The Nonprofit Business Plan

A fresh, compelling approach to establishing a sustainable, results-driven nonprofit business plan.

Nonprofits often use the terms “strategic planning” and “business planning” interchangeably, but a good business plan goes beyond the traditional strategic plan with its focus on mission and vision, goals and objectives. The Nonprofit Business Plan, created by the nationally recognized experts at La Piana Consulting, helps your nonprofit organization understand what a strategic business plan is and why you need one, then provides a practical, proven process for creating a successful, sustainable business model. This groundbreaking resource further explains how your nonprofit can determine whether a potential undertaking is economically viable—a vital tool in today’s economic climate—and how to understand and solve challenges as they arise.

With detailed instructions, worksheets, essential tools, case studies, and a rigorous financial analysis methodology presented clearly and accessibly for executives, board members, and consultants, The Nonprofit Business Plan is also an important resource for non-specialist audiences such as funders and investors. This innovative step-by-step guide will provide your team with a solid set of business decisions so that your nonprofit can achieve maximum results for years to come.


“No matter who you are—nonprofit CEO, board member, business school professor, or student—you’ll come away with a real-world sense of what makes a strong strategic plan or business plan and when to use one or the other . . . or both in tandem.” —Lester Strong, Vice President of Experience Corps, AARP

“This new book is a very useful and timely complement to The Nonprofit Strategy Revolution. Having reaped the benefits of that book, we are now changing our business model to further our mission by developing new revenue streams.” —James Firman, Executive Director, National Council on Aging

“This book will prove an indispensable guide to business planning for nonprofit leaders and a great tool to help students of nonprofit management learn how to assess a business model and build a better one.” —Kevin Kearns, Professor, University of Pittsburgh

“A great read that will meet the needs of nonprofit leaders.” —Michael Mortell, Director, Strategy Counts!; Intellectual Capital Division, Alliance for Children and Families
 
“After reading this book, organizational leaders will have a clear understanding of the components of good business planning and a practical understanding of why and how to go about the process.” —Lillian Roselin, Program Officer, John Muir/Mt. Diablo Community Health Fund

DAVID LA PIANA, bestselling author of The Nonprofit Strategy Revolution and The Nonprofit Mergers Workbook, is a leading expert on strategy for nonprofit organizations. He is the founder of La Piana Consulting, a firm specializing in strategy and business planning, mergers, and other forms of strategic restructuring for nonprofit organizations. His coauthors are Heather Gowdy, Senior Manager for Research and Innovation at La Piana Consulting and coauthor of Convergence: How Five Trends Will Reshape the Social Sector; Lester Olmstead-Rose, a Partner at La Piana Consulting and a leading strategy consultant; and Brent Copen, Chief Financial Officer at Asian Americans for Community Involvement and a former Senior Manager at La Piana Consulting. La Piana team members frequently speak at nonprofit gatherings and regularly contribute to the national dialogue on nonprofit strategy.