Today’s Tips for NGOs 021615

I can’t underestimate the value of a well-thought-out business plan. Marketing consultants estimate that small businesses or nonprofits that take the time and effort to develop a comprehensive business plan that takes into account marketing (outreach and development) and revenue (fundraising) double their chances of success.

“The value of writing a business plan is often debated in the entrepreneurial community. For every successful business that was launched with a well-thought-out business plan, it seems you can find an equally successful one that was launched with nothing more than some scribbles on the back of a napkin. In fact, the contrarian approach may be the one you hear most about — i.e., entrepreneurs dismissing a business plan as something they wrote and then stuffed in the bottom of a drawer,” observed Rieva Lesonsky in an article “A Business Plan Doubles Your Chances for Success, Says a New Survey.”

Regardless of how quaint the contrarian position is, Lesonsky noted that the formal approach leads to certain successes.

Palo Alto Software founder Tim Berry surveyed thousands of its Business Plan Pro software users about their businesses, goals and business planning. The responses showed that those who completed business plans were nearly twice as likely to successfully grow their businesses or obtain capital as those who didn’t write a plan.

Here is the breakdown of the numbers:

2,877 people completed the survey. Of those, 995 had completed a plan.

297 of them (36%) secured a loan

280 of them (36%) secured investment capital

499 of them (64%) had grown their business

1,556 of the 2,877 had not yet completed their plan.

222 of them (18%) secured a loan

219 of them (18%) secured investment capital

501 of them (43%) had grown their business

The outcome indicates that writing a business plan correlated with increased success in every one of the business goals included in the study. These were:  obtaining a loan, getting investment capital, making a major purchase, recruiting a new team member, thinking more strategically and growing the company.

More evidence that your small business or NGO is better off with a business plan than without one. Actually, you are twice as likely to grow your business or achieve funding if you have taken the time to write a business plan.

Progressive nonprofits or NGOs are getting clever in their approach to mobile apps. With the use of mobile telephones expanding, apps help the owners disseminate their information to a wider base of stakeholders. NPtechforgood.com reported that 39% of mobile apps are opened 11 times or more and 20% of apps are only opened once. The rapid sales of smartphones worldwide ensure a growing a mobile app audience in coming years, but for nonprofit mobile apps to be successful they must be well-designed and useful. If your NGO is considering launching an app in 2015, be sure to do your research first.

Here are some successful apps launched in 2014. They can be acquired – very often for free – from your regular app vendor:

1. United Nations Calendar of Observances – I’ve mentioned this app several times. Use it to stay informed about upcoming UN commemorations.

2. SafeNight – when someone is in urgent need of safe shelter to escape domestic violence, this app enables users to make an immediate donation to pay for a hotel room for the person in need.
3. iCitzen – is an app that enables users to keep track of political issues and voice their opinions and thoughts directly to elected officials.

4. Food Scores – Environmental Working Group’s Food Scores app is a consumer’s guide to healthy, affordable food that’s good for people and the planet.

5. Charity Navigator – this app helps guide intelligent giving by providing ratings for nearly 7,000 charities based on their financial health, accountability and transparency.

Education and youth NGOs should be aware that despite progress toward MDG goal of universal primary education by 2015, millions of children are still without schools around the world.

“Fixing the Broken Promise of Education for All,” released by UNICEF and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, found that 58 million children 6-11 still lack access to education, while 63 million lower secondary school-age adolescents are also out of school.

Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have the highest numbers of out-of-school children. As of 2012, 32.7 million primary school-age children and 22 million lower secondary school-age adolescents lack access to education in sub-Saharan Africa. In South Asia, 9.9 million primary school-age children and 26.3 adolescents remain out of school.

The report also found that nearly one-third of out-of-school children of lower secondary school age live in conflict-affected countries. Only 65% of children in conflict-affected nations reach the final grade of primary school, in contrast to 86% across other developing countries.

UNICEF and UNESCO urge the global community to adopt policies that aim to break five key barriers: conflict, gender discrimination, child labor, language challenges and barriers linked to disabilities.

NGOs should be prepared to re-disseminate this information to stakeholders around the world to build a campaign that could reduce this problem.

Contact me for more ideas and guidance.

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