Writing a Project ProposalPresented by

Kashindi

• Project Proposal Writing is a clear, simple toolkit for people working in Development, and puts the skills of developing winning proposals into the hands of development workers worldwide. This toolkit enables you to become a 'problem solver' who can:

• Objectively analyse the existing situation and identify the root causes of problems

• Set appropriate and achievable objectives • Plan the proposal • Communicate their proposal to donors clearly and

effectively

• What you can expect from proposal:

• Develop your ability to investigate problems, analyse alternative strategies and plan a relevant course of action

• Develop your ability to organise these ideas in a suitable format for potential donors

• Understand the principles of how to write an effective proposal, considering the reader's / donor's point of view

• Develop a thorough understanding of your own project concept so that you can justify it to potential stakeholders

• Learn a methodical approach to developing proposals

• Imagine having a process that helps you easily design your project and plan and draft the results clearly and with impact. The end result will be better too - our clients - from grassroots NGOs through big NGOs like CARE, Oxfam and Save the Children, to Government and International Organisations such as UNICEF, seem to think so.

• Ask Questions - Before starting your proposal, take some time to make sure you know exactly what you’re proposing. If you’re unclear about any part of the project, ask your potential client a few meaningful questions. If anything seems vague in their description of “what they want”, ask for clarification and then give them a list of possible options as to what you think they might have meant. For your sake, when preparing to give a price, it’s important that you and the client both have the same amount of work in mind. – Note: If you decide to include a list of questions along with your proposal, include an educated guess as to what their answers would be. Make it clear that your price is based on you having made the correct guesses to the proposed questions and that if anything needs clarifying or if anything is missed, you can adjust your quote accordingly.

• Summarize The Project - Take all the information on the project that you’re received from the client thus far and summarize it briefly, using your own words, in an opening paragraph. This not only helps you get a clearer concept of the project in your own mind but also gives the client confidence that you’ve given it thought and understand what they want. It also provides a solid opportunity for them to clarify encase you didn’t understand. – Example: “Below is a summary of my understanding of the project based on our conversations thus far:”

• Break Down The Project Into A Nice “To Do” List – After your summary, follow-up with a solid “To Do” list, which is very useful for both you and the client. List everything that they’ve requested so far as well as your standard work on the project. For designers, this would include listing the initial drafts, etc. For programmers, this would include planning the database, building it, etc. Be thorough in your list. It will help give the client a strong sense that you know what you’re doing and that you’ll do the job well. It will also help you make sure nothing slips through the cracks. Use the list in your project updates and cross things off as you move along.

CONTENTS

• START-UP• KEY ELEMENTS OF A GRANT

PROPOSAL (cover letter, title page, summary, introduction, problem or need assessment, objectives, activities / methods, evaluation plan, sustainability, budget).

• EXERCISES / EXPERIENCE

ORGANIZING WORK

• Involve your team (one person shouldn’t write a proposal)

• Prepare all preliminary information • Create a checklist• Don’t bother the funder too much during

the preparation process• Think of the structure

START-UP WORK

• Identifying a project idea• Looking for a potential funder• Studying priorities, guidelines and application

forms / previously funded projects• Establishing initial contact (organization’s

mission and vision, strategy, structure, team)• Creating partnerships (now or earlier)

COVER LETTER

• First thing the funder reads• Must engage the reader so (s)he reads the

rest of the proposal• Personal, to the point, concise• Structure: project title, goals and

objectives, total amount requested, duration of the project)

SUMMARY

• A succinct, clear synopsis of the project• Not more than a page• Description of the organization• Statement of problem and / or need• Project objectives• Outline of proposed activities• The amount requested

INTRODUCTION

• Description of the applicant (mission, vision, values, strategic objectives, structure, team)

• Short list of organization’s achievements• Who are your beneficiaries and partners• Why do you apply to this funder?

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

• What is the problem or need?• Describe the problem in relation to your target

group• Place the problem in a larger context your

organizations works in• Use figures and concrete examples (case

studies)• Relate it to the funders guidelines and

priorities

OBJECTIVES• All objectives should be SMART i.e. Specific,

Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timed.• Specific - Be precise about what you are going to

achieve • Measurable - Quantify you objectives • Achievable - Are you attempting too much? • Realistic - Do you have the resource to make the

objective happen (human resources, financial, the right context and opportunities)?

• Timed - State when you will achieve the objective (within a month? By February 2010?)

Gathering Background Information • The first thing you will need to do in writing your 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 with 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.

•

EXAMPLES OBJECTIVES• Strategic objective: to promote the change of negative

social attitude towards community and discriminatory governmental practices by means of awareness raising activities.

• Short-term objectives:• Objective 1: to provide different governmental actors, the

society and community with objective information about sexual orientation and gender identity

• Objective 2: to increase the level of tolerance of mass media towards sexual minorities and transgender persons

• Objective 3: to create networks / partnerships with professional groups working with sexual and gender minorities in order to improve their skills and qualifications

METHODS / ACTIVITIES

• Answer to the question “HOW?”• Right place to give details and figures• Put activities in the time order• Give reasons why you selected this

method• Be consistent with overall project goal,

objectives and the context• Make references to previous use of the

method by you or other organizations

OUTCOMES / OUTPUTS

• Know the difference• Outcome: long term result / effect (hard to

measure)• Output is a very concrete result / product

(easily measurable)• Provide both outcomes and outputs in a

clear structure

EVALUATION PLAN

• Strategy to measure the success• Explanation of the criteria used to

measure the success• Includes:

- quantitative indicators (numbers)- qualitative indicators (contents) - vision of success (what you want to achieve

BUDGET

• Structure: human resources, purchases, operational costs, activities

• Clear budget items (how did you come up with the amount you’ve indicated in the budget line)

• Explanations to the budget in annex (why you need a particular amount, offers, etc.)

THE FUNDER IS YOUR MR. OR MRS. RIGHT!

ASK YOUR MR(S) RIGHT TO MARRY YOU. WHAT WILL YOU SAY?

THAT THERE IS A WARRANT OUT ON YOUR ARREST?

WILL DISCUSS YOUR PREVIOUS FAILED MARRIAGES?

WILL BRING UP YOUR FAMILY PREDISPOSITION

FOR TERRIBLE DISEASES? NO!

THE FUNDER IS YOUR MR. OR MRS. RIGHT!

Tell your Mr(s) Right that you are:- Winning- Upbeat- Ambitious- Can-do- Strong and getting stronger!

You have made yourself very attractive to your Mr(s) Right! Happy honey moon!