When You Want/Need Something – Propose It

It probably won’t come as much of a shock if I say that many of the professional settings you’re likely to find yourself in will revolve around money, in one way or another. Whether that means you end up working in sales, become a marketing analyst, or even work for a nonprofit – which would seem like it shouldn’t have much to do with money at all – there will almost always be some aspects of your work that will tie into money: either needing it, trying to make it, or even giving it to others.

Let’s focus on the nonprofit example, for a moment. Most of those, along with institutions of higher education/academia and public health, need to find funding from outside sources. While some of that funding might come from state or local government, that’s almost never enough on its own.

That’s where proposals come into play.

A proposal is, more or less, exactly what the name suggests: a document that is used to propose a plan or project or request. In the case of nonprofits, that’s often a grant proposal, an attempt to persuade a private entity/organization or government agency to ‘grant’ the nonprofit some level of funding in exchange for the nonprofit completing some specific type of work.

For example, a community college might be awarded a grant from the federal government to fund outreach programs for underrepresented minority students or engaging in some kind of significant technical innovation.

The proposal is the ‘application’ that the college or nonprofit puts together to convince the funding entity to award them the money. In the case of ‘for profit’ businesses – such as construction – the proposal is a document meant to demonstrate the company’s full plan for a specific project, like building a new mall or hotel in order to secure the funding. On an individual basis, a proposal could be one employee’s plan for completing a specific work project or a campaign for a client or even for a promotion.

Most proposals focus on convincing the audience of a a few key elements:

1. The proposed plan/project makes sense, is feasible (possible), and will be worth the expense in terms of money, time, and manpower – the people with the money want to know it will be well spent.
2. The proposed plan/project will be beneficial to the audience – even when the money is a grant, there are still deliverables, things that can/will benefit the funding entity in either a financial, reputational, or work product sense.

3. The person/group behind the proposal is the best person/group for the job – if you’re being awarded a million-dollar contract or a significant promotion, you need to show that there is no one better suited for the work.

A proposal is not all that different from an argumentative/persuasive essay that you might write in an English composition class. You’re going to be:

• making a specific argument
• making that argument to a specific and relevant audience
• supporting that argument with specific evidence that demonstrates why you and your plan are the best choice

Different professional fields will have different types of proposals and offer unique scenarios that will call for you to write one. For example:

• professional contractor – a bid for a city building project
• advertising agency – a proposed campaign for a new line of running shoes
• professional sports team – a contract offer to a major free agent player
• academic conference – proposals for individual or group presentations