How to Write a Great Project Title

Last time, we discussed how to write a good project title for a project proposal. This time, we are going to build upon that article and discuss how to write a great project title. What is the difference between a good title and a great title? Where a good title summarizes the project, a great title makes the donor interested in the project.

A good title should:

1. Inform the donor of the project’s main focus
2. Inform the donor of the project’s location

A great title should:

1. Inform the donor of the project’s main focus
2. Inform the donor of the project’s location
3. Share with the donor what makes your project unique
4. Make the donor remember you

Note before we begin: in most cases, developing a good title is fine. A great title will not win you funding if the rest of the project proposal is poorly written. If the application deadline is imminent and there are still other parts to be edited, your priority should not be on the title. However, if you start early and you know this will be a competitive funding round, it makes sense to spend the extra effort and make a really good title.

Make your project unique

You are in luck – every project is inherently unique. No two projects are run exactly the same. Even if your project is an exact copy of a past project, it is rare for a project to be exactly copied and that makes you unique. The challenge, however, is stating this uniqueness in your project title.

You may have to ask your colleagues or research other NGO projects to discover what makes you unique. You can also look back on your ‘good’ title – odds are not many other projects have the same themes, beneficiaries, strategies, and locations as you do. Start by choosing one of these factors and emphasize it. Examples:

Educating new mothers in WASH with technology outside of Nairobi, Kenya

Advocating for indigenous peoples’ rights in the Amazon through the justice system

Now these titles are a little more specific and thus a little more unique.

Make the donor remember you

An important job of any title is to be memorable and to refer to the project. For both of these purposes, short titles are best. But how can a project title be short and still contain all the information a donor needs to know? There are three main methods:

1. Title and subtitle
2. Abbreviations

Title and subtitle

Titles can quickly become long and unwieldy. In these cases, it is best to break the title into title and subtitle. This is technique is also commonly found in books and papers, where marketing is very important. Take for example the best-selling book and basis of an award-winning Hollywood movie, Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race. Here “Hidden Figures” is a short and interesting title, while the text after the colon does a great job listing the important aspects of the story. Taking from our previous examples:

Bathing Babes: Educating new mothers in WASH with technology outside of Nairobi, Kenya

Courting Justice: Advocating for indigenous peoples’ rights in the Amazon

Alliteration, rhyme, play on words, and other techniques can help make the shortened title further stand out.

Word to the wise: Avoid using humor. Jokes often do not translate well and are best spoken not written. Donors may also miss the joke or, worse, be offended by it.

Abbreviations

There are many ways to abbreviate or make your project title seem shorter. This is typically done through designing acronyms or nicknames. Examples:

Educating new mothers in WASH with technology outside of Nairobi, Kenya (AKA Project WASH with Tech)

Advocating for Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in the Amazon through the justice system (AIPA)

If you choose to abbreviate your title, make sure to use that abbreviation throughout the project proposal. It is generally recommended to use the full title once, explain the abbreviation, and then only use the abbreviation through the rest of the proposal. Constantly switching between titles will just add confusion.

Whew! That seems like a lot of work just to write a project title! But don’t worry – a sub-par title will not make or break your application, and with practice, you will soon get better and faster at brainstorming great titles.