Write your business plan

Describe:

• Your group
• Your vision
• Your project in general
• Its aims
• And who you are trying to help

Describe:

• Your location
• Your community

You can include maps, plans and photos in an appendix.

Describe the results of:

• Your community audit
• Your surveys

Make it clear that you have:

• Checked out the competition
• Found a real gap in the market
• And are proposing something different

Describe:

• How you will manage the activities in the long-term
• Your policies and procedures
• o/more/church-resources/churchcare/making-changes-your-building-and-churchyard/organise-yourselves (e.g. faculty)
• And how you are going to sort them out

Describe in detail:

• Who will manage it (e.g. staff or volunteers)
• How you will find them
• What skills you need
• Your partners

Describe in detail:

• Your assets (e.g. your building)
• Any building work (include plans)
• What equipment you need
• Where you are going to get it
• Any IT needs

Capital funding means money paid for one-off things. They include:

• Professional advice
• Building costs
• Marketing

Important: If your funder says that they will pay for your overheads or core costs (i.e. full cost recovery), include them here.

Revenue funding is the cost of running your activities every day. This includes:

• Utility bills
• Rates
• Insurance
• Salaries for paid workers
• Expenses for volunteers
• Rent
• Maintenance and repairs

A budget includes your overall project costs and your income. Make sure everything balances out.

Top tips:

• Build in some flexibility
• Be realistic and do your research
• Don’t underestimate costs to make your project sound cheaper. You might run out of money!
• Don’t overestimate either. Funders might think others can do it for less

Describe where you are getting the money to pay to get the project going:

• Grants and donations
• Reclaim your VAT
• Community fundraising activities
• Your own cash (maybe 10%)
• In-kind support (e.g. volunteer time or free-labour from local businesses)
• Loans

Then show where the money will come from once the new activities are up and running.

How will people find out where you are and what you do?

• Leaflets
• Adverts in the local press
• Signage
• A website
• Local directories
• Special events

How much will it cost to tell them?

Find out more about keeping people informed

Your group wrote down specific objectives to describe exactly what you were trying to achieve.

Now, write down criteria to help you evaluate the success of each objective. And think of ways to monitor those criteria.