Anyone know about nonprofit business planning? ( at-risk youth organization)?

Question

I'm already incorporated, I need a business plan!

Answer 1

Just about every state has a small business development agency. They exist to help with questions like this. Most--if not all--will give new clients a few hours of technical assistance free of charge. Call yours and find out if this is the case.

The advice you get from a SBDC--even if it's just a referral to another agency--is likely to be much better than what you'll find online.

Having said that... Why do you need a business plan? Is this for internal planning--to help you understand your own goals? Are you preparing to take out a loan or solicit investors? Are you chasing grant dollars? Effective writing is always tailored to the audience, and a good business plan will be written with one of these purposes in mind. The best advice I can give you is to think about how you'll use your business plan before putting pen to paper.

Sometimes, particularly if you're applying for a specific grant, the funding agency can be a great source of advice. It doesn't hurt to call them and ask what they like to see in a successful application. They can often tell you exactly how detailed they'd like the business plan to be, and what questions it should address.

I'm attaching a link to an SBDC trade group--you can use it to look up a local development center. You will also find dozens of good books on business planning in most libraries.

Good luck.