At a time when so much is uncertain, especially Brexit, it can seem impossible to plan for your organisation's future; it's not as if you have a crystal ball. But that’s also an opportunity to take things into your own hands. The plan for Brexit will arrive from London via Brussels – in contrast, your business plan can be produced by you and your community.

So do you have a business plan? Do you know where it is? Is it in the back of a filing cabinet gathering dust? Is it 97 pages long and nobody’s ever read it?

This course will help you produce or update a business plan that investors will want to read, that stakeholders will want to make happen and that will help staff make everyday decisions.

A business plan shouldn’t be something people look at once every year or two; it shouldn’t be something just the CEO and board write and read; it’s not just something to cobble together when a (potential) funder asks to see it. There's no better time to get your business planning up to scratch.

By the end of the session, you will learn:

• What a business plan is for
• How to make sure it’s not something to do on top of everything else, but a tool to make everything else easier
• Which different types or formats you need for different stakeholders
• How to use it to improve day-to-day operations - not just inform your annual planning
• How to make sure it reflects your organisation’s values and ethos, as well as your USP and services

What else do I need to know/bring?
If your organisation has a business plan or strategy, it would be useful to bring a copy, but it’s not necessary. The same goes for a crystal ball.

Course level: Intermediate.

Who is this course suitable for?
It’s designed for managers, trustees and front-line staff with involvement in business planning.