Nonprofit Business Plan [Sample Template]

Are you about starting a non-profit organization? If YES, here is a complete sample non-profit business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE.

Okay, so we have considered all the requirements for starting a non-profit organization. We also took it further by analyzing and drafting a sample non-profit marketing plan template backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for non-profit organizations. So let’s proceed to the business planning section.

A Sample Non-Profit Organization Business Plan Template

1. Industry Overview

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like especially for the less privileged and poor people, if there wasn’t a ‘Non-Profit Industry’ in place? The fact remains that the non – profit industry is a major component in the equation of our world; be it social welfare, healthcare, education, spiritual, as well as other ramification of life.

On – profits organizations (NPOs) are establishments that make use of their excess revenues to pursue a cause that would be beneficial to the public or a particular group of people.

In a nutshell, the overall goal of non – profits organizations is not to be successful in terms of wealth creation, but to be a success when it comes to giving value to the groups of people they direct their services at or to the cause they choose to pursue.

It is worthy to note that Non – profit organizations can decide to operate as a charity organization or service organization. This means that they may chose to be organized as a nonprofit corporation, a trust, a cooperative, or they may choose to exist informally in some cases.

For instance; an organization that is termed a supporting organization, usually operates like a foundation; but such a structure might be somewhat complicated because it holds more favorable tax status and are by law restricted about the public charities they can support.

The fact that an organization is considered to be anon-profit organization does not in any way mean that the organization does not have the intention of making profits. As a matter of fact, most non – profit organizations have revenue generating ventures established for the sole purpose of supporting the organization (their cause).

Even though, non – profit organizations are allowed by the law to run a profit making business venture, but there may be constraint to the extent at which they are able to generate excess revenue and even make use of the excess revenues being generated.

There are several not for profit organizations that have grown so big, so that the area which they cover is not just restricted to the location or country where they operate, but also to other parts of the world.

For example; one of the wealthiest Non – profit organizations is found in the united states of America – The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with an endowment fund of about US$38 billion that covers countries all over the world and not just the United States of America.

2. Our Target Market

Basically, the people we intend reaching out to are youths of diverse race and culture who live in the United States of America and Canada.

Those who are unemployed and prone to crime, youths that are exposed to crimes, street children and anybody seeking to acquire one or two skills that will help them successfully start their own business. In essence, we intend reaching out to

High school dropouts
Unemployed youths
Youths interested in politics
Aspiring entrepreneurs
Street Children
University Students
High School Students

Our Competitive Advantage

Of course, there are competitions amongst Not for Profits Organizations- especially when that are pursuing same or similar cause. It means that they will approach same organization for grants and financial supports et al. We are quite aware of this challenge, and that is why we were very careful in choose our board of directors.

As such; we ensured that we chose people of great influence and experience, who can easily give us the needed support to achieve our aims and objectives. To a larger extent, leveraging on the experience and influence of these people gives us competitive advantage.

List of Organizations We Intend Working With

With what we are set out to achieve; reducing crime rate to the barest minimum and empowering youths in both Canada and The United States of America, we know that it is a task that can’t be achieved by just an organization. It takes the collective effort of stakeholders to be able to make appreciable impact when it comes to reducing crime rate and empowering youths to get involved in governance and enterprise development.

We have been able to identify some organizations that we know will be interested in working with us to achieve our ultimate goal. They are:

The Government of the United States of America
The Government of Canada
UNICEF
Henry Ford Foundation
Security Agencies
Political Parties
Bank of America
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Google
Microsoft
Facebook
Schools
Wal-mart
The Coca Cola Company
The Walt Disney Corporation
Chevron

N.B: It is important to state that we have been working towards getting some office equipment, electric appliances and furniture needed from manufacturers as part of their support for our cause.

We are at the finishing stage of discussion. So far, we have been able to raise about 40 percent of the needed start – up capital and we hope to meet up with our target before 31^st December, 2015 and then open up our office on the 10^th of January, 2016.

3. Executive Summary

Pro-Youth Foundation is an international organization headquartered in the United States of America, with Registration number: 08776687. It was established to promote the total empowerment and development of youths in Northern America.

Pro-Youth Foundation is an independent non – profit organization which seeks to reduce crime in the society, by empowering youths in North America to be productive in whatever career path they choose to follow. It also seeks to empower youths in the area of governance, the advancement of the economy and promotion of human and children’s right.

We are also deeply involved in advocacy for youth development and youth participation in government and in nation building. We are quite aware that the crime rate in the United States of America is on the increase and most of the people who are involved in these crimes are predominantly within the youth age bracket.

