Proposal Writing

1
Proposal Writing

• Follow the process
• the proposal is part of a process
• Write the proposal
• tips
• overview
• executive summary
• need
• Write the proposal (contd)
• project description
• budget
• organizational information
• conclusion
• Write the proposal (contd)
• cover page, title
• table of contents
• appendix
• cover letter
• finishing touches
• Research the grantmaker

2
I

• Follow the Process

3
The Proposal is Part of a Process

• Planning and priority setting
• to determine
• project (s) for
• submission

Result a/ grant b/ rejection

• Write proposal

Cultivation a/ continual phone
contact b/ updates, progress reports c/
board networking
Compile list of potential funding sources
Initial contact Cultivation -To request
permission -To submit proposal or letter
of intent
Appoinment a/ establish
relationship b/ increase likelihood for
funding c/ discuss funding priorities
Submission of Proposal
4
II

• Write the Proposal

5
Tips on Writing

• Get your thoughts sorted out
• Outline what you want to say
• Avoid jargon
• Humanize your project
• Keep it simple
• Keep it generic
• Revise and edit

6
Overview of Proposal Package

• Cover letter
• Executive summary 1 page
• Statement of need 2 pages
• Project description 3 pages
• Budget 1 page
• Organizational information 1 page
• Conclusion 2 paragraphs
• Appendix

7
Executive Summary

• Need
• Project
• Funding requirements
• Organization and/or its expertise
• (sample 1, 2)

8
Need

• Include
• Statistics
• - your own data
• - information from external sources
• Examples
• - anecdotes
• - real-life examples
• - quotes
• Tips
• Use the data that best supports the case you are
  building
• Give the reader hope
• (sample 3, 4)

9
Project description

• What are your expected outcomes?
• How will you achieve your outcomes?
• Who will carry out the project?
• How do you know how you are doing?
• How will you sustain the project?

10
What are your
expected outcomes?

• The Difference Between
• a Goal and an Objective
• Goal Our afterschool program will help
  children read better.
• Objective Our afterschool remedial education
  program will assist fifty children in improving
  their reading scores by one grade level as
  demonstrated on standarized reading tests
  administered after participating in the
  program for six months.
• (sample 5, 6)

11
How will you achieve your outcomes?

• Project phases
• Time line
• Planned activities
• (sample 7, 8, 9)

12
Who will carry out the project?

• Staff
• Board
• Volunteers
• Consultants
• Collaborations
• (sample 10, 11)

13
How do you know how you are doing?

• Project evaluation
• - What information will you collect
• - How are you going to use it
• (sample 12, 13)

14
How will you sustain the project?

• Always
• How will the project be funded
• in the future
• Sometimes
• How will the organization be
• funded in the future
• Why?
• To provide the grantmaker with
• assurance that other funders
• are in the mix
• (sample 14, 15)

15
Budget

• Expense information
• Personnel
• Non-personnel
• Overhead
• Income information
• Earned Income
• Grants and Gifts
• Budget narrative

16
Tips

• 1 page budget
• Budget should reflect the narrative
• Writer must keep control over the financial
  information

17
10 Steps to Creating a Budget

• Identify who will help you gather data.
• List all personnel who will be involved.
• Calculate salary for each person
• - determine percentage of
• participation in project
• - calculate portion of salary
• attributed to project
• - Total all personnel items.
• Calculate and list cost of fringe benefits
• - multiply percentage of fringe
• benefits by total personnel costs
• 5. Obtain personnel subtotal by adding together
  cost of
• - personnel
• - fringe
• (sample 16-19)

18

• Think through and list all OTPS ( other than
  personnel services), e.g.,
• - space
• - telephone
• - postage
• - consultans
• - travel
• 7. Subtotal by adding all of these
• together.
• 8. Total personnel and OTPS to
• obtain cost of project.
• 9. Calculate overhead costs.
• 10. Recalulate subtotals and total for project
  cost.

19
Organizational Information

• Date of founding and mission
• Organizations structure, programs, and special
  expertise
• Information about staff and board
• Audience served by the agency and specific
  project for which funding is sought
• (sample 20, 21)

20
Conclusion

• Final appeal
• Reiterate what your nonprofit wants and why it is
  important
• O.K. to use a bit of emotion
• (sample 22, 23)

21
Cover Page
Submitted by The
nonprofit Organization 40 Canal
Street New York, NY 10013 Mary
Smith Susan Jones Executive Director Director
of Development 212-934-5300x23 212-935-5300x21 21
2-935-9660 212-935-9660 e-mail
Msmith_at_aol.com e-mail Sjones_at_aol.com

• You are being user-friendly when
• you remember to add the following
• - Phone extension or direct telephone line
• for both the person who signed the
  letter
• and a primary staff contact
• - Fax number for the organization
• - Direct e-mail address for both the signer
• and staff contact -- keep in mind
  that the
• grantmaker may reach out to you on
  e-mail
• with questions and requests for
  additional
• information
• (sample 24, 25)

22
Title

• Title Effectiveness
• Forward Face Arouse interest but does not
  tell you anything about the
  project.
• Vocational, Educational This title tells
  us that three
• Employment Project types of services will
  be offered.
• Building a Healthier This title implies
  that
• Tomorrow construction will occur,
  and indeed it it is the title for a
  capital campaign. It also suggests that
  the construction is for some
  kind of health facility.
• The Pre-Kindergarten A very effective
  title five
• Learning Laboratory pieces of
  information in
• A Cooperative Educational three lines of
  text.
• Program for Pre-Schoolers
• in Central Harlem

