So you have been working hard the last weeks, finding a donor that is a good fit and writing a proposal that is perfect for them. Now you are ready to submit. But there are a couple of things that you should never forget to do before you actually submit a proposal.
Proofread
Proofreading your proposal is of key importance. Do not do it yourself but ask someone to help you with it. Ideally, you should involve someone who is not part of the project. This way, you will find out if your proposal is also comprehensible for someone outside of your field. Also, typos and minor mistakes may seem like something negligible for you, but they show the donor how much you care. Make sure that the person who reads your proposal does remember it for its quality and not for all its typos.
It is also a good idea to give the proofreader the guidelines as well to have another pair of eyes to see if you follow them strictly. Particularly in competitive calls, not following the guidelines in every detail often is cause for dismissal of your proposal – no matter how good it is.
Keep the formatting in mind
Normally proofreaders only check the language. They should also take a special look at the formatting though. Even before anybody reads your proposal, they will see how it looks like. A clean and professional first impression is the best start you can get. If the font sizes are different or the sides have a different width, your proposal looks unprofessional and you give the impression that you do not care about details.
Check and re-check the math in your budget
The budget is one of the most important parts of your proposal. Look at it as a description of your project in numbers. And these numbers have to add up. It is so easy to make a small mistake, but in the grand scheme of things, this makes a very bad impression. Be sure to check the math in your budget and have someone else do so as well, maybe even the accountant of your organization. This way you also know, if your budget is clear and understandable or if you might have to add a budget narrative.
Make sure you have the right contact at the donor agency
When you are ready to submit, you need to know where and to whom. Make sure you have the right contact and know how to get your proposal to the donor. Do you need to use a special online form? Do they give you personal contact? Would you have to submit a printed copy by mail? All these things are very important. If you send your proposal to the wrong person, it might not get where it needs to get on time and you might miss the deadline. Knowing your personal contact and referring to this in your cover letter also immediately establishes a better relationship and gives your proposal the best starting conditions.
Ensure all your documents are up to date
Many times, you have to submit attachments with your proposal. This might be a copy of your registration documents, a proof of community involvement or references from past donors. Make sure you have these documents handy at the time of submission and that they are updated. If you submit your registration documents from five years ago, the donor might think you have no current documents. If your reference is from ten years ago, it is worth very little. Make sure that all your documents are updated and in the best possible shape.
These are some of the most important things you have to keep in mind before submitting your proposal. If you don’t, you might be set up for failure – it happened to the author once. Read everything about her fail in this article:
Proposal FAIL – Going on vacation instead of submitting
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