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Proposal
Writing
03 Days Training on Proposal
Writing
Introduction
The subject of this short
course is proposal writing. But the proposal does not stand alone. It must be part of a process
of planning and of research on, outreach to, and cultivation of potential foundation and
corporate donors.
This process is grounded in
the conviction that a partnership should develop between the nonprofit and the donor. When you
spend a great deal of your time seeking money, it is hard to remember that it can also be
difficult to give money away. In fact, the dollars contributed by a foundation or corporation
have no value until they are attached to solid programs in the nonprofit
sector.
This truly is an ideal
partnership. The nonprofits have the ideas and the capacity to solve problems, but no dollars
with which to implement them. The foundations and corporations have the financial resources but
not the other resources needed to create programs. Bring the two together effectively, and the
result is a dynamic collaboration.
You need to follow a
step-by-step process in the search for private dollars. It takes time and persistence to
succeed. After you have written a proposal, it could take as long as a year to obtain the funds
needed to carry it out. And even a perfectly written proposal submitted to the right prospect
might be rejected for any number of reasons.
Raising funds is an
investment in the future. Your aim should be to build a network of foundation and corporate
funders, many of which give small gifts on a fairly steady basis and a few of which give large,
periodic grants. By doggedly pursuing the various steps of the process, each year you can retain
most of your regular supporters and strike a balance with the comings and goings of larger
donors.
The recommended process is
not a formula to be rigidly adhered to. It is a suggested approach that can be adapted to fit
the needs of any nonprofit and the peculiarities of each situation. Fundraising is an art as
well as a science. You must bring your own creativity to it and remain
flexible.
Gathering Background
Information
The first thing you will
need to do in writing the master proposal is to gather the documentation for it. You will
require background documentation in three areas: concept, program, and
expenses.
If all of this information
is not readily available to you, determine who will help you gather each type of information. If
you are part of a small nonprofit with no staff, a knowledgeable board member will be the
logical choice. If you are in a larger agency, there should be program and financial support
staff who can help you. Once you know with whom to talk, identify the questions to
ask.
This data-gathering process
makes the actual writing much easier. And by involving other stakeholders in the process, it
also helps key people within your agency seriously consider the project's value to the
organization.
Concept
It is important that you
have a good sense of how the project fits into the philosophy and mission of your agency. The
need that the proposal is addressing must also be documented. These concepts must be
well-articulated in the proposal. Funders want to know that a project reinforces the overall
direction of an organization, and they may need to be convinced that the case for the project is
compelling. You should collect background data on your organization and on the need to be
addressed so that your arguments are well-documented.
Program
Here is a check list of the
program information you require:
·
The nature of the project and how it will be conducted;
·
The timetable for the project;
·
The anticipated outcomes and how best to evaluate the results;
and
·
Staffing and volunteer needs, including deployment of existing staff and new
hires.
Expenses
You will not be able to pin
down all the expenses associated with the project until the program details and timing have been
worked out. Thus, the main financial data gathering takes place after the narrative part of the
master proposal has been written. However, at this stage you do need to sketch out the broad
outlines of the budget to be sure that the costs are in reasonable proportion to the outcomes
you anticipate. If it appears that the costs will be prohibitive, even with a foundation grant,
you should then scale back your plans or adjust them to remove the least cost-effective
expenditures.
Components of a Proposal
1-Executive Summary: Umbrella statement of your case and summary of the
entire proposal 1 page
2-Statement of Need: why this project is necessary 2
pages
3- Project Description: nuts and bolts of how the project will be
implemented and evaluated 3 pages
4- Budget: financial description of the project plus explanatory notes 1
page
5-Organization Information: history and governing structure of the
nonprofit; its primary activities, audiences, and services 1 page
6-Conclusion: summary of the proposal's main points 2
paragraphs
Executive
Summary
This first page of the
proposal is the most important section of the entire document. Here you will provide the reader
with a snapshot of what is to follow. Specifically, it summarizes all of the key information and
is a sales document designed to convince the reader that this project should be considered for
support. Be certain to include:
Problem — a brief statement
of the problem or need your agency has recognized and is prepared to address (one or two
paragraphs);
Solution — a short
description of the project, including what will take place and how many people will benefit from
the program, how and where it will operate, for how long, and who will staff it (one or two
paragraphs);
Funding requirements— an
explanation of the amount of grant money required for the project and what your plans are for
funding it in the future (one paragraph);
and Organization and its
expertise— a brief statement of the name, history, purpose, and activities of your agency,
emphasizing its capacity to carry out this proposal (one
paragraph).
