A well-crafted business plan is crucial for any nonprofit aiming to make a difference. This comprehensive guide provides a nonprofit business plan template along with tips and examples to help you create your strategic plan.
With a thoughtful business plan tailored to your nonprofit, you’ll be equipped to clearly communicate your mission, run operations smoothly, and track growth. Let’s get started.
Taking time upfront to develop a business plan offers huge advantages, including:
In short, a business plan serves as an essential roadmap to guide your nonprofit to success. Now let’s cover how to craft each section.
Here is an outline of the core sections to cover in your nonprofit business plan:
Executive Summary
Organization Overview
Programs and Services
Market Analysis
Funding Plan
Operations Plan
Leadership Team
Financial Plan
Milestones and Metrics
Here is an abbreviated nonprofit business plan example:
Executive Summary
New Hope Children’s Center provides free counseling to at-risk youth in the Chicago area. Our mission is to break generational cycles of trauma through therapy and mentorship.
We currently serve 150 children ages 5-17 and plan to double our capacity in the next 2 years. Our management team has 50+ years combined clinical experience. We have raised $300,000 to date and are seeking $500,000 in new funding through corporate sponsors and foundation grants.
Programs and Services
Our programs include:
We take an evidence-based, trauma-informed approach tailored to each child. Our goal is to provide a safe, nurturing environment for healing and growth.
Funding Plan
To fund our program expansion, we will approach:
Our leadership team has experience securing six and seven figure donations and grants. We will steward these relationships for renewable long-term funding.
Now let’s explore tips and best practices for each section:
Executive SummarySummarize your mission, programs, target population, team, achievements, and funding needs. Convey your vision and impact. This section sets the tone.
Organization OverviewShare history and accomplishments that make your nonprofit credible and established. Outline your legal structure, location, and staff/volunteer infrastructure.
Programs and ServicesDescribe current and planned programs in detail. Explain how each addresses your mission and fills a need. Share key outcomes and results.
Market Analysis
Define the social issue your nonprofit tackles along with population demographics. Provide landscape data. Analyze other organizations serving this population and differentiate.
Funding PlanDetail current funding amounts and sources. Outline specific foundations, corporations, agencies, and individuals you will approach for funding requests.
Operations PlanSummarize how your nonprofit runs on a tactical level. Share tools, systems, partners that allow you to deliver programs smoothly and efficiently.
Leadership TeamIntroduce staff and board with short bios emphasizing relevant expertise. Provide organizational chart and explain structure.
Financial Plan
Forecast income and expenses, including program budgets and fundraising revenue goals. Include capital expenditure projections and budget. Share current financials.
Milestones and MetricsOutline goals for program launch/expansion, scaling, funding received, and population served. Establish trackable KPIs.
Keep these tips in mind as you write and refine your nonprofit plan:
Writing a comprehensive nonprofit business plan provides immense clarity as you strategically assess every aspect of your vision, operations, and fundraising.
Use this nonprofit business plan template and guide your roadmap. Customize each section with details for your organization and target population.
With a well-crafted plan informing your direction, you can confidently execute on your mission and successfully change lives. Get ready to expand your impact!