7 Tips for Proposals on Women’s Issues

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

‘Count Her In: Accelerating Gender Equality Through Economic Empowerment‘

March 8, 2024

“Women’s issues” cover a broad range of NGO activities, from human rights to livelihood development to safety from violence. Achieving gender equity is one of the key components to achieving development and thus a very important topic for NGOs. Even if the focus of a project is not 100% on women’s issues, they are often cross-cutting issues that need to be addressed. Knowing how to incorporate them well into a proposal and how to implement projects that uplift women can make the difference between a winning and a losing proposal!

That is why we have composed our top tips to keep in mind while writing proposals on women’s issues.

Research donors carefully

While all NGOs should conduct donor research before applying, NGOs focusing on women’s issues may need to spend even more time on research. This is because while the vast majority of donors do fund women, the funding is typically done indirectly, either as a cross-cutting theme or an added-value element. Since women’s issues are a broad topic and not very centralized, it requires more time and effort to research. Here, a keyword search will not get you far – spend the extra time to read and understand a donor’s priorities to ensure they match your own.

There are many calls specifically for projects focused on women´s issues, particularly around World Women’s Day. Make sure you have those mapped out and monitor for deadlines – you do not want to miss the perfect call for applications for work in your field.

Have a clear action plan

There are many ways to support women, but very few quick and easy solutions. You need to have a clear focus, strategy, approach, and often additional cross-cutting themes. Additionally, while qualitative stories and case studies are great for proving impact, it is also important to show quantitative research and specific indicators. Women’s issues, like many other types of social change, cannot be solved with one project alone.

When working in this area, it is also very important to look at it holistically and to have a broad picture in mind. Often when one thing in a system is changed, others also changed, and some of these changes might be negative. It is crucial to look at your assumptions and potential negative effects of your actions as well as to be sure to avoid them whenever possible.

Also read: How to Write a Great Funding Request Letter as a Small NGO

Show that your organization is women-driven

Increasingly, donors are understanding the importance of women-driven leadership and want to see organizations practice what they preach. If you want to empower women, you need to show that women are decision-makers in your own team. Ideally, your organization should have at least 50% female representation, particularly on the board and in upper-level management. You should also show that the women you serve actively take part in the project’s conception and design. This will result in a much better representation of the actual interests of women in your projects!

While likely not important in the initial proposal, donors may also ask follow-up questions regarding your organization’s internal policies. Does your organization have practices in place to ensure fair pay, promotion, family leave, anti-harassment, etc.? Look at your own organization with a critical eye, and set regular meetings to ensure your organization continues to empower women both internally and externally.

Show respect

It is important to choose your words very carefully to show respect – not just towards the donor, but also towards the beneficiaries of the project. Proposal writing is often technical in nature, and it can be easy to unwittingly objectify the beneficiaries as just another piece of the project. Do not make this mistake. For example:

DO NOT WRITE “25 women were given help in learning to start businesses.”

DO WRITE “25 women obtained the knowledge and resources to launch successful businesses of their own.”

This might sound like a minor difference, but it actually creates a very different mental image. In the second sentence, the participants are given agendas and are active, while in the first sentence, they are just passive objects. The use of language shows a lot about how you think of somebody or something, so be careful about how you use it, as it will reflect on your work.

Instead of referring to a woman as “John’s wife” or “the landlord’s maid,” refer to the woman by her name. When including photographs of individuals, make sure you receive permission to take the photos and permission to distribute them. Also, avoid making sweeping generalizations about a group, and refer to beneficiaries as individuals instead of a collective whenever possible.

Avoid pity plea

Instigating pity in donors is a tried-and-true marketing strategy to invoke emotional appeals and open wallets. However, it is a poor long-term strategy. Depicting women as only helpless and in need of hand-outs is demeaning. To fully support women, it is important to change the predominant attitude about who women are and what they can accomplish – not build upon it. Instead of pity, consider invoking a sense of admiration, justice, comradery, excitement, or wonder. Show that the women in your project can be active participants, not submissive recipients.

While it is sometimes tempting to try to use pity pleas to create emotions for potential supporters, it is seldom a good idea. It might inspire a one-time donation, but almost never will result in a long-term relationship with a donor. If you manage to create positive feelings by telling a positive story of hope and showing the ways the lives of people can improve, you will have much better chances of keeping someone on the hook—they don’t just feel like they did their duty by donating some money, but they do want to know how the story goes on.

Follow SDG 5

About 36% of funding for women comes from government sources, compared to 19% from private foundations and 10% from individuals. This large amount from bilateral development agencies and local governments is partially due to Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. If you are applying for any type of government funding, it is important to specifically mention which targets (5.1-5.6, 5.A-5.C) your project will contribute to. If you are applying for private funding, the SDGs are of much less importance. However, there are a total of 14 indicators for SDG 5 that have been well-researched and analyzed, which are great to use even for non-government-funded projects.

Stay in the loop

The status of women is not universal and is constantly in flux. Stay updated with research, social media, and in-person networking events. One of the largest annual gatherings for women in development is the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which takes place in New York every year in the month of March. This is a great opportunity to meet leading women around the world, and also try shaping UN policy. If you cannot take part in the CSW, there are still thousands of events for women all over the world. Online networks also exist, such as AWID.

Best of luck with your proposal!

If you want to learn more about how to write a proposal for a project about women’s issues, take a look at our resource guide specifically designed for this. It includes many tips and also some sample proposals so that you can learn from successful proposals.