Developing Plan Content – what have we already got and what do we need to create? (Resource contributed by Richmond Council for Voluntary Service) PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS AN A3 TEMPLATE 1 2
We have everything we need for this section We have most of what we need for this section
3 We have part of what we need for this section 4 We need to start developing material for this section
1 Title Page (What’s our name and what period does this plan cover?) Organisation name Period to which plan applies: Example: April 2012 – March 2014 Logo, picture, contents list Plan Summary (Executive Summary) (What would we say if we only had, e.g. 7 sentences to say it in?) One paragraph summarising the plan's key points – what do you really want to get over to a reader (and what might tempt them to read more)? Overall Purpose of your Organisation – “Mission” Statement (Why do we exist? What are we here for?) One sentence saying ‘Our organisation aims to…’ Change/achieve what? For who? Where? Example: • To support disabled people in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and surrounding areas to live independent lives and to have the same opportunities as nondisabled people Values/Beliefs (not always included) (What do we believe in? What is our ethos?) A brief list of bullet points saying ‘Our group is committed to …’ Example: Our group is committed to: • Listening to young people; Empowering people to make their own choices Background/Context (Where are we now? What have we achieved recently?) (What are we good at and what do we need to improve?) (How might the outside world affect us? What’s changing?) (What do our users and potential users need?) Date of founding Status of organisation (charity, limited company etc) Basic info on the size of the organisation – an outline of current turnover, current number of staff/ volunteers Organisational structure (a simple chart), plus key partners, networks Key assets Our uniqueness – what’s special or different about what we do? Skills, knowledge and achievements of key people (mainly for a new organisation) Quality accreditations Details of recent achievements – especially ‘outcomes’ Status of ongoing projects A review of our current position, including information about the position of the organisation itself and about changes/ trends affecting or likely to affect our organisation Information about the need/market for what we plan to do, including information about gaps in the market – who else is working in this field and what do they do?
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We particularly need to…
Strategic Aims (What do we aim to achieve in the next 2-3 years?) Series of broad statements about the focus and direction of the organisation, which support the mission statement, which describe what you want to achieve for your beneficiaries/customers and which are best written in terms of the change you want to see happen. Example: • To reduce the number of disabled people in Richmond living in poverty Example: • To develop the life skills of younger children on the Ham estate Another series of broad statements about the focus and direction of the organisation covering the key organisational development achievements needed to underpin your beneficiary-related achievements. These may include aims in the areas of e.g. • Marketing/Outreach • Income generation • Premises • Staffing: Staff & vol recruitment; Staff & vol training • Quality systems • Systems, processes and infrastructure: IT, databases, policies and procedures Example: • To increase awareness of our services amongst potential local users and referral agencies Example: • To increase our community based services and reduce our dependence on fixed premises Objectives (How will we achieve what we set out to do?) Series of key tasks which support and will contribute to achieving the strategy statements. Best written in terms of activities. These should be ‘SMART’: Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic (Resourced) and Timed. Example: • To distribute 200 copies of our newsletter each month to disabled people in Richmond Example: • To run weekly 2 hour Saturday morning fun educational activity sessions, each for 12 children from the Ham estate, between ages 7 and 12 between 01 April and 30 June. Example: • To distribute 1000 marketing / outreach leaflets promoting our full range of children’s services, via schools and other childcare settings, in the second quarter of 2012 Example: • To achieve the PQASSO Level 1 quality standard by 31st December 2012 Expected Results and Measurement (How will we know we’ve achieved what we set out to do?) A list of ‘Outcomes’ – what will be different as a result of our work. Example: • 10 more disabled people in receipt of all benefits to which they are entitled per quarter Description of the key methods we will use to measure the changes our work brings about. Example: • We will measure our results using a combination of questionnaires, observation and informal interviews
Resources (What we will need in order to achieve what we set out to do?) Money – how much? - (balanced) budget Money – when? - cashflow Money – where from? – fundraising / income generation plan People - Staff volunteers and trustees – how many and with what skills? / do we need to recruit? – organisational chart showing changes Assets - premises, transport, tools, equipment, IT etc – list – what’s confirmed; what’s still to find Feasibility and Risk (Why do we think it is realistic to achieve this plan?) (What might go wrong on the way to achieving it and how will we handle that?) A statement of the key changes our organisation is planning, what the impact / implication will be, and what we will do to manage them A statement of the critical areas/items in the plan and back up plans/mitigation for any high risk issues Ownership (Who did we involve and consult? Who had the final say?) A list of the groups of people were involved in creating the plan Brief information on how people were involved Appendices (What do we want to enable readers to read if they wish, or what do we want to show we did, but would interrupt the flow of the plan?) Larger items that might detract from the flow of the plan Example: • Full SWOT analysis • Budget / cashflow • Full org chart