Business Plan Basic Outline (Resource contributed by Richmond Council for Voluntary Service) Title Organisation name, duration of plan and date of adoption of plan. Mission Statement Overarching statement of purpose, based on the objects in the governing document, usually distilled into one sentence. Our group exists to… Do what? For who? In what area? Be clear, but not detailed. Values/Beliefs (not always included) Our group is committed to … what? Listening to users? Empowering people to make their own choices? Lifelong learning? Quality principles and best practice? These can be passionate and engaging statements if written well - they are about core beliefs. They describe the value system under which the mission is carried out. Background/Context A short summary of relevant organisational history leading up to your current position - the starting point for the plan. Can be used to demonstrate capacity and competence. Likely to include date of founding, status of organisation (charity, ltd co etc), organisational structure, size, links/ownership, key assets. Often includes details of recent achievements and status of ongoing projects. Importantly, includes a review of the current position, including information about changes/ trends affecting the organisation and about the need for what you plan to do. Strategy Series of fairly broad statements about the focus and direction of the group, each of which supports the mission statement. They describe where the group will focus its efforts. These statements follow on from the Mission, usually via the word "by" - "Our organisation exists to…. and we intend to do this by…". They are set in the context of the changes, trends and needs raised by the review conducted above. Strategic statements need to be linked to outcomes – what will be different as a result of your work? How will you know and how do you plan to measure these changes? Larger groups may define several strategic areas, each of which contributes to the overall (e.g. marketing strategy, volunteer management strategy). Objectives Series of key targets which support and will contribute to achieving the strategy statements. Objectives will include timescales and measurables and should be prioritised. They contain sufficient detail to work out what resources will be needed to achieve the objective. Resources How will the objectives affect the organisation? What will it need to carry them out? Identify the resources which will be needed to achieve the objectives, primarily: § Finance - funding, budget, cashflow, fundraising strategy § People - staff, volunteers, skills, external networks/relationships § Information - about your organisation, about the external environment - user needs, legislative requirements, funders § Assets - premises, tools, equipment Feasibility and Risk Identification of assumptions, vulnerabilities and critical areas/items in the plan, the effect of non-achievement in these areas, and back up plans/mitigation for any high risk issues. Plan Summary One paragraph summarising the plan's key points - what would you say if you only had, say, seven sentences/bullet points to say it in? Ownership Say who created the plan, including all those who had input to it or were consulted about it.
Code of Good Governance for Smaller Organisations: Useful Resources
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