Writing a proposal is one of the most challenging parts of being a non-profit. You have to come up with an idea that’s going to make an impact, write it down in a way that makes sense to funders, and then convince them that this project is worth their money. It’s a lot!
But luckily for you, I’ve written hundreds of proposals over my career working for nonprofits. So let me show you how to write one that gets funded!
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Understand the funder’s priorities and criteria. |
| 2. Craft a compelling executive summary. |
| 3. Clearly define the problem your proposal addresses. |
| 4. Present a well-structured project plan. |
| 5. Provide a detailed and realistic budget. |
| 6. Showcase the potential impact of your project. |
| 7. Tailor the proposal to the funder’s requirements. |
| 8. Use persuasive language and storytelling techniques. |
| 9. Highlight your team’s expertise and capabilities. |
| 10. Proofread and revise to ensure clarity and accuracy. |
What You’re Trying To Do Matters
The most important thing to remember is that your proposal should be focused on the mission of your organization and its impact.
Proposals are evaluated based on who you’re trying to help, the problem you’re addressing, how you go about addressing it and if your strategy is clear and feasible. Your budget should reflect the value of your work.
When aiming to secure grant funding, it’s essential to master the art of nonprofit proposal writing. Learn valuable strategies and insights to enhance your chances of success.
Who You’re Trying To Help Matters
Who do you want to help? To be successful, you need to know who the target audience is. If your project is meant to benefit children or teens in foster care, for example, it’s important that you focus on those individuals.
If your goal is to increase participation in community events among seniors who are 60 years old and older, then it’s important that you reach out specifically to this age group by using words like “senior citizens” or “elders,” rather than “the elderly.”
The Problem You’re Addressing Matters
The first step to writing an effective proposal is making sure you frame your problem in a way that makes it important to the funder.
This means more than simply addressing “a problem,” which could be anything from the fact that cats are weirdly awkward when they sleep to the fact that your high school cafeteria was too hot in August.
As any good grant writer knows, you need to make your audience care about what you have to say by showing them how their interests intersect with yours. In other words: if you want to fund your prison reform organization.
Don’t just talk about all of the terrible things happening inside our nation’s jails–talk about how these prisons impact prisoners’ families and communities as well!
Now that we’ve got some sense of why this particular problem matters so much (it does), let’s move on to step two…
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How You Go About Addressing It Matters
In your proposal, you should:
Show how you will work with other people and organizations to solve the problem. You can use this section to explain how your project will involve other people in a way that makes sense for them, whether it is hiring someone else or asking volunteers to help out.
Show off your skills and experience. If you have any professional experience related to the project, mention it here!
Be sure not to go on too long about this section if it isn’t really necessary though; keep in mind that funders are looking for people who know what they’re doing, not experts who have never done anything before (unless there’s something special about that).
Explain how you’ll use your organization’s resources to accomplish its goals. This is another opportunity for me to tell funders why I think my organization would be good at solving this problem.
Your Strategy Is Clear And Feasible
- Define the problem before starting on a solution.
- Set goals for yourself before writing a proposal.
Don’t worry about what other people’s goals are, or how ambitious they are; just make sure your own goals are realistic and achievable in the time frame you’ve set for yourself.
For example, one of my fitness clients has a goal of completing an obstacle course race (OCR) in 3-6 months.
We’re currently working on improving her strength and stamina so that she can complete the OCR without injury or fatigue, but we also talk about what kind of training she will do between now and then to make sure she is ready for it by then.
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Your Budget Reflects The Value Of Your Work
Your budget should reflect the value of your work. If you’re planning on building a research lab, for example, then it makes sense to request a higher sum than if you just want to buy new pens for the office. The same applies to government funding:
A proposal that aims to improve literacy rates in low-income areas should be more generously funded than one designed simply to generate economic growth.
The second principle is that budgets should be appropriate to scale and impact. In other words, big projects need bigger budgets than small ones; ambitious goals require more resources than modest ones; and transformative endeavors require more investment than maintenance efforts.
Also keep in mind that there are different ways of measuring value whether economic, social, or environmental and each has its way of determining what is “worth it” at first glance (or second glance).
That means it’s not enough just money: You also need something tangible at stake here!
Your Plan Is Realistic And Shows Passion
To make sure that you’re approaching your project most productively, you need to be realistic about what your capabilities are. You can’t do everything, so you have to focus on what’s most important.
What are some goals that are attainable with the time and resources available? A good rule of thumb is to set small incremental goals and then work up from there.
When writing a funding proposal, it’s also important that you show passion for your work. This means showing potential funders that they will be helping someone who cares deeply about their field succeed at achieving great things!
It also shows them that this person has stayed committed through tough times before (because let’s face it anyone trying something new is going through tough times).
If they see the passion in what they read from their prospective funder recipient then chances are good things will go well with getting funded by them too!
So remember this when writing proposals: show passion even if other parts don’t seem like a fit yet because those other parts might change over time too or maybe even become better than originally planned!
Navigate the world of grant funding with effective grant writing tactics and strategy. Learn how to craft proposals that align with funders’ expectations and increase your chances of receiving support.
You Have A Commitment To Making Change Happen
Before you write your proposal, you have to know who you are and what it means to be committed. You must be clear about the commitments you have made in the past, and what they mean to you now. This means thinking about:
Your commitment to making change happen, not just as an individual but also in partnership with others.
Your commitment to the people and communities you serve and how this shapes your vision for how funding will help serve them better.
Your commitment to the organization that employs or partners with you, especially if it is a nonprofit organization or government agency whose resources are limited by funding sources like grants or tax dollars from foundations or government agencies (or both).
