Writing a successful proposal is an art. There is no blueprint for a good proposal, and not all good proposals lead to a successful bid. There are many reasons why a funder might select your proposal. MDF’s ‘Writing Winning Proposals’ training will guide you to not only write a good proposal, it increase your chances of securing funding. In this article, we provide you with six tips.
Tip 1: Why your organisation exists and what problem it solves
Have a good understanding of why your organisation exists and what problem it solves. What makes your organisation unique? In short: explore why your organisation is important because if you do not know why you exist, why would anyone else fund you?
Tip 2: Funders that have similar objectives, mission, and vision
Start searching for funders that have similar objectives, mission, and vision to you. Then, the likelihood of them partnering with your organisation is higher.
Tip 3: Engage with these funders
Try to engage with these funders even if there are no applications open. It is important to establish a good relationship. You might even be able to influence their programming or get information when important calls come out, which eventually benefit your organisation.
Tip 4: Go/ no go decision
Make a clear go/ no go decision before writing any proposal, based on the eligibility criteria and your chance to win. You do not want to use your precious time on proposals that have little chance.
Tip 5: Develop your intervention and budget at an early stage
Start with developing your intervention and budget at an early stage. Your Theory of Change or Result Framework are the core of your proposal. You do not want to start writing before you have a clear idea about your intervention. As for the budget, clearly link your budget to activities at an early stage, specifically when you work with partners.
Tip 6: The donor format
Stick to the donor format, use correct spelling, and have someone check your proposal against the evaluation criteria.
Would you like to learn how to write proposals more effectively? Our Writing Winning Proposals training can guide you through these tips during our training. It will provide you with the tools, and provide individualised feedback on your journey to develop a winning proposal. For more information, please check our courses page: mdf.nl/courses
