Theme 10 - Effective business planning
Introduction
Coming years will see community transport organisations facing big challenges – but also there will be new opportunities for those able and willing to grasp them. Effective, professional, business planning will be critical. The training sessions in this theme will take delegates through the important business and financial planning techniques they need to implement in order to operate efficiently. Delegates will also learn about legal updates, diversification models and demonstrating the social return on the investment made in and by their organisations.
Session 10A – Introduction to CT and its management planning requirements
Wednesday 16 March, 09:30 to 10:15
With strong management planning community transport can be an effective part of the public transport network across the UK. It can be used to deliver public services and meet the specific needs of local communities This session will summarise a range of approaches to management planning and delivery of community transport; highlight the main characteristics that distinguishes it from commercial and statutory provision; and set out the key management planning processes for operating a successful community transport service in a the developing civil society. Management and staff with responsibility for finance, who are new to the sector, will find this seminar particularly useful.
Session 10B – Practical business and financial planning
Wednesday 16 March, 10:45 to 11:30
This session will introduce delegates to the process of business planning and financial management. Whether for use with trustees and passengers or whether it is required by funders, a business plan is an important management tool which, when used in conjunction with other data can greatly increase the efficiency of your operation. The session will also explain what other data and tools you need to work with to bring about this efficiency. In particular it will consider wider financial reporting and management techniques which will give you an up-to-date picture of the financial health of your transport operations and help your devise meaningful forecasts.
Session 10C – Legal updates
Wednesday 16 March, 12:15 to 13:00
Keeping up to date with the law regarding the operation of transport can be challenging enough, but organisations also need to ensure that they comply with a whole host of other regulations. Company, charity, financial and employment law are just some of the areas that need to be understood. This session will give a brief overview of some of the recent non-transport related legal updates affecting transport operators as well as some that are expected for the future. It will also discuss how organisations can help themselves to stay current.
By the end of this session, delegates will have been updated on some of the recent legislative changes of relevance and know what to expect over the coming months and where to find future updates.
This session is suitable for staff or trustees who are responsible for the legal operation and compliance of their organisation.
Session 10D – Partnerships, mergers and diversification
Wednesday 16 March, 13:45 to 14:30
In its paper Collaborative Working and Mergers, the Charity Commission states “ … all charities should consider seriously and imaginatively whether there are ways in which they could do more and better for their users by working together.” Working collaboratively can bring huge benefits to a CT organisation however your decision-making process should encourage you to think through all the implications before you start working in partnership. With planning and learning from experiences from other organisations you can manage the risks. Consideration of what is best for your users should underlie all your thinking. This session will offer some advice on collaborative working; will outline how to research the best approach for your organisation; and provide some case studies of where collaborative working has been effective for delivering community transport services.
Session 10E – Introduction to SROI and impact reporting
Wednesday 16 March, 15:00 to 15:45
If you keep ticking all the right boxes you’ll keep getting the funding – right? Well no, not any more! You have to be doing something genuinely useful in order to maintain access in an increasingly competitive funding market, and be able to demonstrate this. The traditional measurement of passenger trips and cost is no longer enough to justify the continuation of a service to the community. It is now important to know what real effect and impact the transport service has on real people. This session will present a number of techniques (including Social Return on Investment SROI) which can be used to examine and measure the real impact of what you do. Impact reporting is not only a useful tool for assessing your services, but also as a mechanism for cementing funding relationships.
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