WHAT IS A PROPOSAL?

A proposal typically is a tool designed to persuade a customer to purchase a product, or to receive funding and backing for a new project or program. Used in a majority of industries from corporate America to academia, proposals come in many forms. There are informal and formal proposals, as well as solicited and unsolicited proposals. No matter what type, a proposal usually is meant to inform the reader of a problem or need, offer a solution, and give a broad overview of how the proposed solution will work and how much it will cost.

Informal proposals can be quite brief and be used as a follow-up to a business or staff meeting. They usually reiterate what was learned or uncovered in the meeting and list an overview of pricing or a detailed outline of the solution. Formal proposals typically have cover letters, research and numbers or charts, outlined details of all the major phases, schedules, organizational duties, and a cost breakdown of all components. They also typically have a description of the proposing company's or person’s services, a resume, list of past projects, and anything else that would prove qualifications.

How to Write a Proposal

By Mark Nichol

Writing a proposal is similar to but not exactly the same as crafting a persuasive essay or producing a report. Here are suggestions for developing a proposal, including some pertinent to its specific purpose.

1. A proposal should define a problem and describe a solution that will persuade busy, thrifty, skeptical readers to support it.

2. Employ facts, not opinions, to bolster the argument for approval. Research similar plans or projects and cite them, emphasizing their successes and/or how your proposal resolves the weaknesses, omissions, or mistaken priorities apparent in them.

3. Analyze your plan or project, demonstrating possible outcomes. If possible, model a small-scale version of the plan or project, report on the results, and extrapolate how the full-scale plan or project will turn out based on the test.

4. Any discussion of financial or other resources should be conducted carefully and should present a realistic picture of the expense required.

5. Be meticulous in writing, editing, and design of the proposal. Revise as necessary to make it clear and concise, ask others to critique and edit it, and make sure the presentation is attractive and engaging as well as well organized and helpful.

A proposal should include the following elements:

Executive Summary: State the rationale for putting the proposal into effect, and summarize the proposal. (This allows a decision maker to quickly get the gist of the proposal, hence the name.)

Statement of Need: Detail why the plan or project the proposal recommends is necessary.

Project Description: Explain specifics of the plan or project, and how it will go into effect and how it will be evaluated.

Budget Analysis: Provide and explain how the plan or project will be financed and categorize and annotate operating expenses.

Organization Details: If the proposal is being submitted to an outside party, provide information about the beneficiary organization, including its mission, its stakeholders and who its serves, and the scope of its programs and services.

Conclusion: Summarize the proposal’s main points.

Writing Successful Proposals: Some working strategies  Hari Srinivas

The NGO Cafe sits in the middle - between funding organizations on hand, and NGOs seeking funds on the other. While it has not itself disbursed funds, The NGO Cafe as learnt a number of lessons on the way. Here are some working strategies for successful proposal writing, written in no particular order: Building credibility goes a long way in getting that grant. Use your board members and advisors to 'advertise' your proposal (and set up an advisory board if you don't have one already!). Funding organizations work in grant cycles, disbursing grants one to three times a year. So, if you fail for the current grant, you can always apply for the next round. It is important that the requested budget is within the limits of the funding organization's limits. Check their annual reports or similar documents to see the average size of funding made available. Make sure to write a proposal that is within the limits of your organization's capacities and competencies. And within the limits of the budget requested. Make sure you have clearly outlined exactly what is intended - do not use grand language without the substantial details of the exact impact that is intended, or benefits for the target groups. Ask friends and advisors to check the proposal. Make sure you have fully studied and understood the priorities of the funding organization, and the reasons they are providing funds. Many times, key wordings and well articulated proposals help convince the funders of its viability and impact. Again, link it strongly to the priorities of the funding organization, but don't quote it verbatim! Most funding organization have clear guidelines, instructions and guides on their funding procedures. Many times they are targeted at a particular group, for a particular purpose or a region. Since many organizations apply for funding make sure your proposal and application form is correct in all respects and follows the procedures properly. Ultimately, no funding organization want to see a dependency on external funds for the success of a project. Clearly outline how self-sufficiency will be built using a long-term strategy, which goes beyond the time frames of the proposal being made.

 

Proposal Writing Short Course

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 grants decision-maker 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 most effectively 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.