When writing a proposal, you have to describe your approach towards a problem in different levels of depth and in different formats. Every donor has their own guidelines and their own requirements. Some donors require you to describe your strategies. Today we will take a more detailed look on what that actually means.
A strategy in a project proposal is a description of the way you want to achieve your project goal. It bundles different activities that typically fall under a strategy. Sometimes, a donor even indicates a number of strategies that they want you to work with. A strategy can be similar to a goal but is more action-oriented.
What can a strategy be?
Which strategies you want to use to achieve your goal depends a lot on your project. If you work in the field of women’s empowerment, these would be some examples of strategies:
- Mobilizing women, girls and their families in rural areas to change attitudes
- Advocating for the implementation of laws
- Advancing female leadership to build their leadership skills
Under these strategies, you have to define specific activities. Learn everything you need to know about how to design your activities in this article.
Why does a donor want to see your strategies?
It might seem unnecessary for you at first sight to specify your strategy if you already write in detail about your activities and your goal. Nevertheless, it tells the donor a lot when you write about your strategies in a project proposal as well. The strategies tell the donor if you have a strategic plan. It shows if you understand the way different activities are interconnected and how they will contribute to the achievement of your goal. Be careful to formulate your strategies in a clear way and to assign the appropriate activities to the appropriate strategy.