The Statement of Need
If the funder reads beyond
the executive summary, you have successfully piqued his or her interest. Your next task is to
build on this initial interest in your project by enabling the funder to understand the problem
that the project will remedy.
The statement of need will
enable the reader to learn more about the issues. It presents the facts and evidence that
support the need for the project and establishes that your nonprofit understands the problems
and therefore can reasonably address them. The information used to support the case can come
from authorities in the field, as well as from your agency's own experience.
You want the need section to
be succinct, yet persuasive. Like a good debater, you must assemble all the arguments. Then
present them in a logical sequence that will readily convince the reader of their importance. As
you marshal your arguments, consider the following six points.
First, decide which facts or
statistics best support the project. Be sure the data you present are accurate. There are few
things more embarrassing than to have the funder tell you that your information is out of date
or incorrect. Information that is too generic or broad will not help you develop a winning
argument for your project. Information that does not relate to your organization or the project
you are presenting will cause the funder to question the entire proposal. There also should be a
balance between the information presented and the scale of the program.
Second, give the reader
hope. The picture you paint should not be so grim that the solution appears hopeless. The funder
will wonder whether an investment in a solution will be worthwhile. Here's an example of a solid
statement of need: "Breast cancer kills. But statistics prove that regular check-ups catch most
breast cancer in the early stages, reducing the likelihood of death. Hence, a program to
encourage preventive check-ups will reduce the risk of death due to breast cancer." Avoid
overstatement and overly emotional appeals.
Third, decide if you want to
put your project forward as a model. This could expand the base of potential funders, but
serving as a model works only for certain types of projects. Don't try to make this argument if
it doesn't really fit. Funders may well expect your agency to follow through with a replication
plan if you present your project as a model.
If the decision about a
model is affirmative, you should document how the problem you are addressing occurs in other
communities. Be sure to explain how your solution could be a solution for others as
well.
Fourth, determine whether it
is reasonable to portray the need as acute. You are asking the funder to pay more attention to
your proposal because either the problem you address is worse than others or the solution you
propose makes more sense than others. Here is an example of a balanced but weighty statement:
"Drug abuse is a national problem. Each day, children all over the country die from drug
overdose. In the South Bronx the problem is worse. More children die here than any place else.
It is an epidemic. Hence, our drug prevention program is needed more in the South Bronx than in
any other part of the city."
Fifth, decide whether you
can demonstrate that your program addresses the need differently or better than other projects
that preceded it. It is often difficult to describe the need for your project without being
critical of the competition. But you must be careful not to do so. Being critical of other
nonprofits will not be well received by the funder. It may cause the funder to look more
carefully at your own project to see why you felt you had to build your case by demeaning
others. The funder may have invested in these other projects or may begin to consider them, now
that you have brought them to their attention.
If possible, you should make
it clear that you are cognizant of, and on good terms with, others doing work in your field.
Keep in mind that today's funders are very interested in collaboration. They may even ask why
you are not collaborating with those you view as key competitors. So at the least you need to
describe how your work complements, but does not duplicate, the work of
others.
Sixth, avoid circular
reasoning. In circular reasoning, you present the absence of your solution as the actual
problem. Then your solution is offered as the way to solve the problem. For example, the
circular reasoning for building a community swimming pool might go like this: "The problem is
that we have no pool in our community. Building a pool will solve the problem." A more
persuasive case would cite what a pool has meant to a neighboring community, permitting it to
offer recreation, exercise, and physical therapy programs. The statement might refer to a survey
that underscores the target audience's planned usage of the facility and conclude with the
connection between the proposed usage and potential benefits to enhance life in the
community.
