Community centered project development is all about designing projects aimed at adding value to a community. To do this effectively, you need to acquire some basic skill set which will help ensure that you not only design projects that are attractive to donors, but that these projects are fund able and add value.
A careful analysis to the answers you obtain from the following questions will determine to a great extent how successful your project idea will be.
Who will your proposal for funding go to?
A careful analysis to the answers you obtain from the following questions will determine to a great extent how successful your project idea will be.
Who will your proposal for funding go to?
Who will your ideal donor
be?
What do they expect from you?
Know yourself? (What are your strengths and weaknesses?)
Does your track record portray you as good risk to invest time and resources in?
What is your level of expertise on the subject matter?
How will you plan the project? etc.
It is recommended you seek multiple sources of funding, so you don't get stock with one. Your project must be carefully formulated and designed. Remember, that your funding proposal forms the basis for your relationship with a donor. Your presentation must be honest and totally void of deceit, each item must be thoroughly justified and neatly written without any unnecessary information.
Planning a community project requires great skill set. The following steps will guide you tremendously when planning a community project.
a) Always start with the community to ensure that the project being planned is what they really need most at that point in time.
b) Involve local leadership and constituted authorities, it will make your job easier.
c) Include local initiative, it is wise, helps reduce cost and develops community resources.
d) Conduct an analytical problem survey. This will allow you to identify what the community really needs,
e) Draw up a cost benefit analysis( the benefit obtained must out-do the cost required)
f) Identify solutions to the problems earlier identified,
g) Look for scientific evidence of success to back up your plan for a solution,
h) Identify your means of transferring the solutions identified,
I) Draw up a project schedule and budget. The project schedule allots time to activities to be performed, sequences these activities and applies resources to them according to the budget template. The budget on the other hand shows the cost associated with the project and proposed sources of funding.
j) Make your presentation to a donor in a presentation book that contains all of this information alongside a compelling statement aimed at warming the hearts of everyone that reads it.
When writing a proposal these few tips will help you.
a) Be simple and avoid the use of technical jargon,
b) Be precise, use short sentences that say what you want to say,
c) Use active rather than passive lines,
d) Number your pages accurately,
e) Arrange your documents in the right order,
f) Bind your documents in the right order.
Now that you have written your proposal successfully, what next? Follow up. You may need to follow up on the proposal if you have not gotten any response from the prospective donor. Even when the proposal is successful, you may still need to follow up on grants to ensure that it is used to achieve what it is actually intended to achieve.When following up a proposal, be persuasive without being aggressive or demanding to avoid making your chances for success less likely. This will ensure you do not alienate your donor or damage your reputation within donor circles also making future applications for funding less likely to succeed. A soft visit, telephone call or reminder letter is appropriate.
After your proposal has been successful, thank the donor. Ensure you keep the donor up to date with what is going on. Also ensure you meet all reporting requirements. This is the best time to build a lasting favorable relationship with your donor. Be available for meetings, keep communication lines open at all times and ensure that you deliver as promised and according to what the donor is hoping to get out of the relationship.
I hope you find this short article useful in planning your community centered projects. So go out there and make a big difference.
What do they expect from you?
Know yourself? (What are your strengths and weaknesses?)
Does your track record portray you as good risk to invest time and resources in?
What is your level of expertise on the subject matter?
How will you plan the project? etc.
It is recommended you seek multiple sources of funding, so you don't get stock with one. Your project must be carefully formulated and designed. Remember, that your funding proposal forms the basis for your relationship with a donor. Your presentation must be honest and totally void of deceit, each item must be thoroughly justified and neatly written without any unnecessary information.
Planning a community project requires great skill set. The following steps will guide you tremendously when planning a community project.
a) Always start with the community to ensure that the project being planned is what they really need most at that point in time.
b) Involve local leadership and constituted authorities, it will make your job easier.
c) Include local initiative, it is wise, helps reduce cost and develops community resources.
d) Conduct an analytical problem survey. This will allow you to identify what the community really needs,
e) Draw up a cost benefit analysis( the benefit obtained must out-do the cost required)
f) Identify solutions to the problems earlier identified,
g) Look for scientific evidence of success to back up your plan for a solution,
h) Identify your means of transferring the solutions identified,
I) Draw up a project schedule and budget. The project schedule allots time to activities to be performed, sequences these activities and applies resources to them according to the budget template. The budget on the other hand shows the cost associated with the project and proposed sources of funding.
j) Make your presentation to a donor in a presentation book that contains all of this information alongside a compelling statement aimed at warming the hearts of everyone that reads it.
When writing a proposal these few tips will help you.
a) Be simple and avoid the use of technical jargon,
b) Be precise, use short sentences that say what you want to say,
c) Use active rather than passive lines,
d) Number your pages accurately,
e) Arrange your documents in the right order,
f) Bind your documents in the right order.
Now that you have written your proposal successfully, what next? Follow up. You may need to follow up on the proposal if you have not gotten any response from the prospective donor. Even when the proposal is successful, you may still need to follow up on grants to ensure that it is used to achieve what it is actually intended to achieve.When following up a proposal, be persuasive without being aggressive or demanding to avoid making your chances for success less likely. This will ensure you do not alienate your donor or damage your reputation within donor circles also making future applications for funding less likely to succeed. A soft visit, telephone call or reminder letter is appropriate.
After your proposal has been successful, thank the donor. Ensure you keep the donor up to date with what is going on. Also ensure you meet all reporting requirements. This is the best time to build a lasting favorable relationship with your donor. Be available for meetings, keep communication lines open at all times and ensure that you deliver as promised and according to what the donor is hoping to get out of the relationship.
I hope you find this short article useful in planning your community centered projects. So go out there and make a big difference.
Valentine Okolo
Website: valentineokolo.blogspot.com
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