This presentation helps to understand the general guidelines for proposal writing for NGOs.

1. Proposal Writing-General
Guidelines
Khalid Saifullah
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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