One-Page Business Case
Docs + Word2 pages
Free
- Type
- Document
- Price
- Free
- Pages
- 9 · US Letter
- Style
- Editorial
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Updated
- November 6, 2026
Every page (9)
Overview
Trustees and funders are asked to approve new services with limited money, and a case that shows only cost loses to one that shows what the money changes. This template is a business case in six sections: the need, the options, the costs, the social return, the funding and the risks. Each section states its point, and every benefit is shown with its basis and an owner, so a sceptical reader can test the numbers.
The sample is for Kestrelby Group, a fictional charity, planning a debt advice phone and web service costing £480K over three years, with a do-nothing baseline and a minimum option for comparison. Replace the need, the costs, the funding and the risk owners with your own figures, and run a plus or minus 20% sensitivity on benefits before you show the case. Keep the do-nothing option honest, because readers test it first.
Useful for
- A trustee paper for a new service that needs funds before the next year starts
- A funder application that must show cost, outcomes and value for money
- A public-sector bid where appraisers check the five cases
What's included
- Cover page with the case title, the prepared-for line and the date
- Need page with a demand chart, funding sources and key drivers
- Options page with a comparison table and a scored view
- Costs page with a yearly budget table and a contingency callout
- Social return and funding pages with a timeline and a funding table
- Risk heat map and register, with a make-it-yours guide
How to use it
- 1
Click Make a copy in Google Docs, then confirm on the Google page. The copy is saved to your own Google Drive.
- 2
Replace the need statement with the yearly cost of the status quo, using your own records.
- 3
Enter costs for each year, check the budget totals, and show the contingency as its own line.
- 4
Assign an owner and a first measurement date to every benefit, then run the sensitivity test.
- 5
Delete the guide page, then send the case to the trustees or present it from Google Docs.
What you need
Requirements
- A Google account with access to Google Drive
Works with
- Google Docs
- Microsoft Word (download the .docx)
Questions
Are Kestrelby Group, its services and figures real?
No. Kestrelby Group, its people, the helpline data, the costs, the funders and the risks are fictional sample data. Replace them with your own verified figures before you take the case to trustees.
What makes a business case persuasive to a funder?
A clear do-nothing baseline, real alternatives, costs for every year, and benefits with their basis and owner. Funders also look for a sensitivity test, so the case shows how it fares if benefits come in 20% lower.
Can we count social return as cash?
Only where there is a measured saving or income, such as fewer crisis referrals with a known cost. Other social benefits are shown separately, with their basis, and are never added to the cash total.
- #business-case-template
- #nonprofit-business-case
- #charity-funding
- #social-return
- #options-appraisal
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