Appendix I

Take the Stress Out

To thank you, the reader, for purchasing this book, I have included ten tips to take the stress out of proposal writing and set the stage for great organization.

1. Create a profile-note folder for your organization or business. Any time you run across narrative, news clippings, quotes, history, YouTube videos, etc., about your organization take a moment to save it to a Profile Notes file created especially to pull information quickly at a later date.

2. Create a framework for proposal deadline dates. Take the time to review funding opportunities for deadlines and create a framework in Excel with the funder’s name, the name of the fund, the deadline date, and the link for the site. This will cut down the number of unanticipated deadlines and give you more time to prepare.

3. Avoid the shotgun approach to writing proposals. When creating your framework, leave out funds that might not fit your project. Valuable time can be lost in pursuing funds that are not a right fit for your efforts or that might require more time than what the fund is providing.

4. Talk to the funder. Talk to the funder honestly about your goals, explain the project, and see if your project is a match with the funder’s aims. If it’s not a fit, at least you’ve established an introduction for possible future projects.

5. Leave the technical expertise to the experts. If you’re involved with writing about projects in sectors such as forestry, fisheries, or mining and you’re not a professional in these areas, rely upon reports and put some money into the budget to hire a professional to help you create narrative and budgets.

6. Use web tools to acquaint the funder with your project. The web has amazing tools to link the funder directly with your community, through Google Maps and social media. Use them by linking directly from your documents. For instance, to introduce a funder to your project, you can provide a Google Maps link in your summary to your project’s location.

7. Collect graphs, budgets, and timeline templates that work for you. Re-creating graphs, budgets, and templates can be time consuming. Save those templates that convey clearly what your aims are and use them for other projects.

8. Make extra copies of financial statements and other important documents. Funders frequently request financial statements, mandates, incorporation information, etc. Take the time to create a special file for these documents and make a few extra hard copies to have on hand (as well as a PDF).

9. Provide suggested letters of support. You know you have support, but some of the people willing to back you might not have the time to write a letter and it may hold up your submission. You may consider providing a draft letter of support which they can adjust and put on their letterhead.

10. Have a co-editor. Final submission time can be tense and editing is critical for clarity, grammar, and spelling. You’ve been looking at the document for a long time. Have a friend or colleague help you review the final draft. If it’s a complex proposal, hire a professional editor.