Business plan format
There is no ideal format for a business plan for a voluntary or community organisation. The following outline plan can be tailored to suit its purpose. In this instance the outline plan is for raising funds and has a strong emphasis on finance and cash flow. You may wish to leave out certain sections that are not applicable to your organisation.
Suggested headings for a business plan submitted to a potential funder:
- Background to organisation
- An overview of the proposed scheme or project
- Why the scheme is needed
- Why your organisation?
- Project aims and description
- Level of funding and resources required
- Outcomes
- Staffing and management structure
- Budget
- Timescales
- Monitoring and evaluation
