PROPOSAL WRITING

KIMONO PAUL
 Key Issues in PW

• What is the problem/need?

• Why is it necessary?
• What should be included?
• Who needs the Proposal?
• For whom?
• Relevant stakeholders?
• Timing?
• Who writes the proposal?
 OUTLINE

I COVER LETTER
II NARRATIVE PROPOSAL
a. Title Page
b. Summary
c. Background
d. Project Description
i. Statement of Purpose
ii. Goals and Objectives
iii. Activities
iv. Beneficiaries/Products
v. Evaluation
e. Organizational Information
f. Partnerships
III BUDGET
a. Revenue and Support
b. Expense Summary
c. Budget Narrative
IV ATTACHMENTS
I COVER LETTER

The Cover Letter introduces the basic information

about
your proposal and establishes a relationship with the
donor. It should be no longer than one page. Be sure
that all names, titles, and addresses are all correct.

The Cover Letter includes the following:

1. Refer to any relationship you may have with the
donor.
2. State the title and purpose of the project proposal
you are submitting for consideration.
3. Briefly identify the Problem you wish to address,
your Objectives, and the Activities you propose.
4. Demonstrate that you researched their
organization, and briefly explain how your
proposal fits their organization’s agenda?
5. Indicate the amount and/or kind of support you are
asking them to consider committing.
6. Thank them for their Commitment to the relevant
issue and for their time to consider the proposal.
II NARRATIVE PROPOSAL
The narrative proposal is the central and longest
part of
project proposal. It includes:

a.Title Page
b. Summary
c. Background
d. Project Description
i. Statement of Purpose
ii. Goals and Objectives
iii. Activities
iv. Beneficiaries/Products
v. Evaluation
e. Organizationalal Information
f. Partnership
II a. Title Page & Table of Contents

The Title Page includes:

1. Title of Project
2. Author of Proposal
3. Organization Name and Contact Information
4. Date

Tip:
Contact information can include address, telephone
number and e-mail address.
 II b. Summary
The Summary includes:
1. Statement of the Problem
2. Statement of Purpose, Goals and Objectives
3. The Proposal Activities
4. The Amount Requested for Funding, and if
additional funds are being requested from other
groups (or are already secured).
Tips:
• This page is very critical to the donor. Typically
the donors may only read this page in order to
determine whether or not to continue reviewing
the rest of the proposal.
• This summary should be very clear and concise.
• It should be one page long.
• This should be the last page written after the
proposal is completed, but should be placed
directly after the Title Page.
 II c. Background
The Background statement includes:

Problem Statement
• Define the issue(s) that the project addresses.
• Describe the current situation and need: Who, What,
When, Where, and Why.

Assessment
• How was the assessment of the situation made and
why is this particular issue especially critical.
• Support your assessment with facts and statistics.
• Why isn’t this problem being addressed currently and
what is the result if this problem is not addressed?
• Is any person or organization addressing the problems
now? Have you or your organization already been
involved in this situation before? If so, what have you
done? How will your proposed activities build upon
what is currently being done by you or others?
• Point out if anyone has invited you to do this project
and provide a short history of your previous
relationship.
 Background (cont.)

Tips:
• Do not discuss future project activities. Every
sentence in this section should only deal with the
problem or shat has already been done to address it.
• Deal with causes of the problem and how your
approach will address these causes.
• Use short sentences and paragraphs.
• Use bullets/bold type to point out key issues.
• Carefully choose statistics and examples that
directly relate to, and emphasize the importance of,
the issue. Be concise.

Note:
This section titled “Background” may be referred to as
Statement of Need or Problem Statement.
 II d. Project Description
This is the main section of the proposal, the one in
which
you describe the project you are submitting, the one
which
you believe will adequately address the problem.

This section includes:

i. Statement of Purpose
ii. Goals & Objectives
iii. Activities
iv. Beneficiaries/Products
v. Evaluation
i. Statement of Purpose

Statement of Purpose: State, in a few lines, the

overall
long-term vision that you want to achieve, a vision that
will
be advanced by this proposal, but not completely
achieved.

