# Strategic Plan [YYYY to YYYY]: [Organisation name]

> A three to five year strategic plan for a charity or nonprofit:
> mission and vision, where the organisation stands now, the theory of
> change the strategy rests on, strategic goals and objectives with
> measures and targets, the financial and people plan, risks, and how
> the board will monitor delivery. Based on common nonprofit strategy
> practice; it links to the organisation's theory of change and reserves
> policy. The example, Brackenfold Reading Trust's plan for 2027 to
> 2031, is fictional and reports in USD. Replace every `[bracketed]`
> value and every row marked *Example*.

<!--
Guidance: How to use this template
- Agree the theory of change (section 3) before writing goals: each
  goal should strengthen a pathway in it. A goal that maps to no
  outcome is an activity looking for a reason.
- Keep it short: three to five goals, two to four objectives each,
  one or two measures per objective. Put detailed work plans in annual
  operating plans, not here.
- Involve beneficiaries, staff, volunteers, funders and partners, and
  record how (section 2.3). The board approves the plan; management
  delivers it.
- Common pitfall: targets with no baseline and no money behind them.
  Every target in section 4 needs a baseline, and section 5 must show
  how it is paid for.
-->

## Document control

<!-- Guidance: The board approves the plan. Record the plan period, the review cycle and who reports progress. -->

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Document ID | [STR-YYYY-YYYY] |
| Organisation | [Legal name, registration number] |
| Plan period | [YYYY to YYYY] |
| Version | [1.0] |
| Status | [Draft / Consultation / Approved] |
| Owner | [@chief-executive] |
| Approved by | [Board, minute reference] |
| Last updated | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Mid-term review | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Classification | [Public summary; full plan internal] |

### Approvals

| Role | Name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Chief executive | [Name] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Chair of the board | [Name] | YYYY-MM-DD |

### Revision history

| Version | Date | Author | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@author] | Plan approved |
| 1.1 *(Example)* | YYYY-MM-DD | [@chief-executive] | Mid-term review: G3 target revised |

## 1. Mission, vision and values

<!-- Guidance: Mission is what you do and for whom; vision is the world you want; values guide how you work. Use the wording in your governing document's purposes as the boundary. -->

| Item | Statement |
|---|---|
| Purposes (from governing document) | [Legal objects] |
| Mission | [What we do, for whom] |
| Vision | [The change we want to see] |
| Values | [Three to five values with one line each] |
| *Example:* Mission | Brackenfold helps children in [Region] become confident readers, working with their families and schools |
| *Example:* Vision | Every child in our districts leaves primary school reading with understanding |

## 2. Where we are now

<!-- Guidance: Summarise the evidence, not the history. Use a short SWOT or PESTLE and give baselines that the targets in section 4 will use. -->

### 2.1 Context

[Need, policy environment, funding environment, other providers.]
*Example:* about one in three children in the three districts leave
primary school unable to read with understanding; local library hours
were cut in YYYY.

### 2.2 Baseline

| Measure | Baseline (year) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| [Measure] | [Value] | [Source] |
| *Example:* Children reached a year | 2,150 (2026) | Programme database |
| *Example:* Children improving at least one reading level | 68% (2026) | Pre and post assessment |
| *Example:* Total income | 2,400,000 (2026) | Audited accounts |
| *Example:* Unrestricted share of income | 65% (2026) | Audited accounts |
| *Example:* Active volunteers | 410 (2026) | Volunteer records |

### 2.3 How this plan was developed

[Consultations held, with whom and when, and what changed as a result.]

## 3. Theory of change link

<!-- Guidance: Summarise the pathway from the full theory of change and show which goal strengthens which outcome. Link the full document. -->

