Making a Difference: Business Planning & Measuring Impact
Course Description
Running a small community organisation often means juggling day-to-day priorities while trying to think about the bigger picture.
This practical two-hour session will give you the opportunity to step back and think about what you want your organisation to achieve, how you can turn those ambitions into a realistic plan, and how you can demonstrate the difference your work makes.
We’ll explore some simple, proportionate approaches to planning and measuring impact, including:
• understanding the link between what your organisation does and the difference you want to make
• setting clear SMART objectives
• turning your intended impact into a broad operational plan
• thinking about the resources you need, including developing a simple financial plan that balances income and expenditure
• gathering useful feedback, data and stories to help demonstrate your impact.
The session is designed with small community groups and organisations in mind. There’s no expectation that you need a lengthy or complicated business plan – the focus is on practical tools and approaches that can help you make progress.
There will be opportunities to work through practical activities, share ideas and discuss challenges with others. Come along with your questions, ideas and current challenges – and leave with some practical ways to strengthen your organisation’s planning and demonstrate its impact.
What we’ll cover:
• Understanding the link between your activities, the outcomes you want to achieve and the impact you want to make
• Setting clear SMART objectives that help turn your ambitions into action
• Creating a broad operational plan based on the impact you want to have
• Identifying the resources, opportunities and challenges that will affect your plans
• Developing a simple financial plan to help balance income and expenditure
• Gathering feedback, data and stories to understand and demonstrate your impact
• Practical activities and discussion throughout
Who Should Attend?
This session is aimed at trustees, staff and volunteers involved in running, planning or developing small community groups and organisations.
It would be particularly useful if you:
• want to clarify what your organisation is trying to achieve and the difference you want to make
• are developing or reviewing your organisation’s plans
• want to turn your priorities into clear and achievable objectives
• need to think about the resources and finances needed to deliver your plans
• want to develop simple ways of gathering feedback and demonstrating your impact
• are preparing for funding applications, reporting to funders or planning future activities.
No previous experience of business planning or impact measurement is needed. The session will focus on practical, proportionate approaches that can be adapted to the needs and resources of small community organisations.
How to Book
To access these courses free of charge, bookings must be made through Volunteer Centre Dorset. Please do not register for the courses directly with the training provider, as a charge may apply.
To enrol staff or volunteers, a volunteer coordinator, manager or similar representative from your organisation should click the link below to email us with the full name, email address and chosen course(s) for each person you would like to enrol. We’ll then arrange access to the training for you.