For example:
The purpose of the project is to expand and
strengthen the pool of imams, priests and other
religious leaders in the facilitation of civil
society initiatives, conflict resolution activities,
and reconciliation efforts within the religious
communities of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
ii. Goals & Objectives

The Goals should define more explicitly the precise

outcome you want to achieve with the project.

Questions to be answered in order to determine goals:

• What are the middle-range aims of the project?
• What outcome would you like to see happen in the
near future?
• What is essential in order to satisfy the immediate
needs of the people who will benefit from this
project? What progress do they need to see in order
to believe that the purpose can be achieved?
For example:
One of the goals of the project is to establish a Center
for Religious Dialogue, with headquarters in Sarajevo
and Banja Luka, that will work with all the religious
communities of Bosnia-Herzegovina to develop
leadership in civil society, conflict resolution, and
reconciliation programming.
 Goals & Objectives (Cont.)

Objectives should focus on short-term

measurable results.
Main question:
• By the end of the project, will we be able
to determine whether or not we have
achieved this?

Tips:
• Objectives should be short, strong and clear
statements.
• The nature of the Objectives is short-term.
• Use Present Tense.
• Enumerate Objectives: 1, 2, 3, …
 Goals & Objectives (Cont.)

For Example:
Objectives for the project in Bosnia-Herzegovina might
include:
1. During the first year of the project, to (a) legally incor-
porate a Center for Religious Dialogue, (b) establish an
ad-visory board that meets monthly and is composed of
alumni from conflict resolution seminars led by CMG
during the previous year, (c) hire an executive director
and two office managers, and (d) open offices in
Sarajevo and Banja Luka.
2. To work with staff and advisory board, throughout the
second year of the project, to further spell out types of
program to be provided, including (a) establishing local
inter-religious councils and inter-faith teams to
accompany or welcome returning refugees, and (b)
training teams of conflict management facilitators to
assist in conflict management in these settings.
iii. Activities
The following should be addressed:
• Specify what will be done.
• Indicate where and when (provide starting date and time
frame)
• Specify who will be involved
– Who will be in charge of the entire process?
– who will be responsible for each individual activity?
– who else will be on the leadership team?
– who will be invited to the activities?
– What criteria will you use for selection of leadership
or participants?
• Indicate how you will accomplish the task
– What obstacles have you identified?
– How can these be overcome through creative use of
resources?
– What methodology will you use?
• End with a work plan that briefly and chronologically
summarizes the activities.
 Activities (Cont.)

Tips:
• For each objective, clearly state each activity to be done
in order to achieve the objective.
• Make a concise statement of activities.
• Build your leadership team with individuals with the most
appropriate skill set for each activity, and with people who
will work well together. Donors will look at credentials of
the team that you propose.
 Activities (Cont.)

For Example:
Activities to implement objective #1:
– Three representatives from each religious community to be
selected by seminar alumni, in consultation with their religious
hierarchy, to serve on advisory board, meeting for the first time on
1 September 2004, and thereafter monthly.
– CMG Project manager and local consultants to be responsible for
overseeing the entire process, providing consultation, monitoring
progress, and meeting with key leaders or seminar alumni at
critical points in time.
– Center for Religious Dialogue to be incorporated by 1 February
2005, executive director to be hired by 1 April 2005, and offices
opened, with office managers hired, in Sarajevo by 1 June 2005
and in Banja Luka by 1 September 2005.
– Fundraising initiative to be developed by advisory board, in
consultation with CMG staff and consultants, to raise the
necessary finances to open offices and hire staff. Specific
activities to include: (1) proposal writing and submission to X,Y,
and Z foundations, (2) presentation of proposal to international
inter-faith organizations A and B, and (3) a campaign among the
religious communities of BiH to raise individual contributions.
iv. Beneficiaries/Products

