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Business plan template

Executive summary

Start by summarising the key points of your business plan. Remember that some people may only read this section, so make it a clear, concise overview of who you are, what you want to do, and how you plan to do it.

2

About your organisation

Give details of who your organisation is and what you do. This may include:

your vision, mission, values and aims

your history

the current state of your organisation (eg turnover, number of staff)

your legal status

your products and services.

3

Market

Your business plan should show that you have a clear and detailed understanding of your market. Use this section to describe:

your stakeholders, including your beneficiaries, customers and donors

any market research or testing you’ve done

your marketing strategy and plan, and how you intend to reach your customers

any market analyses that you’ve done (eg a PESTEL analysisor a competitor analysis).

4

Operational plan

Give an overview of the day-to-day operations of your organisation. This may include descriptions of:

the resources you need to run your business

the people and organisations you work with (eg partners and suppliers)

your premises and the equipment you use

your process for taking payments from customers

any legal requirements that your organisation needs to meet (eg if you prepare food, you’ll need appropriate licenses and certifications)

any insurance you have or will need.

5

People

Describe the people who are crucial to your organisation and any staff changes you plan as part of your business plan. This may include:

biographies of your management team

biographies of your trustees

an overview of any planned changes to your management structure.

Also use this section to describe any skills gaps in your team, and how you plan to fill them.

6

Impact

As a charity, your business plan needs to show not only a financial return, but also a social one.

This social return is your impact – the difference you make for the people and communities you work with.

Use this section to give a clear and concise description of your impact.

Back this up with details of how you measure, learn from and communicate your impact, including:

the change you want to make

what you plan to measure

how you’ll measure it

how you’ll use what you learn

how you’ll tell people about it.

7

Finances

Give a summary of your finances, including:

costs and expenditure

main sources of income

pricing strategies (if you’re trading products and services).

This is also where you include your financial forecasts.

These are one of the most important parts of your business plan – however good your idea, product and team, unrealistic forecasts will let your plan down.