THE BUSINESS PLAN

BLUEPRINT: DESIGN FOR

IMPACT AND

SUSTAINABILITY

SHELLI BISCHOFF President & CEO

Nonprofit Impact

Email: shelli@nonprofitimpact.com

Purpose

• Introduce the business plan blueprint as a

tool to guide growth, development, and

impact; and to tell your story and attract the

support you deserve

• Create an individualized

blueprint

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Agenda

• Introduction

• Presentations and work sessions

• Common gaps or conclusions

• Action plan

• Telling the story

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Integrated Strategy: Align and

Integrate

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Next-Level Success:

Leverage

Identity

• Focus: your core, who you are

• Position: the place you occupy within a

given niche

What is your next-level

strategic focus and

position?

Constituents

• Target markets: those most likely to take

action on your behalf

• Marketing: a deep understanding of the

target market to be most relevant and

resonant

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Segment

Segment Segment

Segment

How do people relate to

Meals on Wheels?

Strategic Partners

A specific and defined type of partner

relationship; interdependent, requiring an

explicit and more formalized relationship (i.e.,

not everyone who is a stakeholder).

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Capacity

• Organizational development: alignment of

strategies, structures, staffing, systems

(including leadership, management,

governance)

• Business model: the generation and

allocation of resources

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What are the organizational

and resource implications of

your next level?

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

Impact

• Metrics of success

• Cohesive, comprehensive story

Impact = success = organizational stability

and sustainability

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Business Plan Blueprint

• Comprehensive integrated approach

• Integrates programming, marketing,

organizational development (and plans)

• A single picture—the blueprint to build a

deliberate and solid foundation for your work

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Purpose • Guides next level growth or sustainability

• Guides decisions and actions towards a

cohesive, focused vision and direction

• Helps to maintain focus and a consistent

message

• Tells the story

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1. Introduction

a. Purpose

b. Process

c. Overview and prefaces

2. Situation Analysis

a. External analysis

b. Internal analysis

3. Organization Description

a. Vision, mission, goals

b. Legal form and history

c. Distinctive competence

d. Strategic issues and focus

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4. Markets a. Market analysis

b. Market segments

c. Target market profiles

d. Competition

5. Products, Services, and Programs a. Core products, services, or programs

b. Supporting products, services, or programs

c. Value proposition

6. Outreach Strategies a. Marketing, communication, and public relations

b. Direct contact, promotion, media (earned, paid, social), advertising

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7. Strategic Partnerships a. Necessary partners and complementary strengths

b. Partner relationship strategies

8. Organizational Development a. Leadership and governance

b. Management and staffing

c. Structure, systems, and processes

9. Finances a. Revenue model

b. Projected income and expenses

Guide to Creating a Blueprint

• Review guide content for each section

• Answer core questions for each section

• Address any gaps in blueprint drafts in a

final whole-group discussion

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1. Introduction

Purpose of the Blueprint

• A description of the plan’s intended audience

• A summary of the highlights of the

document; “plan at a glance”

• Prefaces to assist the reader, such as a

glossary of terms or acronyms

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2. Situation Analysis

Provides context for the Blueprint; defines current

and future operating environment?

• Sets up the rationale for what follows (e.g.,

because of X trend, we will offer Y program…)

• Defines the environment in which you operate,

thus informing challenges and opportunities

• Provides the data and information to help

determine feasibility and sustainability

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2. Situation Analysis

Situation analysis is more than a list of strengths,

weaknesses, opportunities, or threats (SWOT)

Focuses on most relevant or dominant trends and

issues

• What does this mean for our organization?

Focuses on implications for implementation of the

business blueprint

• What obstacles/deficits must be addressed?

• What opportunities/strengths can be leveraged?

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SWOT is NOT Analysis

Analysis is the objective and critical examination of relevant

information and data to determine fundamental issues or

root causes and to inform decisions and choices given

operating conditions, parameters, and desired outcomes

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Characteristics of Good Analysis

Objective: without bias or prejudice

Systematic: adherence to an orderly methodology

Comprehensive/holistic

Diagnostic: identifies causes, not symptoms

Efficient: does not over analyze

Qualitative, not necessarily quantitative, research

Confidentiality, anonymity, and impunity

3. Organization Description

Who and what the organization is.

• Org. purpose—its mission and intended impact

• Delineates foundational strategic decisions

• Summarizes strategic focus (goals)

• Is the plan’s raison d’être • Everything that follows describes how the

organization will deliver the impact

• Guiding principles, values, or operating parameters

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4. Markets

Defines potential market, segments within that

market, and profiles your selected target

market(s).

• Market analysis

• Competition

• Target market profiles H

• Helps build constituency to be constituent-

centered

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4. Markets

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4. Sample

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5. Products, Services, And

Programs Describes the offerings for target markets in pursuit

of mission

• A clear, specific description of what you offer

• Connects the dots between your offerings and

your impact

• Connects the dots between your offerings and the

needs and interests of your target markets

• Defines rationale for revenue model

• (offerings value revenue from those who care

about that value and have means to support it)

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6. Outreach Strategies

Describes how you will communicate and

connect with target market

• The best outreach strategies are informed by

a deep understanding of that market

• Outreach strategies generally include

• Direct contact

• Indirect contact through traditional or social media

• Events or promotions

• Earned or paid media

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6. Marketing, PR,

Communications

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6. SAMPLE

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7. Strategic Partnerships

Describes those few individuals, organizations, or

businesses that must be your strategic partners.

• Defines with whom and for what purpose you will

collaborate (and implies with whom and in what

areas you don’t plan to collaborate)

• Signals the amount of effort to contribute to

collaborative efforts and that you are thoughtful in

developing and structuring partnerships

• Focuses partner relationship work

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8. Organizational Development

Describes current or projected organizational

capacity in order to achieve strategic goals.

• Defines how you will coordinate, organize,

and manage resources to achieve goals

• Provides a “reality check”: does capacity

support vision and execution?

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8. Alignment

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9. Finances:

Sources And Uses Of Funds

The numerical translation of the blueprint

• Demonstrates the financial feasibility of the

plan and the organization

• Communicates what it will really cost to

deliver impact

• Helps reader understand their investment

options and (social) return on investment

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9. Revenue Model

• Your mix of revenue sources and the strategies you will use to secure those funds

• Based on an understanding of the operating environment, value proposition, and those supporters / potential supporters who care about that value and have means

• Revenue-raising strategies represent deliberate decisions about how to best connect with supporters

• Comprehensive; aligns and coordinates your organizational approach to resource development

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9. Financial Continuum

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Putting it All Together

Action Steps

• Gaps

• Common issues

• Action steps

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