A proposal cannot be written in an "organizational vacuum": it must connect well to the aims and strategies of the organization. The structure of the organization and its strategy, accepted by all its members, are also crucial for effective fundraising.

Nobody could define an exact set of rules that say how a proposal should be written. There are general guidelines, however, that are worth thinking about why we are shaping our methods and styles of fundraising.
 

What is fundraising, and why do we have to deal with it?
Fundraising is not only about getting money. Like all the activities of an organization, fundraising should also help improve the work and structure of a group. Raising huge amounts just to fill the bank account of the organization will not necessarily help an organization achieve its aims. You must have well shaped and worked out ideas and projects in order to get funds.

Writing proposals is not the only way to get support.

Although this guide will focus on writing proposals, there are other methods to raise funds, too. Some ideas that can be realized in our countries:
- Organizing events and charging fees: sales; bazaar; a party; programs; film clubs; exhibitions.
- Membership fees; charging fees for services: e.g. discussions, seminars; finding individual donors.
-Advertising. Asking magazines and television or radio channels to advertise our programs for free.
- Gaining subscriptions for the publications of the organization, e.g. a newsletter.

If an organization has a strategic plan and a work plan, its members have to evaluate possible methods. The following passages are about writing a proposal. We should never forget, however, that it is always best for an organization to rely on the biggest possible support apart from foundations' grants.

Grants coming from foundations have advantages and disadvantages, too.

Advantages:
- There is hope that the organization gets a bigger grant at one time.
-It is relatively easy to get funds, and its costs are low.
-It helps planning. To be able to write a good proposal, we must think over what we want to do, how, and when.
-It gives a possibility to make good contacts with funders, and discuss our issues, reflecting upon them.

Disadvantages:
- Many foundations define what they support, and their visions may not be the same as ours.
-Decision-making might be a slower process.
- Funding can only be used for a particular program. Grants are almost always for definite activities. And many funders are reluctant to fund operational and office costs.
 

Planning proposals
The leaders, members and volunteers must ask the following questions in advance in order to write good proposals.

Is it feasible that the planned activity will be supported by funders?
How can we contact funders, and maintain a good relationship with them?
Whose task is it to write proposals and handle forms?
What types of activities and costs can be funded by grant givers?

Foundations often ask the following questions as criteria. These might help to think over activities and plans in this respect.

What are the immediate objectives of the event or activity, and how does it fit into the organization's strategy?
How do the planned activities help solve a given problem?
What are the expected results of the activity?
How is it going to be carried out, and how long does it take?
Who is going to work on the plan, and how are they going to share tasks?
How many volunteers are going to be involved?
How can success be measured?
How does the result get to be known by a wider public?
Are other groups participating in the planned activities? Is there a chance that the press / media is going to publicize parts of the activity?

Activities that are planned to improve the work of the organization (strategic planning, conferences, seminars, etc.):
What is the significance of participating in the given training, workshop or conference?
How is it relating to the work of the group?
How is knowledge gained passed on to the others?
If the organization is planning an event, what is its purpose?
How does the meeting/event lead to achieving this purpose?
Who are going to attend?
Who are the speakers, and what qualifications / experience do they have?

Operational costs:
Why does the organization need this support?
How has the NGO cover these expenses until this time?
How is it planning to cover them after the possible funding?
Why do you need an office, and are there other organizations that can use it, too?
In case of paid staff: what are the obligations of those who are paid, and what is their work plan?

If you want to buy technical equipments: why do you need them, and what are you going to use them for? Who can use these equipments? How many people?

These categories can, of course, merge within a wider category of activity.
 

Where can we find information on funders?
Luckily, there are lists about the major programs and addresses of foundations and other sources of funding. These, however, become outdated very soon: data, programs or areas of interest often change. For this reason, it is best not to rely entirely on these lists and publications.

The best is to make a list of the funders who support our area of work, and to call them every third month or so, to ask whether they have anything for us.

Before we start making efforts to get funding, we should think about the whole process, answering a number of questions. For example:

What is fundraising about?
When is worth while to try and get funding?
What basic things must the organization have, if it want to get funding?
Which parts of the process an we influence?
Where and how can we find funders?
How shall we contact possible funders after finding them?
Who should be responsible for preparing the proposal and other fundraising material?
When the proposal and supporting material are ready, what can we do in order to make the funder like it?
What shall we do if we are refused?
What shall we do if get the funding?
Is the organization ready for fundraising?

Factors that help an organization get ready for fundraising:
· having a detailed work plan
· having material containing information on its history, objectives, major activities, organizational structure and successes in the past
· having an annual budget, or can in any case being able to prove to the funder that its existence does not depend entirely on their support
· being able to show reliability, and responsibility for spending the funding and reaching the planned results
· having a copy of the founding documents
· having articles and other press material about its activities
· having letters of recommendations.
 