Beneficiaries includes:
• Specify exactly who will benefit from the completion of this
project: provide data about number of people influenced,
gender, age or ethnic groups. Reiterate what is the
connection of these people to the issue being addressed.
• Specify whether the beneficiaries will directly or indirectly
benefit from the project. If this result is indirect, explain the
connection between the project and the proposed
beneficiaries.
Products includes:
• Specify the expected end result of the project. This could be
something tangible like a school building, or intangible like
an expected increase in number of children attending school.
For Example:
Establishing the Center for Religious Dialogue in Sarajevo and
Banja Luka will directly benefit people from all religious
communities in both the Muslim-Croat Federation and the Bosanian
Serb Republic. More specifically, it will enable us to establish local
inter-religious councils in the municipalities of A,B,C and X,Y,Z in both
entities, municipalities which have already been represented in conflict
resolution seminars. Inter-faith teams, composed of seminar alumni, have
already begun to make plans to accompany or welcome returning refugees
to these same municipalities.
v. Evaluation

This will include an explanation of how you will (1)

internally
monitor (during the project), (2) evaluate (following the
completion of the project), and (3) report on the project to
the
donor and other interested parties.
Provide a well-thought out plan for collecting
information including:
• Who will be monitoring the progress from within your
organization?
• Who will be evaluating the progress from within your
organization?
• Will outside monitors be involved?
• Select method and tools. Define:
– Output – results of activities promised
– Outcome – impact beyond targeted group, proposed
results of activities promised
– Describe the tools you would employ in order to assess
impact.
• Provide timeline and process.
 Evaluation (Cont.)

Tips:
• Foundations often like to point to a project and say “We did
that!” Therefore, acknowledge their gift – Thank them!
• The donor may provide their own requirements for
monitoring and evaluation. But if not, you should:
• Keep your donor updated periodically about the status of
the project during the project timeline, not just when you
seek further funding!
For Example:
• Within CMG, we will monitor and evaluate the project through a series of
evaluation forms distributed to seminar participants at the end of each
training event. These evaluations will assess staff performance as well as
lessons learned by participants. At regular intervals following each event,
CMG staff will conduct follow-up meetings with seminar alumni in order to
discover the degree to which lessons learned have been applied.
• An outside evaluator will also be retained in order to assess the broader
impact of the project beyond seminar participants. Through the use of a
survey, this person will track the perceptions of participants as to the degree
of attitude change within their religious communities as a whole.
• Input from both these processes will continually be used to make
adjustments in the implementation of this project so as to increase the
potential impact of inter-ethnic cooperation on the religious communities of
BiH.
 II e. Organizational Information

Organizational Information includes:

• History and Mission of the organization as relevant
for this project. Include relevant program
experience in other similar contexts.
• List of personnel who will work on this project,
including brief job descriptions and qualifications
for both staff and consultants.
Tip:
• Keep this section brief. A suggested length is one
paragraph on your organization, a few sentences
about the project director, and bullet points
regarding role and qualifications for each of the
other project personnel.
 II f. Partnerships

• List any other organizations involved as partners in this project.

Describe, in a couple sentences, the mission of each
organization and its role in implementing the project.
• List other organizations involved in providing services to the
same target audience, ones with whom you will consult, but
which are not actively involved in your project. This list will
indicate your awareness of other important players working in
the same setting. Briefly indicate what contribution you expect
to receive from this consultation.
• List any prominent individuals, other than your paid consultants,
whom you intend to consult about this project and briefly
indicate what you hope to gain from this consultation.
Tip:
• Use this section to demonstrate your knowledge of other
important players in this context.
• Keep this section brief; at most, a couple bullet points for
each entry.
III BUDGET

Budget includes:

a. Revenue and Support.

b. Expense Summary
c. Budget Narrative
 a. Revenue and Support

Most funding sources require you to list all your

potential sources of revenue and support.

Examples are:
• Individual gifts
• Government funding
• Corporate foundation grants
• Private foundation grants
• In-kind donations (material donations instead of
money donations)
• Fundraising events or activities
• Total

Tip: Following each potential funding source, there

should be entries in one of two columns:
amount committed by that funding source or amount
anticipated.
 Revenue and Support (Cont.)

