Presentation by Christina Dempsey, Development Officer (LCVS)

1. Planning for Success
Christina Dempsey
Development Officer
LCVS
Contact: Info @lcvs.org.uk
0151 227 5177
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2. Whilst every effort has been
made to ensure accuracy,
Liverpool Charity and Voluntary
Services accept no liability for
any loss suffered as a result of
following any advice contained
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in this document.

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Planning for Success –
what we’ll cover
11.15 am until 12.15 am
• Business Planning – what , why, who and how
• Business Planning Process 1 – Who are you?
• Business Planning process 2 – Where are you now?
• Business Planning process 3 – Where do you want to be?
• Business Planning process 4 – How will you get there?
• Next Steps
• Questions

4. What is a
business plan
A Business Plan is a written
description of your organisation’s
future – it describes where you are
now, where you want to be in the
future and what you need to do to
get there.
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Why Plan?
• INTERNAL REASONS
• To create a shared vision
• A good planning process can bring an organisation together. It can help Trustees,
staff and volunteers feel that they are all working for the same goal.
• To set priorities and targets
• Good strategic planning helps to make sure that you do not have an over-ambitious
wish list. A strategic plan helps organisations to prioritise aims, objectives and what
they can realistically achieve and deliver.
• Review current work
• Key to planning strategically is taking stock of where you are now. The process will
help you evaluate and rethink how you are currently providing services and
activities.
• Stop ‘mission drift’
• If an organisation does not remember its core purpose, it can drift, take on too many
things and lose its identify. Planning strategically helps prevent this.

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Why Plan?
• EXTERNAL REASONS
• Need to make a case
• A strategic plan is needed to show that an idea can be turned into reality.
The plan can show that the organisation has properly thought through its
plan that is it realistic and will be accountable.
• To demonstrate good management
• Voluntary organisations need to show that there is good and efficient
management in place and that funds are used properly and efficiently.
• For fundraising (or investment)
• A strategic plan is a useful tool to explain the organisation, its vision and
strategies to potential funders. Increasingly funders also expect to see a
strategic plan. The plan is used to check that the ideas and thinking
behind the organisation are sound.

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Who is involved
and how?
• Ideally, everyone with an interest in the outcomes of the
plan should be involved at the earliest opportunity.
• As a minimum, this means the
trustees/directors/management committee, but also refers
to staff, volunteers, users and any relevant external parties
such as partners or other organisations with whom the
group works closely.
• Work out how people are to be involved, whether they are
to be decision makers, contributors of information,
opinions or ideas, or whether they just need to be kept
informed.

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What’s in a
business plan?
• Executive Summary
• Introduction, Vision & Mission
• Organisation Background
• Current Situation
• Market Analysis / Research – or Evidence of Need
• Strategic Aims & Objectives
• Marketing & Publicity
• Track Record and Resources
• Financial Plan
• Monitoring & Evaluation Processes
• Implementation Plan
The business plan should describe who you are, where you are now, where
you want to be and how you will get there

9. Business Planning
Process 1: Who are
you?
Who are you and what are you all
about?
What drives the organisation?
What is unique about the
organisation?
What are the outcomes and benefits it
provides?
What is its Vision and Mission?
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10. Business Planning
Process 2: Where
are you now?
All groups must have a realistic
assessment of:
1. A review of likely trends
2. A critical appraisal of the
organisation’s strengths and
weaknesses
3. The needs of beneficiaries
4. An understanding of the competition
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Business Planning
Process 3: Where
do you want to be?
The Hierarchy of planning
At the top of the
hierarchy are the
words that tell us why
an organisation exists;
while below them come
broad statements of
what the organisation
is trying to achieve;
and finally as we down
the hierarchy, there are
increasingly specific
statements of how an
organisation will do
things
The Golden Thread
Begin by looking at the vision and
mission – and getting a feel for the
overall direction of your organisation to
help inform the process.
The Golden Thread
Alternatively, it is possible to
work your way up the hierarchy;
achieving the outputs means
meeting objectives (planned
activities in this case), which
means realising the
organisation’s aims, which in
turn contributes to its mission.
Then develop priorities for action
(strategic aims) from the needs you
have established through your
community involvement. What the
organisation intends to do to complete
its mission and achieve its vision.
Look at what your activities organisation
will deliver (objectives) to help it to
achieve its vision, mission and aims.
Work through outputs, outcomes and
impacts from these activities – ensuring
a “golden thread” leading from the
vision, mission and aims.

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The Planning
Hierarchy
MISSION
AIM AIM AIM
Obj Obj Obj Obj Obj Obj
Outputs
Outcomes
Impacts
Why?
What?
How?
Results
Strategic
Planning
Business
Planning

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Business Planning
Process 4: How will
you get there?
1. Resources
2. Monitoring and Evaluation
3. Implementation Plan

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Next Steps
For further information, advice and
support, contact:
The Capacity Building Team
LCVS
Capacity.building@lcvs.org.uk
0151 227 5177

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Questions