Towards writing a good proposal
1. Cover letter
2. Summary
3. Introduction
4. The detailed description of the problem and the planned activities
5. Long term goals
6. Short term objectives
7. Methods and activities 
8. Evaluation
9. Budget
10. Past and future funding
11. Supporting material

1. Cover letter
This is the part that opens the proposal. It informs the funder about why we are seeking its support, which program, deadline, under which thematic unit we are applying for funding.

2. Summary
Those who evaluate a proposal, especially if there are many applicants, do not always have the time to give a detailed reading to each proposal. They will read the summary required by the application form, or the beginning of the proposal first. This is why this part must be the concise and easily comprehensible summary of the whole proposal.

The text itself should not be longer than a half page. It should contain the outline of the proposal.

It is important to include the name of our organization in one of the first sentences.

The summary includes the problem to be solved, the solutions proposed by us, and the costs of the project (both the full cost and the amount of the required funding). It should also contain one or two sentences that prove that our organization is trustworthy, and describe the aims of the activity and our methods.

This one page message to the first evaluators must be interesting enough to make them really consider the proposal and read on.

3. Introduction
This part should contain a detailed description of our organization: its mission, strategy, history, structure, programs and results). Even we attach a brochure about the organization to the proposal, it is useful to put these in the beginning of the proposal. We should also try to describe how the results of the planned activity will strengthen our organization.

A few sentences should link the end of the introduction with the description of the problem to be solved.

4. The detailed description of the problem and the planned activities
In most cases, the problem to be solved or the program to be introduced are related to the aims of the organization and to its past activities. If the proposed plan is not really related to the organization's field of activity, the evaluators might easily question the trustworthiness of the organization.

If the problem is manageable, it inspires more confidence. We should not assume that we can change the world with one program.

This part of the proposal should contain the following, so that the funders can see the significance of the problem and the program to be started to solve it:
· the definition of the problem, with proof and data
· if necessary (and possible), the opinion of relevant authorities about the problem the needs of future or present clients.

This part should not focus on our organization, but on the problem, the planned activities and the clients.This is where we should persuade the funder that our proposed solution is grounded, and should be supported.

We should avoid using too much jargon. Be as concise as possible.

5. Long term goals
This part is about our "dream", the result we are working for related to the given problem. This aim must follow logically from the analysis of the problem. The organization must be able to reach it in the long run.

6. Short term objectives
This part contains the feasible and measurable results that can be achieved with the given funding. Do not mix these objectives with methods! Methods and activities should be handled separately.

We should create a well planned and considered time-table. We should also include evaluation phases: it is best to evaluate our work continuously, not only in the end. This is very important for funders who like being able to see what we are doing at a given point, how we proceed, and who shall end the job, how and when.

7. Methods and activities
This part lists the necessary activities and methods in order to reach the objectives, and argues about them.

We should prepare a detailed work plan based on the objectives and methods. This plan should contain the order of activities, the time and materials they need, the number and skills of the participants, etc.

8. Evaluation
That part that describes the way we evaluate our work, should answer the following questions:
· Is our work indeed a solution to the problem we defined?
· Did we manage to reach the planned objectives?
· Are the activities proceeding in the way we had planned them?

This part should preferably be elaborated in all our proposals, so that evaluators an see how they can also follow the way their funding is used.

Evaluation is important not only in the end of a project, but also in the meantime, as we can modify our plans and methods based on periodical evaluations. These modifications may be completely clear to us, as we are working on our plans, but it is not at all sure that our funders can understand them at once. We should not surprise them with changes that might seem to be sudden and arbitrary: it helps a lot if we define those phases in our work plan when we evaluate the project and change the original plans if necessary.

More and more funders like to see that clients are also involved in the evaluation. Plan this if it is possible.

If the time and mode of handing in evaluations and final reports are not defined in the beginning, we should plan and time them, so that interim and final reports are handed in at times that are ideal for our work.

9. Budget
This is one of the most important parts of a proposal. It can only be reasonable and grounded if we have proceeded well with each phase of planning the project. We should only begin to work out the budget if our objectives, methods and deadlines are all clear, otherwise something will always be left out.

The budget should follow the descriptive parts. It is easiest if its structure is like that of the work plan, including the activities and methods.

Each organization has its own resources: volunteer work, its office, equipments, etc. We should include these as well as other resources: this strengthens the funders in that we have considered all the necessary resources and we want to rely on several kinds of support.

10. Past and future funding
This part should answer the following questions:
· If the program has been running for a while, how have we been able to cover the costs?· Why do we need to apply for funding now?
· If the program is new, how are we going to maintain it in the long run?