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    G1["G1 Reach more children"] --> O1["Children read regularly with a trained adult"]
    G2["G2 Involve families"] --> O2["Families read together weekly"]
    O1 --> O3["Children improve reading levels"]
    O2 --> O3
    O3 --> L["Children leave primary school reading with understanding"]
    G3["G3 Strong, sustainable organisation"] --> G1
    G3 --> G2
```

Full theory of change: [link to the theory of change document].

## 4. Strategic goals, objectives and measures

<!-- Guidance: For each goal, list objectives with a measure, baseline, target and owner. Number them so annual plans and board reports can trace back. -->

| ID | Goal and objective | Measure | Baseline | Target (final year) | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [G1.1] | [Objective] | [Measure] | [Value] | [Value] | [@owner] |
| G1.1 *(Example)* | Reach more children through volunteer reading partners | Children reached a year | 2,150 | 3,500 | [@programme-lead] |
| G1.2 *(Example)* | Serve estates with no library | Estates served weekly by reading vans | 10 | 22 | [@programme-lead] |
| G2.1 *(Example)* | Family reading sessions in every partner library | Families attending three or more sessions | 640 | 1,100 | [@family-lead] |
| G2.2 *(Example)* | Improve outcomes | Children improving at least one reading level | 68% | 75% | [@evaluation-lead] |
| G3.1 *(Example)* | Diversify income | Total income | 2,400,000 | 3,200,000 | [@chief-executive] |
| G3.2 *(Example)* | Keep reserves in range | Free reserves within the reserves policy range | Within range | Within range every year | [@treasurer] |
| G3.3 *(Example)* | Retain volunteers | Volunteers active after 12 months | 58% | 70% | [@volunteer-lead] |

Annual milestones for G1.1 *(Example)*: 2,400 (2027), 2,700 (2028),
3,000 (2029), 3,250 (2030), 3,500 (2031).

## 5. Financial plan

<!-- Guidance: Show income and expenditure by year at summary level, the main income sources and how the reserves target moves with the budget. State the assumptions. -->

| Year | Total income | Unrestricted expenditure | Reserves range (3.5 to 4.5 months) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 baseline *(Example)* | 2,400,000 | 1,560,000 | 455,000 to 585,000 |
| 2027 *(Example)* | 2,540,000 | 1,650,000 | about 481,000 to 619,000 |
| 2028 *(Example)* | 2,690,000 | 1,750,000 | about 510,000 to 656,000 |
| 2029 *(Example)* | 2,850,000 | 1,850,000 | about 540,000 to 694,000 |
| 2030 *(Example)* | 3,020,000 | 1,960,000 | about 572,000 to 735,000 |
| 2031 *(Example)* | 3,200,000 | 2,080,000 | about 607,000 to 780,000 |

*Example assumptions:* income grows about 5.9% a year (from 2,400,000
to 3,200,000 over five years); unrestricted expenditure stays at about 65% of
income; the "Every Child a Reader" campaign raises 1,200,000 restricted
funds over three years for G1.1, G1.2 and G2.1. Ranges are rounded to the nearest thousand.

## 6. People and capabilities

<!-- Guidance: Name the staff, volunteer, skills, systems and governance changes the goals need. -->

| Need | Change | When |
|---|---|---|
| [Need] | [Change] | [Year] |
| *Example:* Volunteer coordination for 300 more volunteers | Two more coordinators | 2027 to 2028 |
| *Example:* Outcome data | New assessment database | 2027 |
| *Example:* Board skills | Recruit a trustee with fundraising experience | 2027 |

## 7. Risks

<!-- Guidance: List the strategic risks, not operational detail. Link each to the goal it threatens and the mitigation. -->

| ID | Risk | Goal | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [STR-R01] | [Risk] | [G] | [L/M/H] | [L/M/H] | [Mitigation] | [@owner] |
| STR-R01 *(Example)* | Campaign falls short of its goal | G1, G2 | Medium | High | Quiet phase must reach 60% before launch; phase the second van | [@head-of-fundraising] |
| STR-R02 *(Example)* | Volunteer recruitment stalls | G1 | Medium | High | Partner with employers for volunteering days | [@volunteer-lead] |
| STR-R03 *(Example)* | Safeguarding incident | All | Low | High | Safeguarding policy, checks, training | [@safeguarding-lead] |

## 8. Monitoring, review and reporting

<!-- Guidance: Say who reports what, how often, and when the plan is formally reviewed. Annual operating plans turn the goals into work. -->

| Activity | Who | When |
|---|---|---|
| Annual operating plan and budget from this plan | [Chief executive] | Each year before the budget |
| Progress report on section 4 measures | [Chief executive to board] | [Quarterly] |
| Mid-term review of goals and targets | [Board away day] | [Year 3] |
| Public progress summary | [Chief executive] | Annual report |

## 9. Related templates

<!-- Guidance: Link the documents that feed and deliver the plan. -->

- [Theory of change](./theory-of-change.md) for the pathway in section 3
- [Reserves policy](./reserves-policy.md) for the reserves range in section 5
- [Fundraising case for support](./fundraising-case-for-support.md) for the campaign in section 5
- [Impact report](./impact-report.md) for annual results against section 4
- [KPI scorecard](../business/kpi-scorecard.md) for the board progress report
- [PESTLE analysis](../business/pestle-analysis.md) for the context in section 2
- [OKR](../business/okr.md) for quarterly team goals under each objective

## Glossary

- **Goal:** a broad result the organisation wants by the end of the plan.
- **Objective:** a specific, measurable step towards a goal.
- **Baseline:** the value of a measure at the start of the plan.
- **Theory of change:** the explained pathway from activities to long-term change.
- **Free reserves:** unrestricted funds freely available to spend.

## Standard and licence note

Based on common nonprofit strategic planning practice; no single
standard governs strategic plans. For board responsibilities in setting
strategy, see the Charity Governance Code (2025 edition,
eight principles, https://www.charitygovernancecode.org/en) and your
regulator's guidance. The structure, text and fictional Brackenfold
figures are original. Template licence: MIT.