vienna, 9-10-11 october4 2006 development education partnership fair writing successful co-financing...

Vienna, 9-10-11 October4 2006

Development Education Partnership Fair

Writing successful co-financing applications

D

By Angelo Caserta

Basic questions (valid for any donor)B1

Why are you writing a co-financing application?

Do you know the donor?

You write a funding proposal to persuade the donor to give your organisation or project money. The purpose of a funding proposal is persuasion, NOT description. So, while you will need to describe the proposed project, you need to do so in a way that will convince a donor to give you money.

You are writing for a funding agency and for someone in particular who will read the proposal.

Your project must match interests and priorities of the donor and, at the same time, the amount of money the donor is ready to give.

Remember that donors are “buyers”, they have their own agenda and they are entitled to have one!

Vienna, 9-10-11 October 2006Writing successful applications

Basic questionsB2

Do you know yourself?

You cannot hope to “sell” or promote a project if you do not know yourself and cannot present, a picture of your organisation as a “good risk”.

For this, strategic planning, financing strategy and project planning are important tools which determine the success of a financing proposal.

Why should the donor finance your proposal?

Many organisations apply for funds. So, why should the donor finance YOUR proposal?

Is your proposal going to make a difference? What is its added value?


MappingM

Problem

Competitors

Enemies

Allies

Context

Target groups

BeneficiariesDonors


Causes

Effects Problem tree

ProblemP

Clearly define the problem

What the problem is? What the solutions are? Try to visualise the problem with a “problem analysis diagram”.


BeneficiariesB

Who are the beneficiaries? Who are the stakeholders?

What do beneficiaries need?

It is important you are able to prove that you know what the beneficiaries need.

The best way is to include the beneficiaries in the design phase, so that you can be sure that their needs are duly taken into account.

Define clearly the beneficiaries (direct, indirect, end-).

1. In a project which aims to change the attitude of consumers so that they consume more fair trade products, who are the beneficiaries?

Of course FT producers, not the consumers!


Target groupsT

Who are the target groups?

1. In the previous example, “consumers” are the target group, while “producers” are the beneficiairies.

Target groups can coincide or differ from beneficiaries

• “A group of people who will benefict directly and in a measurable way from the project/intervention. (MFA, Denmark).

• “A group of people which are the focus of a specific intervention” (ccd.net)

• A group of people whose change in attitude or opinion will have a positive impact on the beneficiaries of an intervention.


ContextC

You must place yourself and the issue in the broader context

Is there public/media attention on the issue?

There might have been recent summits/meetings with political commitments

There might have been natural or human-related events/disasters

Look at all factors and forces which might influence the results of your project (risks and assumptions)


Allies, competitors, enemiesA1

Networking is important

¿ What are their interests? Their agendas? Why do you think they are competitors or enemies?

Do you have competitors in the area or on the issue?

Do you have enemies?

No organisation is strong enough not to need networking. By networking you gain access to the resources and knowledge of others with similar goals.

The project will be probably more interesting and you will probably get more money from the donor.


DonorsD1

What do donors want?

Know the donor

• Interests• Objectives• Mission and mandate• Perception of the problem• Limits and Potential• Means• Rules and timing

•To make an impact or a difference, to influence or solve what they identify as a problem

•To acquire and share knowledge, understanding, information.

•They want their money to count, they want the work they fund to be successful, they want to be seen to be successful and to add value to their chosen interventions.

•Increase/improve their public image

•Share values and support the organisation’s development


DonorsD2

Your proposal must convince the donor that supporting your project is likely to lead to a successful intervention, one it can be proud to claim involvement with, and one the donor, and those the donor wants to influence, will identify with.

What shall the donor gain?

Most donors will also want to feel that they can add value by sharing what they have learned from other projects and interventions with which they have been involved

Some donors also seek to prove that they were able to spend the money they had been given.


YouY

Problem

Competitors

Enemies

Allies

Context

Target groups

BeneficiariesDonors


Who are you?

Rows present information in different stages of the project’s execution.

Logical frameworkL1

Intervention strategy

Objectively verifiable indicators

Verification means

Risks/Assumptions

Overall Objective

Specific objectives

Products/results

Activities

Impact inficators

Purpose indicators

Product indicators

Process indicators/Mea

ns

Monitoring and evaluation

systemContext

Coherence/consistency (cause-effect relation)

RealismEvaluability

1

2

3

4 5

6

7

8 9

10 11

12 13

14 15


Problem treeP1

1Select the “main problem” and write it on the central part of a board

2Look for related problems to the starter problem

3Problems which are directly causing the starter problem are put below. Problems which are direct effects are put above

4If there are two or more causes combining to produce an effect, place them at the same level in the diagram

5Connect the problems with cause-effect arrows – clearly showing key links

6Make sure that the diagram make sense


Problem treeP2

Lack of sufficient clean water

High rate of diseases

High rate of infant mortality

Low productivity of workers

Low income

Deteriorated water system

Few service connections

Insufficient maintenance funds

Bureaucratic water administration

Effects

Causes

Main problem


Lack of sufficient clean water

High rate of diseases

High rate of infant mortality

Low productivity of workers

Low income

Deteriorated water system

Few service connections

Insufficient maintenance funds

Bureaucratic water administration

ObjetivesO

Availability of sufficient clean

water

Lower rate of diseases

Lower rate of infant mortality

Hiher productivity of workers

Higher income

Improved water system

Increased service connections

Sufficient maintenance funds

Efficient water administration

Results/impact

Specific Objectives/activities

Overall objective


Turn positive what was negative in the problem tree

ResultsR

Know what you want to achieve

• Results are changes, goods, services that the project aims to produce to achieve the specific objectives.,

• They refer to actions which are under the control of the team executing the project.

