Nonprofit Executive Summary

Although it is normally written last, your executive summary provides an introduction to your entire business plan. The first page should describe your nonprofit’s mission and purpose, summarize your market analysis that proves an identifiable need, and explain how your nonprofit will meet that need.

With regards to your Mission Statement, this is particularly important for nonprofits. It helps to communicate your purpose, the community or group of people it benefits and how you will help them. Every action or decision you make in your nonprofit should further and relate to your mission statement.

Because it’s the first thing readers will review, take the time to make your Executive Summary compelling. Unlike a for-profit business which might earn readers financial returns, a nonprofit business needs to convince them to do the right thing in supporting the nonprofit; which is often a harder ask. So, as the typical nonprofit business plan format calls for the summary to come first, make sure it gets readers excited and compels them to delve into the subsequent sections.