By the end of this course the participants will be able to: Identify project development and proposal writing principles, arrange different proposal aspects logically, develop and write an effective proposal and to utilize the monitoring and evaluation principals in developing a proposal. Outline  Overview of proposal writing process  Understanding goal, objectives, outcomes and outputs  Writing a project rationale,  Discussing the overall approach and strategies  Describing project design and activities  Developing M&E Framework  Reviewing a proposal Facilitator Aftab Ahmed Awan has more than fifteen years of experience in the development sector, working at senior level management positions in national and international organisations. He specialises in organisational development, resource mobilisation, project design and development, project cycle management and governance & leadership. He has facilitated numerous workshops across country, strengthening and building the capacity of dozens of civil society organisations and capacitating hundreds of individuals. Aftab Ahmed Awan aftabmalik6@gmail.com

1. BASICS OF
PROPOSAL WRITING
Aftab Ahmed Awan

2. WELCOME TO THE
WORKSHOP
Rabta Kar

3. Agenda Day 1
▪ Introduction of Participants and Facilitator
▪ Objectives of Workshop
▪ Writing the Problems and Needs Statement
▪ Understanding Goals, Outcomes and Outputs

4. Introduction
▪ Tell me about you briefly;
▪ Where are you from
▪ Where do you work
▪ Why are you interested in the workshop

5. This is Me: Aftab
▪ I have been around in development
sector for fifteen years
▪ I have worked in national and
international organizations and this
is not my first workshop. In fact not
even 50th. I lost count honestly
▪ Rest you must already have seen in
my profile

6. Objectives of the Workshop
▪ By the end of this course the participants will be able to:
▪ Identify project development and proposal writing principles,
▪ Arrange different proposal aspects logically,
▪ Develop and write an effective proposal
▪ Utilize the monitoring and evaluation principals in developing a
proposal

7. What is a Proposal
▪ A proposal is a request for financial
assistance to implement a project.
Funding is sought, in whole or in part, from
government, funding agencies, charitable
foundations, businesses, individuals, and
other sources to implement your desired
activities or projects or some times carry
out some research

8. Why is it important to learn?
▪ Proposal writing is a skill and requires considerable knowledge in
many disciplines. If you do not have proposal writing skills, your
organization or you yourself will not only obtain the funding required
to carryout the organizational or individual projects but will also help
in making your initiative sustainable

9. What Makes a Proposal Work
▪ Quality of the idea and its appeal to the funding source
▪ The ability to communicate clearly and concisely

10. Process
▪ A good idea
▪ A good institutional fit
▪ Read the Guidelines
▪ Read them again
▪ Plan in detail
▪ Develop the budget from
the detailed plan
▪ Read the guidelines
again with narrative in
mind
▪ Be persistent – revise,
revise and submit

11. Idea
▪ An idea is something that
only exists in your mind.
▪ Your task is to present the
idea in a fundable
proposal.

12. Writing a Proposal is Like Playing a Game

13. You have to Play by the Rules
▪ GET the guidelines
▪ READ the guidelines
▪ FOLLOW the guidelines

14. Appropriate Writing Style
▪ Write to inform not to
impress . Simple and clear
▪ Write in the correct
language of the field - but
no jargon
▪ Never write in 1st person
▪ Clarity
▪ 5 W’s
▪ Don’t use language that is
biased
▪ Use data from reputable
source
▪ Use current data
▪ No unsubstantiated
opinions

15. A Proposal is not just an idea; It is a plan

16. Lets take a five minutes break

17. WRITING PROBLEM & NEEDS
STATEMENT
Session 2

18. Only God understands broad and general
statements …
all others need data

19. Writing a problem and needs statement (1)
▪ Critically important, and often poorly written
▪ Written to Convince the funding source that you understand
the need and can help them solve the problem
▪Prove the need
▪Cite evidence

20. Writing a problem and needs statement (2)
▪ If Possible Illustrate with graphs
and charts
▪ Demonstrate that the need is
pressing
▪ That the problem is an important
problem to be solved
▪ How your project will address the
problem and what gaps will it fill

21. A Good Problem Statement Should: (1)
▪ Show that you understand the problem
▪ Demonstrate that this is an important problem to solve, not
only at your place, but regionally and nationally as well
▪ Clearly describe the aspects of the problem that your
project will address, and what gaps this will fill

22. A Good Problem Statement Should: (2)
▪ Include statistical data, if appropriate
▪ Demonstrate that your approach is creative or innovative
▪ Describe how this project fits into the already existing goals
of the organization

23. Example: Problem Statement from a Funded Project
▪ In Pakistan, young people are growing up without opportunities,
information and services which are required to reach to their full
potential. As per UNDP’s “Pakistan National Human Development
Report 2017,” currently Pakistan has the largest percentage of young
people ever recorded in its history. 64% of the total population is
below the age of 30 while 29% is between the ages of 15-29 years.
This population of current youth (15-29 years) and of that
transitioning to adulthood (under 15 years), will either prove to be a
dividend or a disaster for Pakistan. Young people between the age of
15 and 29 make up 41.6% of Pakistan’s total labor force and four
million people reach the working age in the country every year,
whereas in the year 2016, approximately 10.7 percent of the labor
force aged 15 to 29 years in Pakistan were unemployed.