11. Supporting material
These documents verify the information included in the descriptive parts, prove our successes, etc.:
· Letters of recommendation from well known people working in the field
· The resume of professionals participating in the project.
· The protocol / minutes of the meeting of the organization's decision-making body, which testifies that the program and the proposal were accepted.

Some funders have unpleasant experiences about individuals applying for funding in the name of an organization.

We should attach any material that helps the evaluators, but should not overburden the proposal with proof documents.

This is only a general summary of the major parts of a proposal. Funders may require a different order, as they all have their required format of proposals. They often have application forms, which contain questions and the outline of proposals to be handed in.

In any case, a proposal is a problem description and a report on the situation as well. Let us look at our pans through the eyes of the given funder, and then we should be able to write a convincing proposal which persuades the funder to "invest" in our work.

In general, we should avoid being to wordy.
 

Handing in the proposal
If possible, we should take the proposal and hand it in personally. Thus we can ask the representative of the funder to have a look at it, and check whether we have included everything that is necessary.

If our proposal is accepted and we get funding, we should not forget to thank it! Only a minority of grantees do this regularly.
 

Check list
The proposal may - and often must - have a different structure. This check list, however, can be useful to have a last look at whether our proposal contains all the important information.

1. Cover letter
It contains which organization or organizations send the proposal.
It describes to whom, what and why we send.
It is signed by the person who is responsible for the program or the organization.

2. Summary
It is not longer than half a page.
It defines the problem to be solved, and the solution offered by the organization.
It contains the cost of the project, and the required amount as well.

3. Introduction
It describes the organization.
It contains information about the results and successes of the organization.
It mentions the other funders of programs and projects.
It is persuasive, talking about the trustworthiness, the abilities and the management of the organization.

4. The detailed description of the problem and the planned activities
It describes the problem clearly.
It talks about the reasons of the problem.
It tells why the problem is significant, and refers to what consequences not caring about it might have.
It defines who the program is for and about.
It persuades the reader that the organization can see the problem clearly and realistically.

5. Long term goals
They follow logically from the description of the problem.
The part describes the overall goals of the organization.
By reaching these aims, the problems ceases to exist, or its effects will lessen.
They can be reached by the organization.

6. Short term objectives
The objectives are logically related to the long term goals.
They are clear and palpable.
There are people who are responsible for each of them in the organization.
This part contains the time-table.
It can be clearly checked whether the organization has reached these objectives.
They seem feasible under the given circumstances and time.

7. Methods and activities
Methods follow logically from the short tem objectives and the analysis of the problem.
This part describes the methods of reaching the objectives.
It tells why a given method is chosen by the organization.
It lists the necessary professionals, their areas and tasks.
It lists the equipments, furnishings and materials that are needed for the activities.
We can find out how the clients / the target group influence the running of the program.

8. Evaluation
It lists the methods and ways of measuring the success of the program.
It lists separately what can be evaluated continuously, or only in the end of the program.
It defines who does the evaluation and who get the results.
It describes how the target group is involved in evaluating the program.

9. Budget
It is directly related to the short term objectives, the methods and planned steps of realizing the program.
It is clear-cut and can be followed easily.
All the units can be supported by the proposal.
It contains all the costs of the program and, if applicable, incomes from it.
Refers to inner resources and donations as well.
It contains exact costs.

10. Past and future funding
If the program has already been running for a while, it describes who has funded it.
It describes other sources that are necessary for the future work of the program.

11. Supporting material
The organization has attached letters of recommendation and good press material about its activities.
It contains the resumes of the major participants and professionals.
It contains other informational material: news clippings, newsletters, brochures, etc.
It contains the protocol / minutes of the meeting of the organization's decision-making body, which testifies that the program and the proposal were accepted.
 

Institutional support
Recognize that many international donors are more likely to fund specific projects than to provide institutional support.

There are several ways to deal with this problem:
- make a strong case, preferably in person, for core support.
-build institutional support into each project budget. Project budgets can legitimately include the percentage of the salaries, equipment and communications costs that will be devoted to the project. Thus, if the project represents one third of the organization's overall activities in a given year, then one third of the costs of running the organization could be incorporated into the project budget.
-find other means of supporting your organization's institutional requirements.
 

More money is not always better

In utilizing one or several of the resource generating strategies outlined in this chapter, it is important to bear in mind that more money is not always better. We have probably all heard numerous accounts of groups which were destroyed or nearly so by getting too much money too early, before they had developed the capacity to absorb the funds or undertake the expansion required by them.

Money troubles also may be a function of other problems within an organization such as bad management, unwise allocation of resources, etc. Because money for human rights work is almost always scarce, organizations often have a tendency to blame their problems on insufficient funds. To build strong human rights organizations with the ability to endure over time, however, it is important to distinguish between those difficulties that arise purely from funding shortages and those that may have more structural roots.