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Raising $1 Million May Be Easier Than You Think

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Super-Rush Proposal Writing
How to Cope With Last-Minute Deadlines

By Joseph Barbato

I’ve often thought that former short-order cooks who have a way with words would make the best proposal writers.

They can produce ham and eggs on the double. And that’s the skill most urgently needed when, without warning, you learn a proposal has to be written overnight.

Now, how could that situation occur in your well-managed office? If you’re smiling, you know how; if you’re not, prepare yourself: it will happen. A gift officer will suddenly notice a funder’s deadline (it’s tomorrow), even though that information has been available for years on the foundation’s website.

Or your chief executive will return from lunch with a wealthy individual and say he has promised the prospect a proposal “on that new training work we’re doing with Compton University” (it’s always something vague) in the next day or two.

With luck (ha!) you will have an old proposal in the files that can be dusted off and sent out. More likely, the super-rush job will require fresh research and writing. What to do? Here are tips that will allow you go get the job done—and retain your sanity.

Don’t panic.

Really. The greater the snafu – it’s a million-dollar ask, it involves a board member’s pet project – the more likely you are to feel stressed out. And that won’t help you engage in the calm, thoughtful action needed to meet your deadline. Take some deep breaths or a walk around the block. You know how to write a proposal. You’re just not used to doing it quite this quickly.

Take charge.

Mobilize the resources of your office. Other staff members can be enlisted to help, especially if this is a serious situation for the fundraising campaign. Some people can make phone calls, others can write sections of the proposal, and someone can work the files. Even one other person helping can make a difference.

Nail it down.

What is actually needed for the proposal? Only one person is likely to know – the individual who has been worrying the fundraising situation along. Meet immediately with the person who talked with the prospect or wants to see the proposal submitted, and get the facts.

Key questions to ask: Who is the proposal to? What will sign the cover letter? How much are we asking and for what program? What is our long-term goal for the program?  What are the main points to make, and how will we measure its success? What attachments do we need? Who on staff must review the proposal draft and when? When must the proposal reach the prospect, in what form, and how will it be delivered? Get the answers to these questions now. Not knowing who is to sign the cover letter at the final moment when the proposal is ready to go out the door will really put you in a state.

Set your own deadlines.

How much time do you have to get the proposal written and on its way? Twenty-four hours? Forty-eight? Figure out how much time you can devote to each aspect of the project. Set a deadline for finishing your research, for finishing the first draft, for circulating the draft and getting it back from reviewers, and for switching from revisions to proofreading and packaging the proposal for delivery.

Steal.

Has your president just given a speech related to your topic, or reviewed the final draft of an annual report with a pertinent section? Have program officers or the public relations staff just recently completed a program summary that is ideal for the proposal? Has a relevant feature piece just appeared in your nonprofit’s publication? All of that writing is within the family and you have every right to borrow it for your proposal. A crisis situation is no occasion to reinvent the wheel.

Get still more help.

Have someone else put together the budget section of the proposal, especially if it’s complex or requires a lot of time and discussion with program officers. Ask an assistant to gather relevant background pieces that are needed for the appendix: resumes, articles, work plans, or whatever. Enlist help in proofreading, which is more important than ever when you are working hastily.

Stay calm.

There’s nothing worse than having too little time to write a proposal. But you can make trouble for yourself by kicking your nervous system into overdrive. As long as you have sought help from all the resources available to you, there is no reason to think you will not make the deadline. So remain calm. Know that you are going to succeed and prepare the most thoughtful proposal possible.
 
Now, there’s a fine dish of ham and eggs, cooked to order, just the way your prospect likes it. On deadline, too.

Joseph Barbato is the author of How to Write Knockout Proposals, by Emerson & Church, Publishers. He is also president of Barbato Associates (www.barbatoassociates.com), a consulting firm in Alexandria, VA, that produces case statements, brochures, and other persuasive pieces for nonprofits. His more than 20 years of experience include stints in major capital campaigns at NYU and The Nature Conservancy. He can be reached at 703-379-5441.

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