Proposals are persuasive documents that are fundamental tools in organisational funding and output. This content 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 organisation and your organisation must be ready to do the work contained in the proposal. The most successful proposals are going to be those that fulfil the mission and values of your organisation and that of the funding agencies as well!

Learning Outcomes:

• Locate potential funders for your organisations on the Internet and use evaluative skills to identify the appropriateness of funding related to their own organisation
• Explain the necessity of matching funders interests with organisational needs and use this knowledge in decisions about the validity of submitting a funding proposal
• Describe and understand the basic elements of proposal writing for not-for-profit organisations
• Describe and understand the basic process for successful proposal writing
• Analyse effective relationship-building strategies to engage with funders and use this knowledge in writing a funding proposal
• Describe at least five reasons why funding proposals can be rejected
• Plan, write and submit a proposal in response to funders guidelines