When most people think of a business plan, they think in terms of a plan geared to a for-profit company. There are more similarities than differences when comparing that to a nonprofit business plan, so we can initially look at a for-profit plan as a useful model. Naturally, one of the main, underlying factors in developing a for-profit business plan is factoring in a financial return to the investors or owners.

While there is most likely a huge degree of passion on the part of those owners, they are involved to make money. The parts of their business plan will have the same headings as yours, but the overarching purpose will be different. Let's work through the four main parts of any business plan, with the elements you will want to include.

• A description of the business. This part describes what you want to do and why you want to do it.

• Marketing. This part details how you plan to let the public know you exist to stimulate revenue.

• Finances. This part lists the funds available, where those funds came from, and how they will be spent.

• Management. This part discusses your management team, what you have done, and why anyone should take you seriously.

Consider these sections as you review the raw material your group has collected. The material needs to be edited and organized in a way that facilitates a systematic assembly of the business plan. The point is to begin thinking on a macro level about how to introduce your organization in a way the world can understand.