
• Healthcare & medical services
• Social services
• Advocacy and awareness

Describe the objectives behind programs:

Supportive services:.

In short, this section of your charity plan must be informative, precise, and client-focused. By providing a clear and compelling description of your offerings, you can help potential investors and readers understand the value of your business.

5. Sales And Marketing Strategies

Writing the sales and marketing strategies section means a list of strategies you will use to attract and retain your clients. Here are some key elements to include in your sales & marketing plan:

Unique Selling Proposition (USP):

Define your business’s USPs depending on the market you serve, the equipment you use, and the unique services you provide. Identifying USPs will help you plan your marketing strategies.

Marketing Mix:

Marketing channels:, fundraising strategies:.

Describe the fundraising strategies you plan on implementing to generate revenue for your nonprofit. Your nonprofit may generate income from grants, major gifts, individual giving, charity events, online fundraising, corporate sponsorship, etc.

Donor Retention:

Overall, this section of your charity business plan should focus on customer acquisition and retention.

Have a specific, realistic, and data-driven approach while planning sales and marketing strategies for your charity business, and be prepared to adapt or make strategic changes in your strategies based on feedback and results.

6. Operations Plan

The operations plan section of your business plan should outline the processes and procedures involved in your business operations, such as staffing requirements and operational processes. Here are a few components to add to your operations plan:

Staffing & Training:

Operational process:, equipment & software:.

Include the list of equipment and software required for charity, such as office equipment, software & IT infrastructure, communication & presentation tools, fundraising equipment, vehicles & transportation, etc.

Adding these components to your operations plan will help you lay out your business operations, which will eventually help you manage your business effectively.

7. Management Team

The management team section provides an overview of your charity business’s management team. This section should provide a detailed description of each manager’s experience and qualifications, as well as their responsibilities and roles.

Founders/CEO:

Key managers:.

Introduce your management and key members of your team, and explain their roles and responsibilities.

Organizational structure:

Compensation plan:, advisors/consultants:.

Mentioning advisors or consultants in your business plans adds credibility to your business idea.

This section should describe the key personnel for your charity, highlighting how you have the perfect team to succeed.

8. Financial Plan

Your financial plan section should provide a summary of your business’s financial projections for the first few years. Here are some key elements to include in your financial plan:

Profit & loss statement:

Cash flow statement:, balance sheet:, break-even point:.

Determine and mention your business’s break-even point—the point at which your business costs and revenue will be equal.

Financing Needs:

Be realistic with your financial projections, and make sure you offer relevant information and evidence to support your estimates.

9. Appendix

The appendix section of your plan should include any additional information supporting your business plan’s main content, such as market research, legal documentation, financial statements, and other relevant information.

• Add a table of contents for the appendix section to help readers easily find specific information or sections.
• In addition to your financial statements, provide additional financial documents like tax returns, a list of assets within the business, credit history, and more. These statements must be the latest and offer financial projections for at least the first three or five years of business operations.
• Provide data derived from market research, including stats about the industry, user demographics, and industry trends.
• Include any legal documents such as permits, licenses, and contracts.
• Include any additional documentation related to your business plan, such as product brochures, marketing materials, operational procedures, etc.

Use clear headings and labels for each section of the appendix so that readers can easily find the necessary information.

Remember, the appendix section of your charity business plan should only include relevant and important information supporting your plan’s main content.

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

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This sample charity business plan will provide an idea for writing a successful charity plan, including all the essential components of your business.

After this, if you still need clarification about writing an investment-ready business plan to impress your audience, download our charity business plan pdf .

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Frequently asked questions, why do you need a charity business plan.

A business plan is an essential tool for anyone looking to start or run a successful charity business. It helps to get clarity in your business, secures funding, and identifies potential challenges while starting and growing your business.

Overall, a well-written plan can help you make informed decisions, which can contribute to the long-term success of your charity company.

How to get funding for your charity business?

There are several ways to get funding for your charity business, but self-funding is one of the most efficient and speedy funding options. Other options for funding are:

• Bank loan – You may apply for a loan in government or private banks.
• Small Business Administration (SBA) loan – SBA loans and schemes are available at affordable interest rates, so check the eligibility criteria before applying for it.
• Crowdfunding – The process of supporting a project or business by getting a lot of people to invest in your business, usually online.
• Angel investors – Getting funds from angel investors is one of the most sought startup options.

Apart from all these options, there are small business grants available, check for the same in your location and you can apply for it.

Where to find business plan writers for your charity business?

There are many business plan writers available, but no one knows your business and ideas better than you, so we recommend you write your charity business plan and outline your vision as you have in your mind.

What is the easiest way to write your charity business plan?

A lot of research is necessary for writing a business plan, but you can write your plan most efficiently with the help of any charity business plan example and edit it as per your need. You can also quickly finish your plan in just a few hours or less with the help of our business plan software .

How do I write a good market analysis in a charity business plan?

Market analysis is one of the key components of your business plan that requires deep research and a thorough understanding of your industry. We can categorize the process of writing a good market analysis section into the following steps:

• Stating the objective of your market analysis—e.g., investor funding.
• Industry study—market size, growth potential, market trends, etc.
• Identifying target market—based on user behavior and demographics.
• Analyzing direct and indirect competitors.
• Calculating market share—understanding TAM, SAM, and SOM.
• Knowing regulations and restrictions
• Organizing data and writing the first draft.

Writing a marketing analysis section can be overwhelming, but using ChatGPT for market research can make things easier.

How detailed should the financial projections be in my charity business plan?

The level of detail of the financial projections of your charity business may vary considering various business aspects like direct and indirect competition, pricing, and operational efficiency. However, your financial projections must be comprehensive enough to demonstrate a complete view of your financial performance.

Generally, the statements included in a business plan offer financial projections for at least the first three or five years of business operations.

What key components should a charity business plan include?

The following are the key components your charity business plan must include:

• Executive summary
• Business Overview
• Market Analysis
• Products and services
• Sales and marketing strategies
• Operations plan
• Management team
• Financial plan

Can a good charity business plan help me secure funding?

Indeed. A well-crafted charity business will help your investors better understand your business domain, market trends, strategies, business financials, and growth potential—helping them make better financial decisions.

So, if you have a profitable and investable business, a comprehensive business plan can certainly help you secure your business funding.

What's the importance of a marketing strategy in a charity business plan?

Marketing strategy is a key component of your charity business plan. Whether it is about achieving certain business goals or helping your investors understand your plan to maximize their return on investment—an impactful marketing strategy is the way to do it!

Here are a few pointers to help you understand the importance of having an impactful marketing strategy:

• It provides your business an edge over your competitors.
• It helps investors better understand your business and growth potential.
• It helps you develop products with the best profit potential.
• It helps you set accurate pricing for your products or services.

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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