In continuation of our “Proposal FAIL” series, today we publish another example of mistakes that can happen during the process of preparing a proposal. There are times you can cut corners to save time, and other times you definitely can not. Here are three examples from our writer Alta Alonzi of real proposal mistakes she made when rushed for time.
Note: some details may have been omitted or changed to preserve anonymity.
Just as NGOs often refer back to old proposals as templates, consultants often do too. For one client, I had worked to create the text for a concept note. But they also wanted that text to be formatted into a sleek, marketable document. More concerned with the contents than the cover, I simply found a concept note my company had made previously that looked nice. I made sure to remove all the old client’s text, but I preserved the style and look of the document – including two images. What I did not know was that the two images I left in from the original version were actually the property of the previous client, and we did not have the rights to share them. I had to quickly find some stock photos and send a replacement version to the client, explaining my mistake.
In short, be very careful in how you re-use past proposals. Also, always double-check image sources. Even if a document is only supposed to be used internally, do not use images you do not own. Someone may come back years later and reuse them improperly. Large stock image companies such as Getty Images can issue very expensive fines for copyright violations.
Sometime after the reused image mistake, I was once again asked to do some nice formatting for a concept note. Learning from my previous mistake, this time I decided to create the format from scratch. However, the placement of the text was not lining up with the format I created, and I decided it was easier to change the text than the format. After I sent it to the clients for review, they all came back with the same critique: the project justification was is the wrong place! To fit the formatting, I had moved the justification towards the end of the document. The concept note still made logical sense, and I did include a separate introduction, but the clients did not like the change in order. I had to find another way to move the justification back to the front without messing up the formatting.
While each proposal is unique, almost every proposal follows the same organizational rules. Donors know this organization well and tend to expect it. A non-standard organization may confuse the donor and make it difficult for them to find the information they need. However, as in all writing, there are occasions when it makes sense to break these rules – but pretty formatting is rarely a good enough reason to take this risk.
I was reviewing a proposal for a client and had already spent a lot of time making notes on the project background and activities. By the time I got to the budget, I was running late for my next appointment. I looked at the line item descriptions but did not bother to check the math. Excel does that automatically anyway, so it did not seem like a priority. However, my boss disagreed. He checked the budget more closely and noticed there were a couple basic addition errors. It turns out some changes were made to the budget and the formulas were not updated correctly.
Always pay attention to the details. Even to the parts which seem very straightforward.
Alta Alonzi is a writer and researcher focusing on international development funding and grassroots NGOs. She works with the fundraising consulting company Philantropia conducting research for clients ranging from small NGOs to UN organizations. She also works closely with FundsforNGOs running training webinars, contributing resource guides, and updating the Premium donor database.
