Archive for August, 2010

Most significant six-figure asks include a proposal of some kind. Proposals can also take the tension out of a conversation by redirecting attention to a picture or statistic that connects with your conversation. You don’t have to have every question answered in your proposal, and it doesn’t always need to be four-color and on glossy paper. Here are a few useful tips I’ve found for building good proposals.

• Try to put yourself in the mind of the donor and think through the proposal from his or her perspective.
• Keep it short. You don’t have to write a long proposal. One page is often a good length for a proposal or report. If you need to, don’t go more than two pages. You may have other support materials and packet materials that are longer, but your basic idea should be concise enough to fit in two pages.
• Including a story or picture can add a lot. Pictures can say a lot more than words, and stories can reveal an attitude or philosophy often better than facts and figures.
• Include measurable outcomes. If their funding will do something specific, illustrate what that specific something is.
• Recognition details. If you have a special plan to recognize a donor’s gift, explain what you are going to do.
• Include statistics about your organization and the people you serve. Support your stories and your vision for the donor’s gift with some statistics.

What do you always include in your proposals to major donors? Any tips or tricks you use to create a good proposal or in integrating a proposal into a solicitation?

Related posts:

1. Measuring the Un-measurable
2. Ratios Versus Results
3. Donor Flavors
4. To Measure or Not to Measure
5. The Pre-Emptive Gift

A while ago I had a number of high-dollar amount solicitations all within a few weeks of each other. I was struck by a number of thoughtful questions that our volunteer solicitation teams had about the proposal and the solicitation plan. Many of their questions helped us to take a step back and rethink some of our initial presuppositions and ideas. This conversation re-enforced the value of thinking critically.

Going into a solicitation, we do not need to have every single question answered, but we should be able to defend why we are asking donors for funding. Many of our volunteers’ questions included educating them about the mechanics of the organization and the industry. Some of the terms we used were different than the terms they used, and it helped to talk from both perspectives. We changed our terms to reflect language that the donor would better understand.

As nonprofit professionals, we have unique and sometimes different perspectives because we are inside the organization. We often know what the actual obstacles are to making a difference, not just the perceived obstacles. The above conversation gave me and my co-workers a chance to discuss ideas and strategies we had not yet thought about. We also had a chance to explain why the areas of proposed funding were important to ongoing success which changed volunteers’ perspectives on the needs of the organization.

The plan and proposals we developed benefited because of this give and take conversation. This was a great experience for the organization and for the volunteers involved. Our organizations should do this more often. Do you have a story of a conversation that provided you with perspective on your organization?

Related posts:

1. Talking About Religion: Going Deeper
2. Ask Out Loud
3. Interdisciplinary Work
4. What Motivates Giving?
5. Donor Flavors