The statement of need does
not have to be long and involved. Short, concise information captures the reader's
attention.
The Project Description
This section of your
proposal should have five subsections: objectives, methods, staffing/administration, evaluation,
and sustainability. Together, objectives and methods dictate staffing and administrative
requirements. They then become the focus of the evaluation to assess the results of the project.
The project's sustainability flows directly from its success, hence its ability to attract other
support. Taken together, the five subsections present an interlocking picture of the total
project.
Objectives
Objectives are the
measurable outcomes of the program. They define your methods. Your objectives must be tangible,
specific, concrete, measurable, and achievable in a specified time period. Grant seekers often
confuse objectives with goals, which are conceptual and more abstract. For the purpose of
illustration, here is the goal of a project with a subsidiary objective:
Goal: Our after-school program will help children read
better.
Objective:
Our after-school remedial education program will assist 50 children
in improving their reading scores by one grade level as demonstrated on standardized reading
tests administered after participating in the program for six months.
The goal in this case is
abstract: improving reading, while the objective is much more specific. It is achievable in the
short term (six months) and measurable (improving 50 children's reading scores by one grade
level). With competition for dollars so great, well-articulated objectives are increasingly
critical to a proposal's success.
Using a
different example, there are at least four types of objectives:
1-
Behavioral — A human action is anticipated.
Example: Fifty of the 70
children participating will learn to swim.
2-
Performance — A specific time frame within which a behavior will
occur, at an expected proficiency level, is expected.
Example: Fifty of the 70
children will learn to swim within six months and will pass a basic swimming proficiency test
administered by a Red Cross-certified lifeguard.
3-
Process — The manner in which something occurs is an end in
itself.
Example: We will document
the teaching methods utilized, identifying those with the greatest success.
4-
Product — A tangible item results.
Example: A manual will be
created to be used in teaching swimming to this age and proficiency group in the
future.
In any given proposal, you
will find yourself setting forth one or more of these types of objectives, depending on the
nature of your project. Be certain to present the objectives very clearly. Make sure that they
do not become lost in verbiage and that they stand out on the page. You might, for example, use
numbers, bullets, or indentations to denote the objectives in the text. Above all, be realistic
in setting objectives. Don't promise what you can't deliver. Remember, the funder will want to
be told in the final report that the project actually accomplished these
objectives.
Methods
By means of the objectives,
you have explained to the funder what will be achieved by the project. The methods section
describes the specific activities that will take place to achieve the objectives. It might be
helpful to divide our discussion of methods into the following: how, when, and
why.
How: This is the detailed
description of what will occur from the time the project begins until it is completed. Your
methods should match the previously stated objectives.
When: The methods section
should present the order and timing for the tasks. It might make sense to provide a timetable so
that the reader does not have to map out the sequencing on his or her own....The timetable tells
the reader "when" and provides another summary of the project that supports the rest of the
methods section.
Why: You may need to defend
your chosen methods, especially if they are new or unorthodox. Why will the planned work lead to
the outcomes you anticipate? You can answer this question in a number of ways, including using
expert testimony and examples of other projects that work.
The methods section
enables the reader to visualize the implementation of the project. It should convince the reader
that your agency knows what it is doing, thereby establishing its
credibility.
Staffing/Administration
In describing the methods,
you will have mentioned staffing for the project. You now need to devote a few sentences to
discussing the number of staff, their qualifications, and specific assignments. Details about
individual staff members involved in the project can be included either as part of this section
or in the appendix, depending on the length and importance of this
information.
"Staffing" may refer to
volunteers or to consultants, as well as to paid staff. Most proposal writers do not develop
staffing sections for projects that are primarily volunteer run. Describing tasks that
volunteers will undertake, however, can be most helpful to the proposal reader. Such information
underscores the value added by the volunteers as well as the cost-effectiveness of the
project.
