Course Content

An expert level, facilitated series of small-group workshops

Over a series of seven monthly meetings, facilitated and supported by Caro Hart, our Community Training Consultant, we will support you to write a Business Plan for your organisation.

Each session will build on the next to take you in a structured way through the whole process. We will give you a template to work through, but the sessions will help you to make it your own. During the process, you will be taking ideas, templates and knowledge back to your organisation which will help develop the whole team.

As a study group, you will share your expertise, constructively critique each other's work and shamelessly nick good practice ideas. At the end of each session you will identify actions you are going to accomplish before next time.

We will be covering several key concepts such as planning, risk management, financial sustainability, impact measurement and so on. As we cover these, you will be given free access to the relevant resources on the Academy for the period of the programme. This represents training worth more than £200.

THIS COURSE IS LIMITED TO 8 PLACES 

The sessions will cover roughly the following - although we will refine this as we go along:

  • 18th January 2024 An introduction to business planning
    • Group boundaries and how we will work together
    • What is involved in a Business Plan
    • Group work on identifying your own priorities
  • 22nd February 2024 Telling the story of your organisation
    • Origin stories and proof of need - the vision
    • Accomplishments, challenges and the difference you make
    • Group work on impact reporting
  • 21st March 2024 Core plans and goals
    • Strategic goals and how you are fulfilling your mission
    • Understanding the external context of your organisation
    • Organisational risk assessment
    • Group work on opportunities and threats
  •  18th April 2024 Marketing, partnerships and stakeholders
    • Stakeholder analysis
    • Market research and using it to drive strategy
    • Group work on marketing and communications planning 
  •  16th May 2024 Financial planning and cashflows
    • Presenting your financial position effectively - making solid assumptions
    • Cash-flow forecasting
    • Organisational risk management
    • Group work on quantifying fundraising and income generation
  • 20th June 2024 Creating a coherent narrative
    • Becoming a sustainable organisation
    • Mission to strategic goals to operational priorities!
    • Group work on showing the difference you have made
  • 18th July 2024 Summary and final planning
    • Reprise key areas
    • Critique drafts
    • Group work on action planning for completing any work outstanding


Please note that topics are subject to adjustment as the group decides.

Cost

This price is for all six sessions

Learning journey

All the courses referenced in the workshops, including these, will be free to participants:

Subscription options

Manage your organisation's training costs with affordable subscriptions for small, medium and large organisations. Alternatively take out subscription for one person. Both cover more than 80 courses and money off courses like this one.

Charging policy

DCA is committed to producing as much affordable training as we can.  While some of the courses are charged-for, we offer subscription options to ensure that they are affordable (as above).  Our courses still remain some of the best value in the industry.

We will offer money-off  vouchers and special offers every month, so do look out for Academy news and promotions in our e-newsletters and at networking events.  Sponsored courses will be free of charge. 

You will receive a receipt upon purchasing this course, so don't forget to claim the course fee back from your organisation if you are able to do so. 

We are a registered charity and our number is 1060910. You can donate towards our work here. Your support is appreciated.