From our research and investigation, we realized that people most often than not, go into crime when they are not gainfully employed, or when they are not involved in any cause or sport et al.

So, what we intend doing at Pro-Youth Foundation is to help youths stay out of trouble, by providing support, training, counseling and mentoring to as many as we can reach. We are of the opinion that once youths are placed on the right track, and they are given the needed support and platforms, there is no limit to what they can achieve for themselves and for the nation.

The youths of any country cannot be ignored in the development and advancement of the country which is why we are leveraging on our experience in governance and politics to get as much youths as we can reach in the United States of America and Canada involve politics and governance.

The founders of Pro-Youth Foundation are people with robust experience in governance, enterprise development, social work and legal matters, amongst other fields. The founding members are Dr. Shavonne Solomon who has over 30 years of experience working with various leading NGOs in the United States of America.

Prof Shannon John who has over 35 years of experience as a lecturer and a Peak Performance cum Development Coach. Others are; Dr. Lois Kingsley a Lawyer of repute and Dr. Kamsi Emmanuel a renowned political analyst and adviser to many US presidents.

We run a standard skill acquisition school; a place where youths can come in and acquire skills that will help them successfully launch their businesses. Also, we also run a sport training facility where youths can register and get themselves involved in one sport or the other.

Pro Youth Foundation Partners with the government, institutions, corporate organizations and other Non – profits organization et al to achieve our aims and objectives. We operate from New York City (Our Headquarters) and we intend setting up our offices in different regions in the United States of America and Canada, so as to enable us connect with youths and children in these regions.

Success Benchmark

We have been able to identify some of the major causes of crimes in our society and we have perfected our plans on how to reduce these crimes in North America. Although we have outlined actions to be taken in order to achieve our goals, but we are not ruling out the fact that it might be a bit challenging to measure our success rate.

Nevertheless, we would consider our foundation to have attained great success if we are able to scale through all the following factors:

If we are able to train and empower a minimum of 50,000 Youths to run their own business annually in North America.
If we are able to secure 25 percent of elective positions for youths in government.
If we are able to reduce the crime rate by 10 percent annually in the United States of America and Canada.

What We Do

Basically, we try as much as we can to streamline our activities in Pro-Youth Foundation to areas where we know we can produce faster results when it comes to reducing crime rates and getting youths involved in enterprise development and governance in The United States of America and in Canada. These are some of the things we do are Pro-Youth Foundation:

Operate a Skill Acquisition, Empowerment and Development Centre
Professional Counseling
Mentoring and coaching
Operate a Standard Sports Facility
Youth Advocacy
Promotion of Youth involvement in Politics and Governance
Sourcing for scholarships for students

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

Our Vision as an Organization is to create a nation where youths will be actively involved in economic development of the country and governance and a country free from crime.
To join hands with the government and other stakeholders in empowering youths and in creating a crime free America and Canada.

Our Organization’s Structure

In order to fulfill our mission and also maximize the resource within our disposal per time, we have been able to start our not for profit organization with a few key full – time employees and volunteers / interns. We adopted this method because we are quite aware of the challenge of maintaining a large workforce as a Non – Profit organization.

In view of the above, we have decided to start Pro-Youth Foundation with the following key positions (both full – time and volunteers);

Board of Directors
Executive Director / President
Head of Administration and Personnel
Head of Communications and IT
Grants Officer
Programs Officer
Customer Service Office
Security Officer
Cleaners
Interns / Volunteers

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Board of Directors

Executive Director / President-:

Responsible for providing direction for the business
Creating, communicating, and implementing the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
Responsible for the day to day running of the business
Responsible for fixing prices
Responsible for recruitment
Responsible for payment of salaries
Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
Evaluates the success of the organization

Head of Administration and Personnel-:

Responsible for managing the daily activities of the back end office
Prepares payroll for the organization
Prepare monthly financial report for the organization
Interfaces with vendors and third party suppliers
Interfaces with our bankers (lodgment of cash, checks and bank drafts et al)
Responsible for payment of tax, levies and utility bills
Accomplishes human resource objectives by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, assigning, scheduling, coaching, counseling, and disciplining employees; communicating job expectations; planning, monitoring, appraising, and reviewing job contributions; planning and reviewing compensation actions; enforcing policies and procedures.
Achieves operational objectives by contributing information and recommendations to strategic plans and reviews; preparing and completing action plans; implementing production, productivity, quality, and customer-service standards; resolving problems; completing audits; identifying trends; determining system improvements; implementing change.
Meets financial objectives by forecasting requirements; preparing an annual budget; scheduling expenditures; analyzing variances; initiating corrective actions.
Performs any other reasonable duties and tasks as requested by the Foundation.

