Getting money can be tough. Writing to someone to ask them for money can be even tougher! So whether you’re writing a foundation proposal and submitting it cold (ugh, that’s never fun, try to find a contact first!) or submitting a PowerPoint to a marketing department, there are certain things you need to know. And remember, not all audiences are created equal - depending on who you’re writing to, your focus and voice might change.

Corporate and Foundation Proposal Writing

1. Know which organizations to approach. Research foundations and corporations that give to programs within your organization’s topic or to similar organizations. For foundations look up their 990’s online. For companies, look at key personnel giving as well as company-wide. Sometime’s the CEOs pet cause gets a lot of love (and $$) from other parts of the company.
2. Keep it simple and concise. It should engage the foundation or company's decision-makers, not read like a dissertation. Stay away from jargon. Hard numbers and simple stats can go a long way. Yet, don't be afraid to write with personality. They’re reading thousands of these, you want to stand out!
3. Use their language. Go through the company or foundation’s online and offline materials make sure to highlight their key concepts within your proposal. If “empowerment” is a key value for them, make sure to show them how you’re “empowering” your members, too.
4. Get input from others. Make certain that your proposal is neat, professional and error-free. Use the week before the proposal is due to have several other people review it. Engage both people who know the project and people who don’t. Sometimes you think its clear but other people have no idea what you're talking about.
5. Divide the proposal into sections. Write a rough draft that lays out your organization's purpose and history, biographies of key management, financial information, current programs, goals and strategies. You want to give the company a concise but accurate picture of what your organization is about and why they should trust you to use their money wisely.

For Foundation Proposals:

6. Create a project budget. Make sure that the funder knows what you are asking for and where that money is going.
7. Create a strong Executive Summary. Since your proposal is likely to be one of many it’s important that your executive summary sums the proposal in clear and engaging language.
8. Follow up. Keep good records of the proposals you send. If you don’t hear back from a foundation, call to find out when the latest batch of proposals is being reviewed. If your proposal gets turned down, ask for advice on how to improve it.

For Corporate Proposals:

9. Show them how it will benefit their brand. Focus your proposal on the benefits to the corporation: appealing to their altruism won’t get you the whole way. Emphasize marketing and customer relations benefits too. Be specific about where their logo and name will appear and the type of people your event or campaign will reach.
10. Figure out a way for them to own things. Corporations like to have a real stake in the project. Figure out the different assets you have and how you can appeal to different corporate sponsors with each of these.
11. Differentiate between an in-person presentation and one you’re emailing. A lot of corporations will ask for a PowerPoint deck, but the one you email over and the one you present should be different. If you have the opportunity to present in person – definitely agree and make it interesting! Your slides should have minimal writing on them, if any at all.