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The Purpose of Proposals
All proposals should convey at least the following 5 messages: 1. “Please read this!” The title on the cover page should be such that it draws the reader to turn the page and read the contents of the document. You should therefore use catchy (but not gimmicky!), informative and interesting titles. Titles should generate interest - even curiosity. Suggestion:
Use the colon trick. Before the colon, the words should be short, crisp, snappy, but after the colon, serious and scientific.
Examples:
>Fishes for the Future: identification and characterization of endangered aquatic species in selected tropical sites >More Beans for Africa: Sustainable Bean Productivity through Germplasm Enhancement and Input Use Efficiency >Born-Again Soils: Productive and Regenerative Agricultural Systems for Marginal and Degraded Soils of Tropical Latin America >Leafy Protection: Using leaf products to guard against post-harvest pests. >Did We Make a Difference? -- Assessment of Past and Expected Impact of Insect Research
2. An important, urgent thing needs doing! Convey a sense of the seriousness, magnitude and therefore urgency of the problem/issue by highlighting what is likely to happen if the problem/issue is not addressed.
3. Here is a sensible and cost-effective way of doing it! Show that you understand the problem/issue very well and have ideas about how do address it in a more cost-effective way.
4. Here is a Center, staffed, equipped and ready to do the job! Explain why your institute should be the one to address this problem. What comparative/competitive advantage does it have.
5. All that is needed is your support! Explain why you need the support of the donor(s) you are applying to and why it is difficult to proceed without their support.
Technical Writing Tips
* Short, Crisp Sentences(10 - 15 words) * Be Generous with Paragraphs * Everyday English (as you speak) * Active Voice, Present and Future Tense * Write to Audience (non-scientific) * Support Text with Clear Graphics * Avoid Bureaucratese, Wasted Words * Try to include “Quotable Quotes”
Donor Formats
*Every donor has preferences on style, format, content.
* Try to find out as much as you can about your target donor.
* Your Programme Office and other Management staff can help.
*Your institute needs to maintain an up-to-date donor library and database; to make it most effective, everyone needs to make contributions.
*If you know the donor’s preferred format, use that.
Otherwise use the generic format that follows.
*If possible, decide on a donor at the concept note stage.
Project Parents, Relatives and Midwives
*Unloved proproposals rarely win. Unloved projects rarely succeed.
*At least one scientist must care deeply about each project that is proposed. I call that person the project’s mother or father.
*Good projects usually attract all sorts of aunts, uncles and cousins. These people will help the parents design, implement or otherwise support the project.
*Non-scientists (from Programme or Finance Offices, e.g.) can act as midwives to bring your baby to life, but they cannot and should not love it like you do.
Concept Note
*A concept note records a project idea, and helps the author to discuss the idea with colleagues and supervisors.
*Sharing a concept note will save the time, effort and money involved in developing a proposal that no-one but the author likes or is willing to fund.
*A concept note should never be more than two pages long. (A longer concept paper, suitable to share with a donor, may be developed once the idea is approved.)
*The following format has worked in other centers.
Concept Note Format
Project Title.......................................... Your Program(s)................................. Expected Budget and Duration.......... Design Team (Author, other scientists)....... Potential Donor(s)...............................
Objectives and Activities
Partners and Beneficiaries
Output and Potential Impact
The Concept Review
* The project’s parent(s) share their idea with peers and supervisors.
*Suggestions for improvements and additions are considered.
*Possible donors and funding strategies discussed and agreed.
*Scale and scope of the project discussed and agreed.
*The design team is formed, and a timetable for project development is discussed and approved.
Costs involved in preparing and selling the proposal are agreed.
*Decisions are written up and distributed in memo form.
Between Concept and Proposal
*Parents and/or Management begin dialogue with potential donor(s).
*Parents and/or Management begin dialogue with potential partner(s).
*Design Team and partners make decisions on site selection, budget allocations, equipment requirements, etc.
*Design Team solicits formal help from Programme Office and relays information about proposal write-up.
*When proposal finished, a Proposal Review is convened, at which peers make suggestions for further improvements, and budgets are refined and finalized.
Basic Proposal Format
I. Summary (What is this proposal all about?) II.Background (Why should this proposal be done?)
III. Objectives (What do you hope to achieve?)
IV. Activities (What will you do?)
V. Work Plan (How will you achieve your objectives?)
VI. Outputs and Impacts (Who will be better off at the end of the project, and why?
VII. Evaluation (How can you test if the project is working?)
VIII. Budget (How much will it cost?)
Writing the Proposal Prepare proposals in the following order: 1. Objectives
2. Activities
3. Work Plan
4. Outputs and Impacts
5. Budget
6. Background
7. Evaluation
8. Summary
9. Review and Editing
10. Cover Letter Step 1:
Objectives What do you want to achieve?
Ask:
*Are the objectives valuable?
To whom? *Are they clear and measurable? *Are they realistic in terms of available
time and inputs?
Tips:
*Objectives should be important and
urgent -- otherwise why should you do
them, and others support them?
*Consult with others; spend time thinking *Get the words right *Don’t promise more than you can do
Step 2:
Activities
What will you do?