For a project with paid
staff, be certain to describe which staff will work full time and which will work part time on
the project. Identify staff already employed by your nonprofit and those to be recruited
specifically for the project. How will you free up the time of an already fully deployed
individual?
Salary and project costs are
affected by the qualifications of the staff. Delineate the practical experience you require for
key staff, as well as level of expertise and educational background. If an individual has
already been selected to direct the program, summarize his or her credentials and include a
brief biographical sketch in the appendix. A strong project director can help influence a grant
decision.
Describe for the reader your
plans for administering the project. This is especially important in a large operation, if more
than one agency is collaborating on the project, or if you are using a fiscal agent. It needs to
be crystal clear who is responsible for financial management, project outcomes, and
reporting.
Evaluation
An evaluation plan should
not be considered only after the project is over; it should be built into the project. Including
an evaluation plan in your proposal indicates that you take your objectives seriously and want
to know how well you have achieved them. Evaluation is also a sound management tool. Like
strategic planning, it helps a nonprofit refine and improve its program. An evaluation can often
be the best means for others to learn from your experience in conducting the
project.
There are two types of
formal evaluation. One measures the product; the other analyzes the process. Either or both
might be appropriate to your project. The approach you choose will depend on the nature of the
project and its objectives. For either type, you will need to describe the manner in which
evaluation information will be collected and how the data will be analyzed. You should present
your plan for how the evaluation and its results will be reported and the audience to which it
will be directed. For example, it might be used internally or be shared with the funder, or it
might deserve a wider audience. A funder might even have an opinion about the scope of this
dissemination.
Sustainability
A clear message from grant
makers today is that grant seekers will be expected to demonstrate in very concrete ways the
long-term financial viability of the project to be funded and of the nonprofit organization
itself.
It stands to reason that
most grant makers will not want to take on a permanent funding commitment to a particular
agency. Rather, funders will want you to prove either that your project is finite (with start-up
and ending dates); or that it is capacity-building (that it will contribute to the future
self-sufficiency of your agency and/or enable it to expand services that might be revenue
generating); or that it will make your organization attractive to other funders in the future.
With the new trend toward adopting some of the investment principles of venture capital groups
to the practice of philanthropy, evidence of fiscal sustainability becomes a highly sought-after
characteristic of the successful grant proposal.
It behooves you to be very
specific about current and projected funding streams, both earned income and fundraised, and
about the base of financial support for your nonprofit. Here is an area where it is important to
have backup figures and prognostications at the ready, in case a prospective funder asks for
these, even though you are unlikely to include this information in the actual grant proposal.
Some grant makers, of course, will want to know who else will be receiving a copy of this same
proposal. You should not be shy about sharing this information with the
funder.
The Budget
The budget for your proposal
may be as simple as a one-page statement of projected expenses. Or your proposal may require a
more complex presentation, perhaps including a page on projected support and revenue and notes
explaining various items of expense or of revenue.
Expense Budget
As you prepare to assemble
the budget, go back through the proposal narrative and make a list of all personnel and non
personnel items related to the operation of the project. Be sure that you list not only new
costs that will be incurred if the project is funded but also any ongoing expenses for items
that will be allocated to the project. Then get the relevant costs from the person in your
agency who is responsible for keeping the books. You may need to estimate the proportions of
your agency's ongoing expenses that should be charged to the project and any new costs, such as
salaries for project personnel not yet hired. Put the costs you have identified next to each
item on your list.
Your list of budget items
and the calculations you have done to arrive at a dollar figure for each item should be
summarized on worksheets. You should keep these to remind yourself how the numbers were
developed. These worksheets can be useful as you continue to develop the proposal and discuss it
with funders; they are also a valuable tool for monitoring the project once it is under way and
for reporting after completion of the grant.
