Jennifer J. Writes

Yesterday we started writing your nonprofit business plan. By following the outline in part one and part two today, it is realistic to finish January with a great business plan.

What better way to kick off a new year than with a solid foundation for your organization?

Next up: the people who make your work possible.

Your Team

By highlighting the people you surround yourself with, you establish credibility, demonstrate your strengths, and give donors the ability to connect on a personal level.

Considerations:

• Who is your Executive Director? What is their background?
• Introduce your board members and their unique qualifications.
• Other key management roles.
• Feature a staff member and the inspiration they draw from their work.
• How does your staff approach fundraising?
• What are their daily roles?
• Ways that your organization recruits and retains volunteers.

Target Population

Who do you serve?

Donors are more likely to support your organization if they can picture who or what they are their funds are going towards.

This is a good time to include community demographics. The data does not have to be elaborate or extremely detailed but demonstrating the scope of beneficiaries is important.

If you have permission, share a short biography of someone your organization has helped. Remember, you want to give donors an image of who or what they are helping. Tell your compelling story.

Plan of Impact

This is your time to show how you plan to change your community, your state, the world.

Take your mission statement and expand it. Use concrete examples of what your mission looks like in your community. If this is your first business plan, focus on measurable ways you plan to reach and create change.

But even if this is your tenth business plan, don’t forget to include those measurable activities. The best way to measure and demonstrate the impact of an organization is with concrete data.

Vision for the Future

How do you plan to scale your organization? Donor dollars are limited and donors want to contribute to organizations with realistic plans for growth-just how far will their donation go?

Be specific. How are you going to get there?

• Fundraising plans and metrics
• Plans for partnerships within the community and beyond
• Grants received and grants you plan to apply for
• Signature social events – galas, auctions, dinner with a keynote, etc.

Remember to keep your vision realistic. It’s ok to dream but for people less familiar with your organization, stick with SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, & Time-bound.

Ready to craft your business plan? Schedule a complimentary consultation to get started today!