New SAR Initiatives Fund NIF How to Ace the Proposal

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New SAR Initiatives Fund (NIF)How to Ace the
Proposal

• Peter M. Howe and Kristina Walker
• Saturday, October 18, 2003
• 1015am
• SARSCENE 2003
• Kingston, Ontario

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Purpose

• How to Write a Successful NIF Proposal and
• Increase your Chances of Getting Funded!!

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Why attend a tutorial like this?

• Funding organizations giving out the money have
  information on how to write the kind/quality of
  proposals that we want to see!
• Discover the SOUL of your proposal

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What is the SOUL of a Proposal?

• The soul of a proposal lies in matching your
• proposal to the funders vision and guidelines

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Step 1 Do your Homework

• What problem/need are you addressing in the
  Community? Region? Country?
• Who is the target audience? For the project? For
  the Communications plan?
• What are the projects goals?
• Are you duplicating an already existing
  program/service?
• Are you familiar with all program criteria?
• What is the review process? What do reviewers
  look for?
• What has already been done in the area?
• What has already been funded by the NIF?

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Step 2 Look at your Assets

• Do you have the resources needed to administer
  this project?
• Do you have the skills to manage this project?
• What skills do you need?
• Who will manage this project?
• How will records/book keeping be maintained and
  who is responsible for doing this?

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Step 2 continued

• Who will ensure that all conditions are addressed
  and you deliver on time?
• Who will gather the data you need (and how) to
  evaluate the project?
• Who will write the quarterly and final reports?
• Who will prepare the financial paperwork?
• Your organization should have what it takes to
  pull this off.

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Step 3 Plan your Project

• Decide if fees will be charged.
• Think about the desired results. How will you
  track them?
• What is the budget?
• Who else will contribute?

• Identify the problem/need you are addressing.
• Identify your target audience (include
  demographic characteristics).
• Describe geographic boundaries.
• Explain the scope of the project.
• List project activities.

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Step 4 Find Community Partners

• PARTNERS
• COMMON INTEREST MUTUAL BENEFIT
• Partners should contribute in tangible ways (cash
  or in-kind).
• Look at what your needs are for this project,
  then look at your list of potential partners to
  see if you can match partners with needs.
• Once you have identified which partners could
  help and how, THEN contact them.
• Allow several months to obtain letters of support
  from your partners.

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Step 5 Test your Idea

• Contact a NIF sponsor to test your idea.
• Contact an appropriate sponsor (make sure you are
  talking to the right person).
• Explain your idea to see if they think it fits
  into NIF guidelines and eligibility requirements.

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Step 6 Proposal Writing

• Presentation
• Language
• Summary
• Need
• Solution
• Sustainability
• Budget

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Step 6 Proposal WritingPresentation

• Neat, organized, attractive proposal packages can
  leave a positive impression with the reader about
  its contents.
• Send an e-copy.
• Mail a hard copy instead of faxing.

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Step 6 Proposal WritingLanguage

• Think about your audience dont use language or
  tone that may offend readers.
• Keeps words, sentences, and paragraphs short and
  concise.
• Avoid jargon and define acronyms.
• Assume your reader knows nothing about your
  organization or the subject of your proposal
  write a brief explanation of who you are and what
  you do.

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Step 6 Proposal WritingLanguage continued

• Follow the application precisely.
• Spell check.
• Edit your work have someone who is unfamiliar
  with the project read the draft and make
  comments. This will help catch unsupported
  assumptions in your proposal.

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Step 6 Proposal WritingSummary

• A summary should never be longer than one-page.
• Describe your organization briefly history,
  mission, operations, and explain how the proposal
  fits under your mission.
• Avoid using first person pronouns (e.g. I or we).
• Use this section to show that your project is
  needed and should get funded.

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Step 6 Proposal WritingSummary continued

• Clearly indicate how your project will help
  address the funding organizations in fulfilling
  their own goals. As you write, keep the funder
  in mind as a partner committed to the same
  concerns that you are.
• Discuss your credibility offer statistics to
  support it.
• It is helpful to write the summary last to ensure
  that you have captured all of the main points
  outlined in the proposal.

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Step 6 Proposal WritingNeed

• Comfort levels will rise if you can show that
  some work has already been done on this e.g. a
  needs assessment.
• Statistics are essential!
• Show the involvement of your partners.
• Describe how the needs were identified.
• Do not make unsupported claims support need
  statements with statistics or statements from
  authoritative sources.

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Step 6 Proposal WritingSolution

• Collaborate with your partners when you are
  developing this section.
• When describing what you will do and how, tie
  these activities back to the needs identified.

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Step 6 Proposal WritingSustainability

• Describe a plan for continuation beyond the NIF
  and availability of other resources.
• Discuss post-funding maintenance of the project.
• Include a clear commitment to continue the
  project after external funding ends.
• We want to see that either the project is finite
  (with start and end dates), or will build
  capacity (that it will contribute to the
  self-sustainability of the organization).

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Step 6 Proposal WritingBudget

• Do not leave the budget until the last minute.
• Try and think of everything you might need.
• Get real cost estimates dont guess.
• Include the costs of administering the project.
• Do not be afraid to ask for help.

• Be sure your budget ties directly to the goals of
  the project (do a reality check).
• Justify expenditures for personnel and travel.
• Include all items for which funding is being
  requested NIF and other sources.
• Do not inflate the budget.

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The Dos of Proposal Writing

• Do answer all questions in the guidelines
• Do follow directions
• Do demonstrate how you are solving a problem
• Be organized and give concrete examples
• Do demonstrate creativity
• Be specific about the types of support your
  partners will provide
• Do ask for assistance from the funder/sponsor
• Do include vital appendices

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The Donts of Proposal Writing

• Dont leave anything until the last minute
• Dont fax the application
• Dont be overly ambitious with your project
• Dont supply more information that requested
• Dont submit an incomplete proposal

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Other Proposal Writing Tips

• Be logical and linear when describing the
  proposal
• Position your project in relation to other
  efforts
• Revise again and again
• KISS
• Contact the contacts!

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Remember

• The NSS is happy to talk with you well in
• advance of deadlines!

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Group Work

• Read through a fictitious proposal
• Be the reviewer, and based on what we have
• discussed, identify what the deficiencies are
  and
• how this proposal could be strengthened.

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Questions?

• Peter M. Howe (phowe_at_nss.gc.ca)
• Director of Co-ordination
• Kristina Walker (kwalker_at_nss.gc.ca)
• NIF Program Officer