In other words: What is its mission? Is there a long-term vision for success? What values drive their work? How might these be reflected in their budgeting process? Who else has funded similar projects/programs/initiatives before yours? Will they support yours too?”
Your Proposal Addresses One Of The Funder’s Strategic Priorities (Or Needs) Preferably Several Of Them
This is the most important step because it’s how you prove that your project addresses one of the funder’s strategic priorities (or needs). This is a crucial part of any grant-seeking process, and it’s where most applicants fall short.
To find out what an organization wants to fund, you need to look at its website and read its guidelines carefully. You’ll find this information on their grant program descriptions page or in relevant publications (like an annual report).
In addition to specific funding criteria like eligibility requirements and deadlines, organizations will often include details about why they’re funding certain types of projects at particular times (e.g., “we are looking for proposals addressing climate change”).
You’ve Done Your Research. In Fact
Research is the foundation of your proposal. Without it, you’re likely to find yourself writing something that’s not in line with the funder’s priorities or needs. If you want to make sure your research is thorough and accurate, here are some helpful tips:
Do your observations and experience count? Even though others may have written on this topic before, there’s always more to learn by looking at things from a different angle (or adding new data).
What about data? Data can help you back up claims and show that there’s a need for your idea or project. Don’t be afraid to use other people’s research but be sure to cite them correctly so they’ll get credit if they ever read through your proposal!
You Can Demonstrate Need, Even Desperation, Based On Data And Your Observations And Experience
Demonstrating need, even desperation, based on data and your observations and experience
You can demonstrate the need for your project if you have hard evidence of the problem you’re trying to solve. If a particular population is having difficulty accessing services or resources because of geographical barriers, then use that as evidence that there is a need.
You can also demonstrate the need by pointing out how current government-sponsored programs are not working well enough to solve the problem.
For example, if there is no existing program in place that addresses homelessness in urban areas, then this could be used as evidence of a lack of funding available for such projects.
You can also show who will benefit from your project and how: You should describe how many people will benefit from this project (e.g., 100 homeless people). You can describe what success looks like in clear, concrete terms:
We expect these 100 homeless people will be able to find stable housing within one year of opening our new shelter;
We expect they will save taxpayers more than 10 million dollars per year after they move into permanent housing due to lowered costs associated with health issues caused by living on the streets (including emergency room visits);
We expect they will make fewer criminal activities once they have housing because it gives them something meaningful every day instead of just sitting around waiting for “the next time” during which everything happens again (like getting high).
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You Can Show Who Will Benefit From Your Project And How
A successful proposal will clearly explain how the problem you’re solving matters to the people who are affected by it.
You should start with a clearly defined audience the people who stand to benefit from your work and detail the specific aspects of their lives that could be improved.
Then, identify ways in which you plan to measure success: what metrics and milestones do you need to achieve before continuing?
Finally, outline how you will know whether or not this is a good idea: what data points would indicate that there has been an improvement? How many lives would need to be changed for this project to count as a success?
You Can Describe What Success Looks Like In Clear, Concrete Terms
There are a few important things to keep in mind when describing success.
First, be specific about what you want to achieve. This may sound obvious, but if you say that “you want to increase the number of people who sign up for your newsletter,” do not expect anyone to fund that project unless they know exactly what they’re funding. What does “increase” mean?
How much more do you need? Why do you think this is important? What will it look like when it’s done?
Second, be clear about how you plan on measuring your progress toward meeting these goals: what metrics will prove or disprove success?
If 10% of people who sign up for your newsletter also buy something from your store within 30 days, did that happen because of the newsletter or would it have happened anyway (or both)?
In other words: are there other variables at play here and can we be sure that our campaign had nothing to do with them?
Thirdly and finally: realistic expectations! The biggest mistake I see in proposals is unrealistic timelines (i.e., “this project will take eight months”) or budget allocations (“we need $50k”).
Your proposal should include an outline of all activities required over time; however long those activities take matters less than whether they can realistically be accomplished within the proposed timeline while staying within budget constraints.
Conclusion
All in all, a proposal is just a tool for telling your story. It’s about connecting with an audience that cares about what you care about and then finding a way to make them believe in it enough to give you money so that you can do your work.
If you’re looking for funding from the arts council or another organization, don’t forget: they want to support artists
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to further enhance your understanding of writing effective funding proposals:
Pandadoc’s Guide to Crafting Successful Grant Proposals Learn valuable insights and strategies for creating compelling grant proposals that increase your chances of securing funding.
GoFundMe’s Fundraising Tips: Crafting a Funding Proposal Discover practical advice and tips for creating persuasive funding proposals to support your fundraising efforts.
Top 25 Tips on Writing Effective Funding Proposals Access a comprehensive list of 25 tips to help you write proposals more effectively, ensuring success in your funding endeavors.
FAQs
What elements should I include in a grant proposal?
A well-rounded grant proposal typically includes an executive summary, project description, budget, impact assessment, and a sustainability plan.
How can I make my funding proposal stand out?
To make your proposal stand out, focus on addressing the funder’s specific requirements, highlight the unique aspects of your project, and provide a clear and compelling narrative.
How do I demonstrate the impact of my project in a proposal?
Clearly define the goals and objectives of your project, and use quantifiable data or success stories to showcase the potential positive outcomes of your initiative.
What are some common mistakes to avoid in a funding proposal?
Avoid vague language, overly complex jargon, and neglecting to tailor the proposal to the funder’s priorities. Also, ensure your budget is realistic and well-justified.
Is there a recommended structure for a funding proposal?
Yes, a common structure includes an introduction, problem statement, project goals, methodology, budget, timeline, and evaluation plan. Adhering to a structured format can make your proposal more accessible to reviewers.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.