Head of Communications and IT-:

Responsible for handling all communications for the foundation
Responsible for writing and editing of reports, proposals, letters and press release et al for the foundations
Works with a relevant team to develop / review promotion materials and brochures for the foundation
Responsible for training office staff on emailing and communications etiquettes
Responsible for managing the company’s official website and all her social media profiles

Grants Officer-:

Participates in sharing and planning meetings to discuss and address issues related to Grant program implementation for the foundation
Assists in the provision of technical and logistical support in the grants review and selection process to ensure it is in compliance with the various policies, financial guidelines and budget requirements of the Foundation
Works closely with outcome area managers, to strategize and set in motion, the grants streams supportive of the Foundation’s four outcome areas
Contributes to the development the Grants’ monitoring and evaluation framework and assists in its implementation including baseline data gathering, monitoring and evaluation strategies and systems to effectively project results
Conducts occasional field visits in accordance with the monitoring and evaluation plan and in coordination with other Grants program team officers or other Foundation staff
Facilitates regular communication with grantees, maintains cooperative partnerships between the Foundation and the grantees and other possible stakeholders
Performs any other reasonable duties and tasks as requested by the Foundation.

Programs Officer-:

Responsible for developing programs and events that fall in line with the foundation’s goal and objectives
Works closely with the teams across Key Areas to contribute to the Foundation’s commitment to build a culture of learning in Participatory Governance through the implementation of a communication for development policy.
Supports colleagues in delivering the Foundation’s objectives, including assisting in events and initiatives that fall outside the direct responsibilities of this post.
Represents the Foundation at meetings, functions and events, some of which may occur outside normal office hours and may involve long-distance travel.
Responsible for all the company’s training activities
Facilitates and coordinates strategic sessions.
Performs any other reasonable duties and tasks as requested by the Foundation.

Customer Service Office-:

Responsible for managing the front desk of the organization
Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In Centre, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the foundation’s services
Performs any other reasonable duties and tasks as requested by the Foundation

Security Officer-:

Ensures that the office of the foundation is safe at all time
Reviews security concerns and communicate safety measures to staff and management at regular intervals
Responsible for monitoring the foundation’s CCTV
Ensures that visitors and the belongings are safe
Ensures that cars packed within designated areas are safe
Control traffic and organize parking
Patrols around the building on a 24 hours basis
Submits security reports weekly
Performs any other reasonable duties and tasks as requested by the Foundation.

Cleaner-:

Responsible for cleaning the office facility at all times
Ensures that toiletries and supplies don’t run out of stock
Cleans both the interior and exterior of the building
Runs errands for the foundation
Performs any other reasonable duties and tasks as requested by the Foundation.

Interns / Volunteers-:

Works on short term projects like data capturing, administrative support and program support et al for the foundation
Assists various key officer in the foundation to meet up with set targets and goals
Runs errands for the foundation
Serves as ushers during programs
Performs any other reasonable duties and tasks as requested by the Foundation.

6. SWOT Analysis

In order for us to perform optimally and achieve our aims and objectives as a foundation, we have decided to subject ourselves and the foundation to critical a SWOT analysis. This is why we provided a sample non-profit marketing plan template to help you out with conducting a SWOT analysis.

In as much as we are not set out to maximize profits in all that we do as a foundation, we are quite aware that once we are able to lay bare our strength, weakness, opportunities and threats on paper, it will make it easier for us to grow as a sound not for profit organization and achieve what we have set out for ourselves to achieve. Here is a summary of the SWOT analysis that was conducted for Pro-Youth Foundation;

Strength-:

Our strength as a foundation is anchored on the expertise and robust experience that our founding directors are bringing to the table. Beyond their expertise and robust experience, their network is also a great strength for the foundation.

For illustration; one of our founding directors can boast of a close relationship with the ’crème de la crème’ in America, because he has served as a special adviser to three US presidents. With our rich network base, fund raising wouldn’t be as difficult as it ought to be and lastly, the fact that we work with youths makes it easier for us to get volunteers to help us achieve our aims and objectives.

Weakness-:

Our weakness just like the weakness of most not for profit organization is the ability to attract the best hand in the industry to help us man our key positions. It is no longer a hidden thing that non – profit organizations find it difficult to compete with corporate organizations when it comes to recruiting employees to occupy key positions.

This is simply because they can’t match – up with the wages that is usually offered by these corporate organizations. Most Non – profit organizations find it difficult to attract, pay and keep experts in their payroll.

