Q WHAT IS A BUSINESS PLAN ?
A Documents about your project, describing it’s history, present status and what it proposes to do. The plan will include how the project will be managed, financed and how it fits in to the bigger picture and will include financial projections for the period of the plan.
Q WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF WRITING A BUSINESS PLAN?
A It will help the committee and the staff assess how the projects fits into the overall aim of your organisation and may lead you to re-think your aims.
Q WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE IN THE BUSINESS PLAN?
A Some potential funders may give you guidance on what they require. We have listed below some of the details you should provide:-
INTRODUCTION - at least one paragraph on
each heading:
aims & objectives of your organisation
geography & trends of the area
beneficiaries
how you’re funded
background history
current staffing levels
DEVELOPMENT WORK - break down what tasks you would expect to achieve each year
over a three year period.
MARKET - explain who you are trying to target and how they will benefit from
your project.
COMPETITION - is anyone else trying to provide a similar service? write a paragraph
on what makes your project more attractive to the target market.
ADVERTISING & PROMOTION - show how you will promote your project and what
promotional tools you would use, e.g. local radio, website, leaflets, Yellow
Pages, etc.
MANAGEMENT CONTROL - explain how your Management Committee are elected and
how often written reports including financial statements will be provided.
Summary - is an important
section as many prospective funders may not read every detail of a
business plan but they all will read the summary.
This should be no longer that a single page and should highlight the
main features and what the project aims to achieve.
Finances - you will need to provide projections of income and expenditure
with appropriate budget headings to cover the period of the plan.
Q HOW DO I DO IT ?
A Get the whole group together to discuss how the plan will be shaped and include
the Treasurer, and Accountant if appropriate.
Q IS THERE ANY ACTION I SHOULD TAKE WHEN THE BUSINESS PLAN
IS PREPARED ?
A Yes, the plan should have a professional appearance and not be hand written.
Always check for spelling errors and make sure that any facts are correct.
A well thought out and written plan can be a valuable tool for any organisation
to return to frequently during the life of a project.
Q ARE THERE ANY PUBLICATIONS THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND READING?
A The complete
Guide to Business and Strategic Planning for Voluntary Organisations, published
by The Directory of Social Change 1994
VONEF holds a copy of this publication.
