Custom Proposal Templates

About

International NGOs and nonprofit staff are often stretched too thin to constantly write fresh grant applications for every new call for proposals. Many funding applications can be confusing, with questions that seem to change from donor to donor. It can be frustrating to sort through it all, and craft answers that adhere to your mission and vision, while aligning to the donor funding potential.

You walk away with a master proposal that can be easily adapted for multiple grant opportunities.

Your template includes
  • Executive Summary/Abstract
  • Organizational Overview/History
  • Needs Assessment Summary and/or Purpose/Problem Statement summary
  • Beneficiary/Target Group and Stakeholder narrative
  • Program/Project Design 
  • Proposed Solution Statement summary
  • Goal, Outcome, Output and Activity narrative
  • Timelines
  • Project team (if needed)
  • implementation Plan outline
  • Implementation Partners summary
  • Evaluation Measures/Outcomes/Impact Summary
  • Financing and Sustainability Summary
  • High-level budget (i.e. total dollar amounts, no spreadsheet or budget development) and funding timeframe (i.e. years, not quarterly)
  • Partner contributions summary (financial and in-kind)
  • Funding gaps
  • Sustainability plan

List of important internal documents for reference for grant applications (strategic plans, feasibility studies, annual plans, previous donor reports, etc.)

 

**Bonus: An annotated version of the template and a personalized video tutorial that highlights how to leverage your template for maximum grant success.

 

Benefits
  • Reduce the amount of time that goes into grant writing
  • Jump off the hamster wheel of writing and rewriting the same content for every new grant application
  • Get a single senior staff approval (Director, VP and ED/CEO level) for the content and commitments in the application
  • Reduce stress related to time-sensitive delays that happen while waiting on colleague input and senior staff approval from application to application
  • Have a master application template that you can use and reuse for every application, with only minor tweaks
  • Have a clear picture of your organization’s funding asks for the next 12-18 months, and potentially beyond
  • Have a document that can be consulted and referred to for other types of funding opportunities by other resource mobilisation staff in your organisation (i.e. major gifts, direct mail)
  • Have a document on hand to easily orient new staff to your grant strategy so they can hit the ground running
  • The template contents can be adapted to create other fundraising collateral (one pagers, mini case for support)
  • Raise more money because you are focused, strategic and ready for those last-minute opportunities that always pop up (not scattered, stressed, and in a last-minute panic to apply)
What to expect
    • A getting started email and checklist (to complete/submit prior to the initial pre-planning call)
    • Creation & Access to a shared Master Project Folder
    • Pre-Planning call to [1 hr.]
    • Outline the process 
    • Clarify the funding ask
    • Assign tasks and timelines to decision-makers (Staff, partners, etc.)
    • Create a high-level first draft
    • First draft
    • Content clarity comments, notes and questions
    • Identify gaps in information 
    • Client fills in the gaps
    • Optional clarity call to confirm direction and understanding
    • Create the 2nd draft
    • Client reviews, edits, and provides feedback
    • Create a proposed final draft
    • Final review approval
    • Personalized video and guide leveraging your template for grant success 

     

    *The standard process includes up to 3 template revisions after the first draft for a total of _4_ versions.

Email me to Get Started
Testimonials
“Kelly was very helpful in supporting the charity to narrow in on our strengths and develop a long term vision for fund-raising to support our development. I would highly recommend working with her.”
- Vanessa Currie, Executive Director, International Institute for Child Rights in Development
"Kelly completed all grant writing tasks to a good standard. She has excellent communication skills, so there were never issues with miscommunication or misunderstanding of aims and deadlines. Great work!"

- Alice Bletsoe, Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (UK)

“What I appreciate about Kelly is her naturally strategic mind (she started talking about the 5-year plan in our first conversation) and her evident comfort with grant writing and positioning. Most of all, I appreciate her dedication to supporting us as a client and her focus on clarity…She has a creative and practical style that has really helped me see how different dots can be connected and leveraged to make our grant writing process easier and at the same time improve our business processes.”
- Franz Plangger, Executive Director, The Outdoor Council of Canada
“Kelly did a great job organizing our strategic operating plan, including developing concise, prioritized goals and strategies. She worked until a solid product was in place.”

- Andy Telfer, Executive Director, WITS Programs Foundation Canada

Kelly is extremely competent and insightful. She is a quick study and really listens, which is critical to an effective fundraising collaboration. She has helped us to successfully access hundreds of thousands in grant funding and is a joy to work with. I highly recommend her firm.

- Diana Gibson, Executive Director, Community Social Planning Council

"I wanted to learn from Kelly because of her extensive knowledge of international grant funding. In our Funding Strategy Call, Kelly broke down strategies for three international nonprofit clients working in different sectors globally. She advised on partnerships, relationship building with funding agencies, and international grant databases. I highly recommend Kelly."
- Rose Hedberg, Grant Writer

Before collaborating with Kelly, we at the World Council of Arameans (Syriacs) had engaged other grant writers. Yet, Kelly's approach was transformative. Leveraging her extensive experience, she equipped us with strategies for budgeting and how to tailor applications to engage potential grantors. Now, we're reassessing our previous methods with increased confidence, anticipating greater success for our NGO.

-- Johny Messo, President, World Council of Arameans (Syriacs), the Netherlands