• Results define also the baseline strategy. They are the minimum set of elements necessary (and sufficient, if assumptions hold true) to achieve the specific objectives.


Logical frameworkL

Intervention strategy

Objectively verifiable indicators

Verification means

Risks/Assumptions

Overall Objective

Specific objectives

Products/results

Activities

Impact inficators

Purpose indicators

Product indicators

Process indicators/Mea

ns

Monitoring and evaluation

systemContext

If this have been achieved

And assumptions hold true

1

2

3

4 5

6

7

8 9

10 11

12 13

14 15


IMPACT!

ActivitiesA

What activities are needed to achieve the results?

• Group activities in blocks

• Activities included in a block are all those needed to achieve a specific result

• In each block, list the activities in chronological or sequential order.

• There can be different combinations of the chosen activities. Select the most cost-effective combination.

• Include in the logical framework only the main activities (do not include tasks or sub-activities)


AssumptionsA1

Assumptions

Every project is executed in a context that we have to know to ensure success

Conditions out of project managers’ control

Assumptions are external factors that have the potential to influence (or even determine) the success of a project, but lie outside the direct control of project managers.

They are the answer to the question: “What external factors may impact on project implementation and the long-term sustainability of benefits, but are outside project management’s control?”


AssumptionsA2 Is the external factor important?

Will it hold true?

Is it possible to redesign the project in order to influence the

external factor?

YES NO

Almost certainly

Likely

Very unlikely

Do not include

Include as an assumption

NOYES

Redesign the project by adding Activities or

results; reformulate the Project purpose if

necessary

The project may not be feasible


RisksR1

Have a clear vision of risks

It is important to have a clear idea of possible risks and on strategies to neutralise them.

Risks

Risks are external factors which are not under the control of the project managers and that, if hold true, can undermine success.


RisksR2 Is the risk important?

Can you neutralise it?

Explain how

YES NO

YESNO Do not include

Redesign the project adding activities or

rephrasing the objectives

The project is not feasible

Plan alternatives


Indicators and verificationI1

How do you verify success?

• Indicators allow you to understand whether the intervention has been successful or is on-track.

• They are formulated in response to the question: “How would we know whether or not what has been planned is actually happening or happened?

• The guiding principle should be to collect the minimum amount of information required to help project managers and evaluators determine whether objectives are being/have been achieved.

How to select indicators

• They must be significant and relevant

• Indicators should be measurable/assessable in a consistent way and at an acceptable cost, within the capacity of the executing organisation


Indicators and verificationI2

Source of verification and monitoring system

• How the information should be collected (e.g from administrative records, special studies, sample surveys, observation, etc ) and/or the available documented source (e.g. Progress reports, project accounts, official statistics, engineering completion certificates etc.)

• Who should collect/provide the information (e.g. field extension workers, contracted survey teams, the district health office, the project management team)

• When/how regularly it should be provided. (e.g. monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.)


Key elementsK

Justification

Methodology

Partners

Impact, multiplier effect, sustainability

Budget and financing sources

Duration and action plan


JustificationJ

Persuade the donor

The justification of your proposal is where you do your main “selling job”. It is here that you persuade the donor that your project will make a difference (therefore is necessary and worthwhile). The key areas to be covered are:

• Problem

• Context

• Objectives including clarification of beneficiaries and target groups;

• Implementation strategy.


LanguageL

Shops in Brussels close at 6pm

If you want to go shopping in Brussels, you have to go before 6pm!

You have to use a language which the donor is able/ready to understand

If you want to convince the donor...


KISS – Keep It Short and SimpleK

Write clearly and synthetically

Avoid jargon and explain all acronyms

Do not use a too academic tone

Use short sentences

Write for a non-technical reader.

Let the human story come through, but do not overdo


Impact and follow-upI

What impact shall the project have on the identified problem?

Shall the project have a multiplier effect?

What will you do when the donor’s money ends?

How will you ensure the follow-up?


Duration and action planD

Activities Organisation in charge

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Activity 1 Org 1

Activity 2 Org 1 + Org 3

Activity 3 Org 1 + Org 2

Activity 4 Org 3 + Org 1 + Org 2


BudgetB

Use the format proposed/imposed by the donor

Be detailed and realistic

Respect max and min amounts allowed

Make a clear link between actions and costs

Have a fundraising strategy

Do not ask too much nor too little

1

Make calculations understandable


FormalitiesF

Read carefully guidelines, application form, any relevant document

If you have doubts, ask!

Respect format and length proposed/imposed by the institution

Prepare well in advance all the required documents, duly signed

Do not annex unrequired documents

Send all required documents in time and to the right address

Be sure you fill in all relevant sections of the project application


vienna, 9-10-11 october4 2006 development education partnership fair writing successful co-financing...

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