Proposal writing general guidelines
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This document provides guidelines for writing effective proposals, including structuring information logically, making the most important points prominent, using clear headings and formatting for readability. Key recommendations include keeping background information brief, supporting claims with facts and figures, writing in a quiet space, and getting feedback from colleagues on drafts. Proposals should generally be around 15 pages excluding supplementary materials, use bullet points and navigational aids, and have consistent formatting of fonts, spacing, and page numbering. Tables can help present large amounts of categorized information clearly.
Proposal writing general guidelines
- 2. Don not forget… • your document is addressing to your reader • make your point or proposal and then support it • arrange information logically • make the most important information the most prominent • structure and format the document so that it is easy to read • The title of the project will be seen by more people than ever actually read the proposal. Titles should be self- explanatory, neither too general nor too detailed, and limited to less than 10 words if possible. • Most donors have set formats for proposals which structure the content, some have general guidelines 2
- 3. Keep in mind…. • Don’t give too much background information, attach as an annex if you really feel it is necessary • Needs assessment and identification of the problem is proportional to the section where the planned programme is outlined • Write in a quiet place without interruptions. • Gather all source material and information • Support your text with relevant facts and figures and acknowledge references to other documents as footnotes. • Don’t worry about formatting at initial stage. 3
- 4. Remember…… • The topic of each paragraph should be introduced in the first sentence – known as the ‘topic sentence. The following sentences give supplementary or supporting information and facts. Effective use of topic sentences is one of the best ways to improve your writing. • Ideally there should be at least 3 paragraphs to the page, and each paragraph should have 3-6 sentences. • Sentences should ideally be 15-20 words, over 25 words and they become difficult to read. 4
- 5. Important….. • Try to express one idea in each sentence. • Try to use words which will be familiar to the reader. • Avoid excessive use of acronyms, and explain acronyms in full at first usage. • Prepare glossary • Once the first draft is complete take a break before editing • It is useful to ask a colleague to look through your document and give you some feedback • The aim of editing is to make your first draft easier to read • Edit on paper, not on the screen, so that you can see your document as the reader will see it. 5
- 6. Keep in mind… • Most donors would like short clear proposals and reports of about 15 pages of narrative text not including supplementary documentation • Use navigations aids, such as bullet points and headings • Headings give the reader an immediate indication of what they will see in each section. • Too many headings make reading difficult • A heading should be accurate, specific, attention-grabbing, and concise. • Headings will express the key ideas or sections of your document. • All headings should be consistent in style and format throughout the document. 6
- 7. • It is better to use numbers for lists of information that should appear in a certain order. • Font and point size – point size should be 10-14 for text, although 11 is considered optimal for a reader. Ariel is most popular font. • Spacing on the page is important – the pre-set margins in A4 document in word are ideal. • Avoid letting the final line of a paragraph run over onto the next page, or leaving a heading behind on the previous page. 7
- 8. • Italics express tone and can also be used for species and unfamiliar terms from another language. • Bold emphasises and is useful for headings and special terms and important details. • CAPITALS look aggressive and make the text harder to read. • Underlining should be avoided as it makes the text harder to read and now is most often used to denote a hyperlink. 8
- 9. • Page numbering is essential. • The best place for a page number is the bottom centre of the page, and page-of-page numbering (eg. Page 7 of 12) is particularly useful for documents that will be faxed. • Drafts should be deleted when a final version has been agreed • Tables are used to categorise or compare large amounts of information. • Words in a table should be left aligned and numbers right aligned. Tables should be self-explanatory so each column should have a short clear heading. Give tables a label, eg. Table 1, and a title. 9