- A project proposal should be written in accordance to the specific guidelines given to you by the donor you are approaching. Make sure to understand what they want and to ask for clarifications in case you are not sure about any of the requirements. There is always a contact detail of a person who can be approached for clarification or there might be a meeting organised in your area to explain to potential applicants how to write a proposal.
- A project proposal needs time to be written. All the members of your organisation should be mobilised at least 3 months before the deadline for submission of proposals. Remember that a strong proposal is well researched. As such, each member has to work to collect sound information to be presented in the proposal. Make sure to present both quantitative and qualitative information. Quantitative data could be accessed though country, regional or municipal reports written locally or by main agencies such as the United Nations or the World Bank. Qualitative data could be gathered through interviews with young people participating in focus groups.
- To collect life stories from young people participating in the organised focus groups is crucial to further probe the real importance of your proposed project in the eyes of potential donors. Your proposal should communicate how passionate you are about what you do and also how important the implementation of the proposed project is for your community.
- Consider that working with young people is exciting and fulfilling but could also present additional problems. For instance, consider that young people divide their time between school, family commitments, friends and recreational activities. One of the main difficulties in attracting the attention of young people is to propose a set of activities that interest them to the point of ensuring their full commitment to the project. This is why is so important to involve young people in the very first phase of designing the project. Listen to their needs and try to match your organisation’s aims with what they ask for.
- Make sure that all the members of your organisation are happy and enthusiastic about the new project. This will ensure their full participation and support. Make sure that each member feels important and that their skills are appreciated and used appropriately.
- Your project has a timeline. As such, you have to think realistically about how many activities could be implemented. It is also important to leave enough time to gather all the information produced by the project, reflect upon them and work on the dissemination of your results. The final phases of Assessment and Evaluation are as important as the planning and implementing of the activities and they will help you producing sound reports for donors (which will be fundamental for attracting funds in the future).
- If you are answering to a call for proposals, you will be asked to submit a budget proposal. Do not ask for the maximum amount of money because donors tend to allocate smaller quotas to more organisations rather than large grants to few applicants. Make a financial request that is realistic and ask for what you really need. It is not always necessary to ask for a new computer or a photocopying machine!
