Hone Your Writing Skills to Create Compelling Proposals

Editor's Notes

• #2: Thank you for the very warm welcome Really a pleasure to be with you. As mentioned in the intro, I have experience in major gifts fundraising, but really cut my teeth profesionally as a writer. Developing strong writing skills is in my opinion a real key for success in fundraising. I do believe that the adage “talk is cheap” is true for many. A lot of people, won’t really believe you or buy in until they see it in writing
• #3: Let’s talk about the role of writing in We want to discuss how proposal writing can increase your success. It really is the bridge between the solicitation and the “yes”
• #4: These are questions we will try to answer today
• #6: We are going to discuss why a writen proposal is needed …. Look at sample methods of writing intended to inspire the donor
• #7: Evidence of thought – proof that you have taken time to really understand the donor (customized) and that you are serious about the proposal Shared – absolutely, although as much as possible you do want the major players to be present for the face to face “Silently motivates” donor when you are no longer in the room Many times, a donor may be on the edge after the solicitation. They’re thinking about it, but they really need time and documentation to say yes. Good writing can really save your bacon during these times.
• #8: Problem How help – where does donor fit Different – evidence Marching orders Appreciation, benefit
• #9: These are grabbers – clearly ilustrate a problem You need to paint the picture Stark statistics Hard numbers Urgency “immediately addressed” Big numbers – 30,000 feet
• #10: Invite – make it seem like it is their idea (pulling vs. pushing) One person – wlll show an example – Both rational and emotional needs must be met – see lots of proposals that have a ton of statistics, but there is no human connection Urgency – why can’t it wait until next year?
• #11: Recent WMU proposal for foster youth support Hard numbers, evaluation
• #12: Recent WMU proposal for foster youth support Story of a 19 year old who is a student in our support program for foster youth. Myeisha is a remarkable young woman who has the strength to tell the story of her mother, who physically abused her. When we tell these stories, we talk about our program and how it helps young people like Myeisha by building a support network with new healthy relationships, transitioning them from the unhealthy relationships of their upbringing Need to balance these personal stories with Hard numbers, evaluation
• #13: Here’s another excerpt from the proposal I previously referenced. Shows powerfully that many foster youth are being lost by not getting a fair shot at a college education. There’s definitely a strong sense of urgency here noting they hundreds of youth in our state who are effected. Shows negative results (homeless, prison, etc.) if we don’t do something This is happening every year, you need to act NOW.
• #14: No jargon—those of you who work in higher ed or research settings know what I mean. When you are writing the proposal, think about how the donor communicates. How do they speak, what types of words do they use? Make it clear
• #15: One of the things that we are doing at WMU is creating something that we call a gift and thank you book. These books visually illustrate what a specific gift will accomplish Global entrepreneurship study abroad experience
• #16: So let’s say you have motivated the donor to act. Too many times, we are too vague. We provide too many options, or don’t ask at all. Make a specific request, let the donor know what is available (pledge, terms, etc)
• #17: Here’s an excerpt from a proposal letter that has been altered to protect donor privacy. The letter tells the donor specifically what is being requested, detailing components (cash an deferred igift) and what the outcomes will be, in this case an enhanced facility. This same letter goes on to list recognition opportunities. The donor has no doubt about what is being requested. In this case we are asking for both a cash and a deferred gift. Sometimes the donor will do both. If we have done our job well, they will likely do at least one. By providing two options, the donor still has the opportunity to say no to one but still feel good about making an investment.
• #19: Don’t abuse your prospects. Make it easy for them, they will appreciate it. The more verbose you are, the more it can sound like you are unsure of yourself, that you have to keep complaining. Be bold and succinct
• #20: The use of action words can bring your proposal to life. Avoid past tense Be bold, state your goals, what will happen. Excite the donor.
• #21: The use of action words can bring your proposal to life. Avoid past tense Be bold, state your goals, what will happen. Excite the donor.
• #22: The whole vision thing doesn’t have to involve a lot of words. Here’s a campaign publication from the University of Utah. Look at what this photo does, it inspires. “Total college experience turns students into leaders”
• #23: I think this is a case of a picture painting a thousand words. Inspirational
• #24: Let’s talk about different formats for writing proposals. Keep in mind that your proposal doesn’t have to fall into one of these categories, it can be a hybrid
• #25: The concept paper often works well for organizaiton type donors, needs to be shared for consensus I use these all the time in my current work with foundations. I need to make sure they are on board with the idea before I go full bore with the proposal. You don’t need to necessarily have a dollar figure with the concept paper, although depending on the circumstance specifiying a range/target may be helpful to the donor.
• #27: Here’s an excerpt from a recent concept paper in which we are proposing a training program for high school and community college science teachers. Intro Sets stage, broadly 30,000 Business – global competition (corporate donor)
• #28: Why we are qualified to address this – why ?
• #29: What we are going to do after this paragraph, we go on to illustrate specifically how it will be done. In this case, we proposed two ideas, a lengthy summer experience and an abbreviated best practice highlights camp
• #30: How we are going to illustrate our success Surveys, one on one interviews
• #31: So, there is a look at the concept paper, Let’s turn to the case statement, which tends to be more formal but is not necessarily a full blown proposal Great detail in the case statement as to “why” Often puts the project in perspective of larger campaign, sense of something bigger
• #32: More emotional in nature than concept paper, and sometimes than the full proposal
• #33: Here’s a case statement from Colorado st
• #34: Here’s your broad overview New biofuels Financial aid Crop analysis
• #35: One of the components is listed here, student access. Nice photo of military student, showing program availability to sometimes underserved populations
• #36: Broad view of goals, notice there are only three goals, academic excellence and new faciltiies are two of them. Short, with accompanying photos, should be fairly easy to remember
• #37: Non specific, soft ask. Asks for support, typically the formal proposal with specifics will follow this. The poinrt is, you are moving the donor forward with a strong publication. You still need to ask, but hopefully the donor is more “ready”
• #38: It’s in many ways similar to the case statement Biggies are the ask and a budget – very specific
• #41: Balancing act
• #42: So there you have some ideas of the different types of writing that can directly lead to a major gift investment Before we end today, I want to circle back and talk about writing that can inspire the donor. Again, this is a “pulling” technique that shows the donor you are making a difference. Hopefully through this your donor will be more receptive to your proposals, although again you need to ask One of the most effective writing methods out there is the use of modeling to inspire. Many times the generous acts of others have brought new investors to the table. A few years ago Syracuse did a campaign in which they used “Campaign Impact Cards,” sort of like a baseball trading card, to tell the great stories of their donors. I like this one about a lady who is funding scholarships for architect and design students.. Notice how the article talks about how the students have an opportunity to build their professional skills through this program.
• #43: The use of tribute brochures can also be efffective in inspiring giving. This is actually a tri fold brochure that we have used to recognize our scholarship donors at WMU. The nice thing about them is when prospective donors see samples like these, they typically become interested in learning more about creating a scholarship. They like the idea of recognition, and telling our current students stories about their loved ones. We give each scholarship recipient a copy of the brochure
• #44: Here’s the other side of the brochure It basically tells the life story of the individual for whom the scholarship is named. The fund was established by the person’s daughter, and she uses it to solicit other family members for support. Story of a teacher who went to school later in life to support her family.
• #45: In closing, …. Think about different ways you can use strong writing skills to bring private support about to support research Involve the funder, appeal to them emotionally, show how they can make a difference Use writing to make your research more vibrant, active compelling