There is now a significant number of publications devoted to running business activities within a nonprofit. We have provided links to some of these in the Links section of this part of the website. Here we have provided as member-only material a template that can assist a nonprofit in planning for a venture. It draws on the standard business planning advice and literature, but also includes a very rudimentary framework for making the decision on whether to go with a business idea or not that includes the mission-impact of the earned income activity. This is the missing piece in almost all the material available on social ventures - how to take account of the mission element in making decisions about the viability of your business idea.

The best other practical material we have seen is: in Rolfe Larson's book, Venture Forth, published by the Fieldstone Alliance (www.fieldstonealliance.org.)  Worksheets can be downloaded for free from the Alliance's site if you have bought the book; and in the book "Generating and Sustaining Nonprofit Earned Income," edited by Samantha Beinhacker and Cynthia Massarsky. This can be purchased through our Marketplace and here.