Important considerations for Proposal Writing in Humanitarian/Development sector

A proposal is a request for financial assistance to implement a project. It must be simply more than just a list you want money for. It must be realistic including attainable goal as well as an effective mean to report back to the Donor on whether or not you meeting the goal.

Following are components of proposal writing

·         Justification

·         Technical Description

·         Budgeting

·         Reporting Mechanism

1-Justification

1-Problem Statement

·    Problem statement is one paragraph pitch that summaries the project as whole and describes disaster/intervention, major causes, problems and population effected.

·      It must include source and data of this information and any background data

·   It must strike a delicate balance between asserting the key facts without going too much into details.

2-The Need Assessment

·         It must directly connect the project to the need on which data is collected.

·         Includes description of the disaster effect and prediction of future trends.

·         Include the summary of work that your organization has already done.

3-Justification for Intervention

Just defining the project in question is perhaps most important part of the proposal as it ties all other supportive information’s together. Here the proposal must connect the assessed needs to proposed actions demonstrating convincingly that not only the project will address those needs but also it will do in an efficient, cost effective and an accountable manners

 In this section five important questions needs to be addressed

·         Why here? Describes the emergency

·         Why now? Explain what is needed now and the consequences of delaying aid

·         Why this?  Explain the results of need assessment

·         Why this applicant? Describes the applicant’s competencies and capabilities

·         Why this donor? Explain why the Donor suits the humanitarian action

2-Technical Description of Proposal

·     The Goal-USAID guide line state that the goal is over all purpose for responding to a disaster and represent the humanitarian impact sort by an organization. There should  be one goal

·       Beneficiaries-How many beneficiaries you are hoping to reach out?

·   Critical Assumption-Applicant best estimate of general condition that will prevail during implementation of the project.

3-Budget

Budget is not

How much money you want…….but….how much it would be spent and whether your plan is credible

Budget component

·         Define the period over which spending will take place

·         State how much you are going to spend

·         Detail what the money will spent on

Budget must include

Direct Cost

·         Salaries including benefits

·         Travel and accommodation

·         Equipment

·         Supplies

·         Sub-contractors

Indirect Costs

Indirect costs refers to costs that are not directly accountable to a cost object such as an overhead cost. Often the rate of indirect costs is set by the Funding Agency.

Almost all funding close under a contract. When crises emerges the Donor will either accept unsolicited proposals or more likely they will put up a request for proposal to meet certain criteria. Once they have chosen which agency to be funded they will draw up and will sign a contract. The contract will state;

·         How much has to be spent?

·         On what and over what period of time?

The key is to understand is;

The funds are spent against the contract. It mean that the humanitarians/agency must spend the money upon what has been agreed to in the contract otherwise there is risk not being issued the fund to cover their expenses and further risk not obtaining funding’s in future.

4-Reporting

Donors require those who receive their funding, to report back to them on the progress and overall success of their projects. Donors wants to know where the money is being spent and if it is working?

Different Donors have different requirements. Most will require;

·         Early Results Reports

·         Mid-Point Reports

·         Final Reports

Reporting back takes three Forms;

1-Narrative

Most Donors requires regular written reports describing how these funds have been spent, some stipulate formats of reports, some wants weekly reports and some quarterly reports. Key point here is that report describes what work has been done on ground.

2-Financial Reports

Detail what funds have been spent

As a general rule the agency has to spend within the budget and according to specific details. Therefore, if the costs varies on ground of what was agreed upon in the budget, it would be necessary to confirm the changes with the Donor prior to expense being made. It is standard practice to maintain trail of receipts and invoices as a proof of how money was spent.

3-Audit

Audits are independent investigations of how a program or agency is spending. Your own agency may conduct Internal Audit or a Donor may request for External Audit. It is also common practice to include the cost of Audit in the proposal itself though it is not the requirement.

All Donors have slightly different criteria to pick which project to fund. However, broadly speaking, most Donors will access/accept the proposal according to the following criteria;

·    Pick which project to be fund-Firstly, they will broadly access the Rational of the proposal and the extent to which it will serve the beneficiaries.  This will include assessment of both supportive information, need assessment and their history of the sector of the project.

·    The capacity of the organization and the region where the project take place-Reputation matters a lot. An organizations with the proven history of success are stronger candidates for funding.

·      Financial Considerations-Whether or not the expenditure of resources are efficient and cost effective.

·    Donors own institutional priorities-Finally, the donor will select according to their own institutional priorities. At time it may be simple matter whether the project is their national interest. They use areas of priorities such as the project was considered as environmental or gender considerations. It is important to research Donors priorities before writing proposals.

Every failed proposal fails for unique set of reasons;

Common Mistakes:

·         Trying to do too much

·         Responding to what you can do rather then what is needed

·         Trying to spend money rather than to solve issue

·         Focusing only on the short term