23
Table of Contents

• Helps the reader find key pieces of information
  quickly
• Makes the proposal user-friendly
• (sample 26)

24
Appendix

• Board list
• IRS letter of determination
• Financial information
• Resumes
• (sample 27)

25
Financial Information

• Operating budget
• Audit
• List of last fiscal year foundation/ corporate
  funders and gift level
• List of project foundation/corporate funder and
  gift level
• List of project potential foundation/ corporate
  funder and request
• (sample 28)

26
Cover Letter

• Content
• Reference to conversation/ past contact
• Request
• What is in your proposal package (narrative,
  appendix)
• Empower the grantmaker by indicating material not
  enclosed that might be requested
• Offer to answer questions/ meet
• Signature
• (sample 29, 30)

27
Finishing touches

• Packaging
• No cover on the proposal
• How to send Ordinary Mail
• How to assemble staples, clips paper clips,
  rubber bands
• How to protect cardboard
• What about..
• Annual reports
• Newspaper clips
• Brochures
• Videos

28
III

• Research the Grantmaker

29
Research

• Compile
• Investigate
• Refine

30
Foundations

• Who funds in my geographic region?
• Who funds in my area of interest?
• Who provides the type of support I need?
• Who has funded organizations like mine?
• Who has given amounts in the range I need?

31
Print Resources

• Key print directories
• Guide to U.S. Foundations Their Trustees,
  Offices and donors. The Foundation Center
• The Foundation Directory. The Foundation Center
• The Foundation 1000. The Foundation Center
• Subject Guide Series. The Foundation Center
• Grant Guide Series. The
• Foundation Center

32
Electronic Resources

• Key electronic resources
• FC Search The Foundation Centers Database on
  CD-ROM
• The foundation Directory Online
  (http//fconline.fdncenter.org/)
• IRS Form 990-PF (http//lnp.fdncenter.org/finder_9
  90.html or www.guidestar.org)
• Grantmaker Web sites (http//fdncenter.org/funders
  /grantmaker/index.html)
• RFP Bulletin (http//fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/ )
• Philanthropy News Digest (http//fdncenter.org/pnd
  /)
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy
• (http//philanthropy.com/)

33
Corporations

• What companies are located in my geographic
  region?
• What companies are doing business related to my
  field of interest?
• What companies have given to organizations
  similar to mine?

34
Print Resources

• Key print resources
• Corporate Giving Directory. Taft Group
• Corporate Affiliations Who Owns Whom. LexisNexis
  Group
• Corporate Philanthropy report. Aspen Publishers,
  Inc.
• Corporate Yellow BookWhos Who at the Leading
  U.S Companies.Leadership Directories,Inc
• Matching Gift Details. Council for Advancement
  and Support of Education
• National Directory of Corporate Giving. The
  foundation Center
• National Directory of Corporate Public Affairs.
  Columbia Books, Inc.
• Standard Poors Register of Corporations,
  Directors and Executies. Standard Poors

35
Electronic Resources

• Key electronic resources
• Corporation Web Sites
• www.bizjournals.com
• http//biz.yahoo.com/r/
• www.ccinet.org
• www.corporateinformation.com
• www.dnb.com
• www.giftsinkind.org
• www.hoovers.com

36
IV

• Build the Relationship

37
Build the Relationship

• Before applying
• While pending
• After the decision

38
Before Applying

• Introductory call
• Letter of intent

39
Introductory Call

• Tell the grantmaker youve done your homework
• Be prepared to discuss the project and why you
  think it fits the grantmakers guidelines
• Tell the grantmaker how much you need
• If the grantmaker is not pressed for time,
  clarify
• Deadline for submission
• Who should receive the request (verify spelling
  of the name)
• The mailing address
• Attachments

40
Letter of Intent

• Precedes the proposal
• Summarizes the project
• Lets the grantmaker decide that the project fits
  before a full proposal is submitted
• Sometimes can be completed online!
• (sample 31)

41
While Pending

• Cultivation
• Appointment

42
Cultivating Potential Funders

• Telephone contact
• Written communication
• Board networking
• Appointments

43
Cultivation Calls

• Materials received call
• Were materials received?
• When will they be reviewed?
• Status call
• Has the proposal been reviewed?
• Are any additional materials needed?
• (sample 32, 33)

44
Written Communication

• Enables the funder to develop a complete picture
  of your nonprofit
• Send
• Updates
• Program reports
• Newsletters
• Brochures
• Audits

45
Board Networking

• Identify who on the Board knows someone connected
  with the funder
• Work with the Board member to facilitate support
  of the submitted request
• Be certain staff at the funder are aware of the
  contact being made at the Board level

46
How to structure a Well-Crafted Appointment
or Site Visit

• Use an ice-breaker
• Introduce all meeting participants
• Get down to business
• Remind the funder about the mission and history
  of your agency
• Describe the programs you offer
• Describe the project for which you are seeking
  support
• Keep a dialogue going
• Obtain a clear understanding of the next steps
• (sample 34-36)

47
After the Decision

• Grant
• Rejection

48
Follow-up to a Grant

• Send a thank you letter
• Report following the schedule laid out in your
  proposal or following the grantmakers
  requirements
• Find out when to ask for more money
• Do it! Be persistent
• (sample 37-39)

49
Follow-up to a Rejection

• Send a thank you letter
• Call to find out what to do next
• Dont take it personally
• Be persistent
• (sample 40, 41)