Nonprofit Business Model Canvas Template
A mission-driven organisation serving beneficiaries while separately satisfying the funders who pay for that service.
The nonprofit canvas has a structural feature that trips people up: the person you serve is usually not the person who pays. That means two segments, two value propositions, two channels, and two relationship models on one canvas.
Keeping them separate is the whole point. Beneficiaries need the service; funders need evidence of impact. Blurring the two produces programmes nobody funds, or funding that distorts the mission.
Customer Segments
- Beneficiaries: the people the mission serves
- Individual donors
- Institutional funders and trusts
- Corporate partners and sponsors
- Volunteers who contribute labour
Value Propositions
- For beneficiaries: free or subsidised access to a needed service
- For funders: measurable impact per pound and credible reporting
- For corporate partners: authentic community engagement
- For volunteers: meaningful contribution and skill development
Channels
- Community partners and direct referral networks
- Website and email newsletter
- Grant applications and funder relationships
- Fundraising events and campaigns
- Earned media and local press
Customer Relationships
- Case-managed support for beneficiaries
- Regular impact reporting to funders
- Donor stewardship and thank-you cycles
- Volunteer training and community
Revenue Streams
- Restricted grants for specific programmes
- Unrestricted individual giving and regular donors
- Corporate sponsorship
- Earned income: fees, training, trading activity
- Government contracts
Key Resources
- Programme staff and their expertise
- Volunteer base
- Community trust and legitimacy
- Impact data and evaluation evidence
- Facilities and equipment
Key Activities
- Delivering the core programme
- Fundraising and grant writing
- Impact measurement and evaluation
- Volunteer recruitment and management
- Governance and compliance reporting
Key Partners
- Referral partners and other charities
- Local government and statutory services
- Corporate partners
- Academic evaluation partners
Cost Structure
- Programme delivery staff
- Fundraising and development costs
- Premises and equipment
- Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting
- Core administration and governance
What this canvas reveals
- Write beneficiaries and funders as distinct Customer Segments, each with its own value proposition.
- Funders buy measurable impact. Impact measurement is therefore a Key Activity, not administrative overhead.
- Diversify Revenue Streams the way a business would: a single grant above ~40% of income is a concentration risk.
- Earned income (fees, trading, training) buys independence from grant cycles and is worth the effort to build.
Block by block
1Customer Segments
- Beneficiaries: the people the mission serves
- Individual donors
- Institutional funders and trusts
- Corporate partners and sponsors
- Volunteers who contribute labour
2Value Propositions
- For beneficiaries: free or subsidised access to a needed service
- For funders: measurable impact per pound and credible reporting
- For corporate partners: authentic community engagement
- For volunteers: meaningful contribution and skill development
3Channels
- Community partners and direct referral networks
- Website and email newsletter
- Grant applications and funder relationships
- Fundraising events and campaigns
- Earned media and local press
4Customer Relationships
- Case-managed support for beneficiaries
- Regular impact reporting to funders
- Donor stewardship and thank-you cycles
- Volunteer training and community
5Revenue Streams
- Restricted grants for specific programmes
- Unrestricted individual giving and regular donors
- Corporate sponsorship
- Earned income: fees, training, trading activity
- Government contracts
6Key Resources
- Programme staff and their expertise
- Volunteer base
- Community trust and legitimacy
- Impact data and evaluation evidence
- Facilities and equipment
7Key Activities
- Delivering the core programme
- Fundraising and grant writing
- Impact measurement and evaluation
- Volunteer recruitment and management
- Governance and compliance reporting
8Key Partners
- Referral partners and other charities
- Local government and statutory services
- Corporate partners
- Academic evaluation partners
9Cost Structure
- Programme delivery staff
- Fundraising and development costs
- Premises and equipment
- Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting
- Core administration and governance