For Example:
Funding Source Amount Committed Amount Anticipated
Request from 35,000 Euros
this foundation
Foundation A 50,000 Euros
Agency X in 25,000 Euros
government Y
Fundraising 10,000 Euros
campaign among
religious communities
Total 50,000 Euros 70,000 Euros

Note:
It is always helpful if you can demonstrate:
• That you are seeking financial or other “in-kind” support from
local groups.
• That you already have some committed support.
 b. Expense Summary

The Expense Summary list all direct and indirect

expenses costs that are required for the project.

Suggested Categories:
• Salaries & Benefits
• Consultants Honoraria
• Conferences/Meetings
• Equipment & Materials
• Travel & Accommodation
• Office Costs
• Printing
• Administrative Support
 c. Budget Narrative
The Budget Narrative includes an explanation for each line item in
the budget. The layout can be done on a Microsoft Excel spread
sheet, including five possible columns, as follows:

Expense Method of Figuring Amount of Each Item Amount of Each Category Request to
this Donor

Salaries & Benefits

– Salaries: Include % of time and duration (e.g . 50% for 3 months) for
each person listed. Give each person a separate line.
– Benefits: On one line, include a % of total salaries, an amount that
covers any necessary taxes, insurance, & pension
Consultants Honoraria
– List by category, e.g
• Experts from outside the country
• Local consultants
• Interpreters
– Include amount/day or month or activity for each consultant
Conferences/Meetings
– For each event, include # of days, # of participants, & price/day
Equipment & Materials
– List large expenses separately (e.g. computer, desk)
– Indicate whether items are to be purchased or rented
– Ongoing small expenses (e.g. paper, markers,) list per month or per
activity
 Budget Narrative Cont.)

Travel & Accommodation

– Foreign Travel (Normally airfare) list points of departure/destination,
# of tickets, price/ticket
– Domestic Travel
• Foreign staff and consultant ground transportation
• Foreign staff and consultant per diem (amount/day)
• Local staff/consultant travel ground transportation and
accommodation (amount/month or event)
• Local participants ground transportation
Office Costs
– If more than one office (for different organizations) list separately
– Rent (amount/month)
– Telephone/Internet (amount/month or event)
– Photocopying (amount/month/event)
Printing
– # of pages and amount/page
Administrative Support
– Office management, accounting, technical support for requesting
organization (Figured at a % of total budget; must obtain this % from
the organization)
– Note:
• Some donors limit the % they will allow. In this case, do not
include more than this amount in the request to this donor.
• Some small organizations do not require overhead
 Tips for Writing A Budget

The budget, after the Executive Summary, is

the
most important, and most read, section of the
Proposal. It should follow the budget guidelines
and be clear and accurate!
• List your rationale/method for figuring in
each line item in the budget narrative. The
donor will review each budget line carefully!
• Ensure that you have covered all your
potential costs during the project period.
• Research carefully all estimations of
proposed expenses.
IV ATTACHMENTS

Donors may require further information about

your organization:
• Most recent annual report
• Most recent annual budget (Actual income and
expenses for whole organization, not projected
budget for this project)
• Board of Directors list (with affiliations)
• Government Registration Documents
• Mission Statement
• Recommendations from other recent donors
• List of Contributors
• Detailed description of recent or similar projects.

Tip:
Provide donors with only the attachments that they
specifically request.
 Donor Visibility &
Acknowledgment

Visibility & Acknowledgment are of

concern to most donors. Therefore, it is
important to consider how you will
provide public awareness.
• Propose a visibility strategy based on the
project and an understanding of the donor.
• Provide a sign on the wall, a t-shirt with the
donor’s name, press releases, verbal
recognition at an event, invitation to attend
an event.
• Sometimes the donor will want significant
control – such as a review of the press
releases, naming of a team member,
establishing an evaluation process, etc.
• Request or be open to their ideas for
visibility.