Looking for a sample volunteer business plan so you can get funding for a non-profit business? Most volunteer positions won't require a business plan, but a full-scale non-profit will need a document describing the intended use of proceeds and the market in which it will operate. Having only volunteers on staff does not automatically mean you won't need a personnel plan in the business plan, particularly if people are paid benefits or if they come onboard at specific times. You'll want to show any revenues the business generates and how they're routed back to the company. Non-profit doesn't mean the operation doesn't process income, so having a profit and loss statement (often called "surplus and deficit") is customary. A volunteer business plan also needs to cover these questions:
• What service will your business provide?
• What are the incentives as registering as a 501(c)(3) and how will you capitalize on them?
• Are you in direct competition with anyone?
• Who are your partners or collaborating agencies likely to be?
• What is the cash burn rate you envision?
The business plan for a volunteer agency or any other non-profit should have a market analysis section that outlines your market and the intervention that your company makes. If you serve the homeless, how many people in the region would be eligible for the service? If you advocate for the rights of single-parent families, can you tell from the Census reporting what size of a market that is for your business? The details are important, both because backers will want to know, and because the pro forma that the plan needs to include -- whether three years or five years -- should use assumptions that can be tied back to verified inputs. Need assistance with a volunteer business plan? MasterPlans has worked with more than 10,000 clients since 2002, including hundreds of not-for-profit companies. Call us at 877-453-2011.