A portion of a
worksheet for a year-long project might look like this:
Item
Description
Cost
Executive Director
Supervision 10% of salary = $10,000, 25% benefits = $ 2,500
Project Director Hired in
month one 11 months at $35,000 = $32,083 25% benefits = $ 8,025
Tutors 12 working 10 hours
per week for three months 12 x 10 x 13 x $ 4.50 = $ 7,020
Office space requires 25% of
current space 25% x $20,000 = $ 5,000, Overhead 20% of project cost 20% x $64,628 =
$12,926
With your worksheets in
hand, you are ready to prepare the expense budget. For most projects, costs should be grouped
into subcategories, selected to reflect the critical areas of expense. All significant costs
should be broken out within the subcategories, but small ones can be combined on one line. You
might divide your expense budget into personnel and non personnel costs; your personnel
subcategories might include salaries, benefits, and consultants. Subcategories under non
personnel costs might include travel, equipment, and printing, for example, with a dollar figure
attached to each line.
Support and Revenue and Statement
For the typical project, no
support and revenue statement is necessary. The expense budget represents the amount of grant
support required. But if grant support has already been awarded to the project, or if you expect
project activities to generate income, a support and revenue statement is the place to provide
this information.
In itemizing grant support,
make note of any earmarked grants; this will suggest how new grants may be allocated. The total
grant support already committed should then be deducted from the “Total Expenses” line on the
expense budget to give you the “Amount to Be Raised” or the “Balance
Requested.”
Any earned income
anticipated should be estimated on the support and revenue statement. For instance, if you
expect 50 people to attend your performance on each of the four nights, it is given at $10 a
ticket, and if you hope that 20 of them will buy the $5 souvenir book each night, you would show
two lines of income, “Ticket Sales” at $2,000 and “Souvenir Book Sales” at $400. As with the
expense budget, you should keep backup worksheets for the support and revenue statement to
remind yourself of the assumptions you have made.
Budget Narrative
A narrative portion of the
budget is used to explain any unusual line items in the budget and is not always needed. If
costs are straightforward and the numbers tell the story clearly, explanations are
redundant.
If you decide a budget
narrative is needed, you can structure it in one of two ways. You can create "Notes to the
Budget," with footnote-style numbers on the line items in the budget keyed to numbered
explanations. If an extensive or more general explanation is required, you can structure the
budget narrative as straight text. Remember though, the basic narrative about the project and
your organization belongs elsewhere in the proposal, not in the budget
narrative.
Organizational Information and Conclusion
Organizational Information
Normally a resume of your
nonprofit organization should come at the end of your proposal. Your natural inclination may be
to put this information up front in the document. But it is usually better to sell the need for
your project and then your agency's ability to carry it out.
It is not necessary to
overwhelm the reader with facts about your organization. This information can be conveyed easily
by attaching a brochure or other prepared statement. In two pages or less, tell the reader when
your nonprofit came into existence; state its mission, being certain to demonstrate how the
subject of the proposal fits within or extends that mission; and describe the organization's
structure, programs, and special expertise.
Discuss the size of the
board, how board members are recruited, and their level of participation. Give the reader a feel
for the makeup of the board. (You should include the full board list in an appendix.) If your
agency is composed of volunteers or has an active volunteer group, describe the function that
the volunteers fill. Provide details on the staff, including the numbers of full and part-time
staff, and their levels of expertise.
Describe the kinds of
activities in which your staff engage. Explain briefly the assistance you provide. Describe the
audience you serve, any special or unusual needs they face, and why they rely on your agency.
Cite the number of people who are reached through your programs.
Tying all of the information
about your nonprofit together, cite your agency's expertise, especially as it relates to the
subject of your proposal.
Letter Proposal
Sometimes the scale of the
project might suggest a small-scale letter format proposal, or the type of request might not
require all of the proposal components or the components in the sequence recommended here. The
guidelines and policies of individual funders will be your ultimate guide. Many funders today
state that they prefer a brief letter proposal; others require that you complete an application
form. In any case, you will want to refer to the basic proposal components as provided here to
be sure that you have not omitted an element that will support your case.