24. Example: Problem Statement from a Funded Project
▪ Keeping in view these statistics the rate of unemployment is bound to
rise many folds in the upcoming years. Similarly lack of leadership
capacities and opportunities to give way or infuse and develop new
youth leaders and foster their capacities is also a major issue as well.
This has resulted in an identity crisis, sense of hopelessness and
ambiguity regarding future among the youth in Pakistan. This is a
mounting evidence that lack of prioritization and an indifference to
the needs of youth is the core basis of the lost development
opportunities both socially and physically in Pakistan and there shall
be no doubt that youth must be at the center of socio-economic and
socio-political changes in Pakistan and elsewhere.

25. Dissecting the Problem Statement
▪ The first sentence is the problem.
▪ Then clarify the problem by defining both the behavior and
what is normal
▪ States that this is a pressing need
▪ which is hopefully the need the funder is addressing

26. Organizing and Writing the Needs Statement
▪ Go from the foundational statement
▪ Build your case with the data
▪ Follow the guidelines
▪ Be clear and to the point
▪ Tell your story and build your case drawing to a logical
conclusion that leads into the project goals and objectives

27. Ending a Needs Statement
▪ Emphasize the significance of the project
▪ what will be the result
▪ what impact will it have
▪ will the impact continue
▪ You might present you project as a model
▪ Always address the priorities of the funding agency
▪ Forecast the usefulness and importance of the results

28. GOALS AND OUTCOMES
Session 3

29. What do you understand by goals and outcomes?
▪ Are the same or different?
▪ Can they be used interchangeably?

30. The Difference
▪ Goals ‘“ are long-term aims that you want to accomplish.
▪ Outcomes ‘“ are concrete attainments that can be achieved
by following a certain number of steps.
▪ Goals and outcomes are often used interchangeably, but
the main difference comes in their level of concreteness.
Outcomes are very concrete, whereas goals are less
structured.

31. Difference (Cont.)
Goals Outcomes
Broad in scope Narrow in scope
General intention or direction Specific/ Precise
Intangible or “soft” Tangible
Abstract Solid/ Concrete
Can’t be easily measured/ validated Can be easily measured/ validated

32. Difference (Cont.)
Goals Outcomes
Large in size Chunks
The end Ends in themselves
The result The means to the end
The whole Part of the whole, often with
milestones
Longer term Shorter term

33. The Goal
▪ A goal is a broad, general, tangible, and descriptive statement. It
does not say how to do something, but rather what the results
will look like.
▪ Goals convey the ultimate intent of the proposed project, the
overarching philosophy, A CONCISE STATEMENT OF THE WHOLE
PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT.
▪ The opening statement of this section should begin with “the
goal of this project is to…”
▪ Both the goals and objectives should flow logically from the
statement of need.

34. Outcomes
▪ Outcomes are a specific result you’re trying to achieve
within a time frame and with available resources. They’re
considered more specific and easier to measure than a
goal. (SMART)

35. Your Project Will Have:
▪ One goal
▪ Two or three outcomes related to the goal
▪ Many outputs
▪ Many methodological steps (activities) to achieve each
output and subsequently outcomes,

36. Outcomes
▪ Discuss desired end results of the project.
▪ But not how those results will be accomplished.
▪ They are action oriented and often begin with a verb.
▪ Arrange them in priority order.

37. Examples
▪ Goal: Improve livelihood of tribal population of 5 villages in
XYZ District using local resource based approach.
▪ Outcome 1. % Increase in the households income of X
households in 5 villages
▪ Outcome 2. % Increase in the nutrition levels of XX number
of households in ….

38. Example
Goal:
Communities Enjoy Increased Level of Social Cohesion and Equal
Rights
Outcome 1:
Incidents of gender based violence reduced by X % in the four
union councils of Islamabad
Outcome 2:
Human rights violation against vulnerable and marginalized
communities reduced by X %

39. Example
Goal
Women empowerment in political arena through building leadership
skills and Increasing Women Voter Registration
Outcome 1:
NIC and Voter registration of women increased by xx % in four
districts (Karachi East, Sajawal, Tando Muhammad Khan, Shaheed
Benazir Abad)
Outcome 2:
% Increase in the number of women candidates contesting in
elections on open seats