Opportunities-:

The opportunities before us as a foundation working towards empowering youths and helping the country reduce crime rates in the society are unlimited. Because of the cause we have chosen to pursue, we are sure of getting support from government and key stakeholders in the United States of America and Canada. There are loads of donor organizations that will be willing to partner with us once we present our proposals to them.

Threat-:

One of the major threats that we stand to face as a not – for profit organization is generating the required fund needed to achieve our aims and objectives, recruiting and retaining key and competent employees, as well as managing our financial and human resources.

7. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

So, we are already out there sourcing for grants and supports from organizations that will help us hit the ground running when we officially open our office to the public. These are some of the areas where we will need money and an estimated amount needed to take care of them;

The Fee for Incorporating the Foundation: $725.
The budget for insurance, permits and license: $10,000
The Amount needed to rent an office facility with halls and space from training and organizing events: $100,000.
The Cost of Launching a Website: $600
The Cost for the purchase of software (accounting software, project management software, CRM software et al): $500
The cost for purchasing office equipment and electrical appliances: $20,000
Overhead cost for a 6 month period: $72,000
Additional Expenditure (Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions et al): $5,000

The minimum amount that we would need to be able to put things in place for us to successfully launch Pro-Youth Foundation is estimated to be $250,000. It could be lower because are looking towards receiving some donations in the form of equipment and gadgets.

Sources of Income for the Foundation

At Pro-Youth Foundation, our major source of revenue is accessing grants from donor agencies and individuals who are interested in partnering with us to reduce the crime rate in United States of America and Canada. Our board of members are on the front line when it comes to individuals that are not just ready to give us their time but people who are willing to commit their resources to the noble cause that we are set out to achieve.

Aside from the fact that we are going to depend on grants from donor agencies, government and good spirited individuals to finance most of projects, we have also set out plans to organize events like sports, and talent shows et al, where tickets will be sold to people who are interested in attending the events.

We will also generate money from exhibitions (we intend selling crafts or any products produced by students and graduates from our skill acquisition college). These are areas where we intend generating income for our foundation;

Grants
Donations from Board Members
Fund Raising Events (Fund Raising Dinners et al)
Revenues from Sales of Tickets at our events
Revenues from Exhibitions (crafts and other products)
Revenues from renting of training facilities
Revenues from sponsorship deals

Generating Fund / Startup Capital for Pro Youth Foundation

Starting a non – profit organization can be truly challenging especially when you don’t have the needed connection to access funds required to kick start the project. We are aware of these challenges, which is why we have worked hard to assemble people who are philanthropic in nature to form our board.

In a nutshell, we have marked out the following sources as avenues where we will generate the start – up capital needed to launch Pro Youth Foundation;

Donations from Our Board Members
Obtaining loan from the bank
From Pre – Launch Funding Raising Event (Dinner)

8. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

Sustaining Non – profit organizations can be truly difficult for obvious reasons. The fact that Non – profit organizations depend of grants and donations to execute their projects and also to maintain their facility and workforce means that they must always be on their toes if they want to continue to stay afloat.

We have been able to identify reasons why Non – profit organizations close shop or remain redundant, and we have mapped out strategies that will help us overcome the challenges. In the bid to continue to stay afloat, we will run exhibitions and events that will help us generate funds in addition to the grants and donations that available to NGOs in the US and Canada.

We have also perfected strategies to build relationships and networks around big time donors (corporate donors and individuals (philanthropic) in the United States of America and Canada.

Maintaining large overheads can be financially demanding for Non – profits organizations, which is why we have put structures and processes in place that will help us conveniently work with volunteers and interns on various projects and even in our office operations.

Although, we intend setting up our offices in New York City and in Toronto, Canada, but with time we have the plans to spread to other regions in the US and Canada.

Check List / Milestone

Business Name Availability Check: Completed
Business Incorporation: Completed
Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts: Completed
File for Tax Exemption Status: In Progress
Registration with State Agency: Completed
Purchase of business and liability insurance: Completed
Renting and furnishing our office facility: Completed
Conducting feasibility studies: Completed
writing of business plan: Completed
Formation of Board of Trustees: Completed
Creating of organization’s by law: Completed
Drafting of proposals and grants request letters: Completed
Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
Drafting of Contract Documents and other relevant Legal Documents: Completed
Design of The Foundation’s Logo: Completed
Graphic Designs (on the body of the truck) and Printing of Marketing / Promotional Materials: In Progress
Recruitment of key employees: In Progress
Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
Purchase of software (Accounting, HR, Project Management and CRM et al): Completed
Creating Awareness for the foundation both online and in the neighborhood: In Progress
Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement in our facility: Completed
Design and preparation of our training modules: Completed
Plans for Fund Raising Dinner: In Progress.