As noted, the scale of the
project will often determine whether it requires a letter or the longer proposal format. For
example, a request to purchase a $1,000 fax machine for your agency simply does not lend itself
to a lengthy narrative. A small contribution to your agency’s annual operating budget,
particularly if it is a renewal of past support, might also warrant a letter rather than a
full-scale proposal.
What are the elements of a
letter request? For the most part, they should follow the format of a full proposal, except with
regard to length. The letter should be no more than three pages. You will need to call upon your
writing skills because it can be very hard to get all of the necessary details into a concise,
well-articulated letter.
As to the flow of
information, follow these steps while keeping in mind that you are writing a letter to someone.
It should not be as formal in style as a longer proposal would be. It may be necessary to change
the sequence of the text to achieve the correct tone and the right flow of
information.
Here are the components of a
good letter proposal:
Ask for the gift: The letter
should begin with a reference to your prior contact with the funder, if any. State why you are
writing and how much funding is required from the particular foundation.
Describe the need: In a very
abbreviated manner, tell the funder why there is a need for this project, piece of equipment,
etc.
Explain what you will do:
Just as you would in a fuller proposal, provide enough detail to pique the funder’s interest.
Describe precisely what will take place as a result of the grant.
Provide agency data: Help
the funder know a bit more about your organization by including your mission statement, brief
description of programs offered, number of people served, and staff, volunteer, and board data,
if appropriate.
Include appropriate budget
data: Even a letter request may have a budget that is a half page long. Decide if this
information should be incorporated into the letter or in a separate attachment. Whichever course
you choose, be sure to indicate the total cost of the project. Discuss future funding only if
the absence of this information will raise questions.
Close: As with the longer
proposal, a letter proposal needs a strong concluding statement.
Attach any additional
information required: The funder may need much of the same information to back up a small
request as a large one: a board list, a copy of your IRS determination letter, financial
documentation, and brief resumes of key staff.
It may take as much thought
and data gathering to write a good letter request as it does to prepare a full proposal (and
sometimes even more). Don’t assume that because it is only a letter, it isn’t a time-consuming
and challenging task. Every document you put in front of a funder says something about your
agency. Each step you take with a funder should build a relationship for the
future.
Conclusion
Every proposal should have a
concluding paragraph or two. This is a good place to call attention to the future, after the
grant is completed. If appropriate, you should outline some of the follow-up activities that
might be undertaken to begin to prepare your funders for your next request. Alternatively, you
should state how the project might carry on without further grant support.
This section is also the
place to make a final appeal for your project. Briefly reiterate what your nonprofit wants to do
and why it is important. Underscore why your agency needs funding to accomplish it. Don't be
afraid at this stage to use a bit of emotion to solidify your case.
What Happens Next?
Submitting your proposal is
nowhere near the end of your involvement in the grant making process. Grant review procedures
vary widely, and the decision-making process can take anywhere from a few weeks to six months or
more. During the review process, the funder may ask for additional information either directly
from you or from outside consultants or professional references. Invariably, this is a difficult
time for the grant seeker. You need to be patient but persistent. Some grant makers outline
their review procedures in annual reports or application guidelines. If you are unclear about
the process, don't hesitate to ask.
If your hard work results in
a grant, take a few moments to acknowledge the funder's support with a letter of thanks. You
also need to find out whether the funder has specific forms, procedures, and deadlines for
reporting the progress of your project. Clarifying your responsibilities as a grantee at the
outset, particularly with respect to financial reporting, will prevent misunderstandings and
more serious problems later.
Nor is rejection necessarily the end of the
process. If you're unsure why your proposal was rejected, ask. Did the funder need additional
information? Would they be interested in considering the proposal at a future date? Now might also
be the time to begin cultivation of a prospective funder. Put them on your mailing list so that
they can become further acquainted with your organization. Remember, there's always next
year.
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