Easy to write, but follow tips:
*Be brief and clear *Be positive -- use “will” *Include Research Methods as a sub-section of Activities *Do not include justifications -- they belong in Background section
Step 3:
Work Plan
How will you achieve the objectives? (What combination of inputs will be needed, when, and in what quantities, to achieve the desired outputs?)
Include all the following sections: *Partners -- Administrative Arrangements (Which party will do what, when, where?) - Your institute - Other IARCs (inside, outside CGIAR) - NARS - Host Government Agencies - NGOs - Farmers Groups - ARIs (developing, developed country) * Inputs and Level of Effort - Staffing (type, number of person months) - Consultants - Beneficiary/Participants - Equipment (vehicles, computers, space,...) - Supplies and Services
* Time Plans - When will the activities be undertaken? (graphs, charts, time lines) - When will inputs be phased in and out? * Reporting Plan - Check for donor requirements -- if none, suggest annual, plus final report Include sections on any other practical issues, such as
> site selection > training plan > workshop plan > fellowship plan
> contingency plan (for difficult site) > computer or vehicle purchase plan
Step 4:
Outputs and Impacts
What will be the project results? [Note: Increasingly important topic for donors!] * Who will be better off? - Farmers (Female Male? Small? Large?) - Farm Families (dependents) - Landless Rural People - Urban Poor Consumers - Other Population Groups - Researchers (NARS? ARIs? IARCs?)
* In what way are people better off? (In terms of CGIAR goals) > poverty alleviation?
> food security?
> preserving environment?
* Outputs and Impacts Check-List (Develop your own -- review, improve, regularly) > Higher yields? > Higher farmer incomes? > Farm family well-being?
(how measured?) > Gender-specific impact? > Enhanced community participation? > New use of indigenous knowledge? > More public sector accountability? > Inputs for improved decision-making? > New food source for urban poor? > New jobs created? > Import substitution? > Other economic benefits? To which sectors? > Human health benefits?
Tips: * Explain if results site- or country-specific, or generalizable * Quantifiable outputs and impacts are most impressive;
state how you will measure
Step 5:
Budget
How much will it cost?
Tips:
* Use Budget Guidelines *Be realistic, not greedy *Never under-budget -- projects must stand alone *Include Bay Windows *Always footnote with unit costs (check local costs carefully) *Finance or Budget Officer ca help, but you must provide the inputs
*Accept and understand that indirect costs are as legitimate and necessary as direct costs *Consult your PO or donor library for donor limits. If target donor has indirect cost ceilings, include costs as direct charges
Step 6:
Background
Why should this project be done?
* What is the problem and its context? - global? regional? national?
* Why is the problem important and urgent? - What will happen if nothing is done? - Are governments, farmers, women asking for the project?
* What has already been done?
By whom?
* What is your institute’s comparative advantage?
* What do the partners bring to the problem?
Tips:
* Be short (2 - 3 pages -- more in annexes),
crisp and readable (you are not writing a research paper), use sub-heads * Consider “soft sell” on your institute and partners
Step 7:
Evaluation
How will you know if the project is on track to achieve its objectives?
* “Regular” in-house project monitoring (e.g. role of Program Leaders, DDG/R; Internal Program Reviews, etc.) * Special Project Evaluation Plan - baseline study and data collection? - special monitoring component? (if so, also mention in Activities) - specially commissioned internal or external evaluations? (if so, describe) Notes:
* Evaluation and/or impact assessment may be subject of separate project * Monitoring and evaluation outputs should be included in all reporting to donors, even if not positive
Do not omit this section in the proposal!
Step 8:
Summary
What is this proposal all about?
* Write last
* Key section -- write carefully
* Allude to every other section
* Be short (absolute max 2 pages)
* Highlight donor interest
* Be simple, straight-forward
Sample Summary
This proposal requests ...(donor) to provide $ ... for (name of your institute) to ... (project objectives summarized) in ...(country, site).
The proposed project will take ... years and involve ... person years or months of your institute and ... (partners) time. The need for this project is pressing;
(tell why in one or two sentences).
The interested parties (name them) are anxious to achieve the desired outputs and impacts as soon as possible; ... (tell what the various partners will do in the project in one or two sentences). The project will benefit ... (tell who) by .. (tell what.) As a result, impact on ..... is expected in ... (site? nation? region? sector?) This project builds on previous work by your institute and others that ... (tell what has already been done). Your institute and its partners are ideally suited to conduct the follow-on activities because ... (tell why.)
Step 9:
Review and Editing
* Before sending the proposal on for a formal Review, sleep on the proposal. * Re-read critically. * Listen to comments of non-technical person -- interested layman (PO? spouse? ) * Try to catch errors, repetitions and inconsistencies. * Edit, seeking to substantially shorten the proposal, making it crisp, clear, punchy, appealing.
Do not omit this step!
Step 10:
Cover Letter * As with all letters, write with the recipient in mind.
* Consult donor library: > refer to donor interests > refer to related donor projects > show how project builds on previous work funded by donor * Refer to any previous interaction on proposed activities
* Highlight importance and urgency of problem * Outline the partners and participants in the project and express their eagerness to begin work soon * Conclude with a follow-up event (E.g.: “If we have not heard from you by next month, we propose to contact you by phone to get your impressions and suggestions for how the proposal could be improved.”)
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