Proposals are persuasive documents that are fundamental tools in organizational funding and output. This course will look at sources of funding, types of proposals and how to write proposals that will meet funding agencies requirements. This will include a number of tips and techniques to increase the potential success of your proposals. An important but often overlooked aspect of proposal writing will also be covered- Building and Maintaining Relationships. Relationships are built on honesty. Potential projects must be a good fit for your organization and your organization must be ready to do the work contained in the proposal. The most successful proposals are going to be those that fulfill the mission and values of your organization and that of the funding agencies as well!

Any successful proposal writer needs to have a thorough knowledge of the funding environment that they hope to tap into. Not only is it important to know who is out there but also who they fund and why.

In this session, you’ll identify trends in the funding environment, types of funders and you will identify potential funders that you may be able to connect with.

Once you have identified potential funders for your projects it is important to see if they would be a good fit for the work you are proposing.

In this session, you’ll investigate the potential funders identified in the last session to see if they are indeed a good fit for your proposal.

Now that you have a potential funder in mind it is time to select the type of proposal you would like to submit.

In this session, you’ll learn about three of the most common forms of proposals; Proposal Forms, Letter Proposals and Partnership Proposals.

Proposal writing is more about building a relationship than anything. The better the relationship between the funder and your organization the more successful you will be as a proposal writer.

In this session, you’ll look at the stages of building a relationship with your potential funder. You have already found each other now you need to get to know each other, decide if you want to connect, go on a first date and then if all goes well you’ll decide to go steady.

RFPs are one of the types of proposal writing for large companies and those seeking to provide goods and services to government, consortia or other large companies. Success rates are usually low unless you provide a unique product or service.

In this session, you’ll learn about the common elements of RFPs, sources of RFPs, how to increase your chances of success and you will work on an RFP Case Study.

Now that you have selected a funder and determined the type of proposal you need to write you need to begin the planning of your proposal.

In this session, you’ll learn about the ten steps in proposal writing.

It is time to begin to write your proposal - it doesn’t write itself you know!

In this session, you’ll use the first six steps that you learned in the last session to develop a draft outline for your proposal.

Now that you have an outline of what you would like to write your proposal on it is important to learn about the key elements found in most all proposals.

In this session, you’ll learn not only the key elements in a proposal but also the order in which you need to write them.

The first things you need to define in your proposal are the needs being addressed by the proposal and the results that you are hoping for should you receive the funding for your project.

In this session, you’ll learn how to define the needs you are addressing and the direct and indirect results of your project.

The funders are interested in whether you can do the job that you are requesting money for. The Resources and Activities and Evaluation sections of your proposal are where they will look for convincing evidence that their money will be well spent.

In this session, you’ll learn what funders are expecting you to cover in the Resources and Activities as well as the importance of having a measurable evaluation process in place.

Your organization's sustainability is very important to a funder - they want to be sure that their monies will be used effectively and efficiently and knowing that your organization is stable and will hold in for the long-term is very reassuring. Also funders are reassured by knowing that you are realistic in knowing the money necessary to successfully complete your project and that you will handle their money well. That is where the budget comes in.

In this session, you’ll learn what funders are expecting you to show them that you are sustainable and will be good stewards of their money.

Now you are nearly finished your proposal. The finishing touches are the Conclusion, Introduction and Executive Summary.

In this session, you’ll learn the essential information to include in your Conclusion, Introduction and Executive Summary.