Why Your Proposal Failed: Boredom Syndrome

You can fall into the Boredom Syndrome in one of two ways: by having a boring project or by making your exciting project sound boring. Most projects are inherently interesting, but proposal writers are so concerned about the technical details or fulfilling all the application requirements that they miss out on the opportunity to really impress donors and connect on a personal level.

Imagine you are a donor. You are willing to use your own money to support NGOs because you want to be on the forefront of change and make an impact in lives around the world. While some of your work is exciting, a lot of your work is reviewing hundreds or even thousands of proposals; which can get very boring very quickly. The proposals that stick out to you are the ones that are exciting, short and to the point.

Be cognizant of donors’ time and energy. While many larger donors work very bureaucratically, there are still human evaluators who want to be inspired by the amazing new projects being implemented around the world. Do not bore them. This does not mean your project has to be new and innovative– on the contrary, many donors are risk-adverse and prefer well-documented projects. However, you can change your proposal on telling a story. Instead of focusing on the facts and details, use those details to enhance your story and create a more engaging proposal.

If a donor has funded you in the past, they are more likely to fund you again. However, “more of the same” is not particularly exciting for donors. Seeing some changes or improvement shows that you have taken the time to review and revise your project, which shows your high capacity and appeals to donors.