Expert tips on how to write a 'knockout proposal'

The GuideStar.org newsletter last month included a compelling excerpt from “How to Write Knockout Proposals: What You Must Know (and Say) to Win Funding Every Time,” a new book by Joseph Barbato:

Ours is the land of fundraising opportunity. Anyone, and everyone, can write a proposal. If you doubt it, visit a local foundation and behold the reviewer's desk, if it hasn't buckled under already.

But precious few people can write a ‘knockout’ proposal, a document of such force it catapults the funder down the hall. I exaggerate—but you get the point. To help you enhance your own proposals, here are three tips.

1.  Avoid Pointy-Headed Prose – Your proposal may involve the vagaries of anything from the law to health to archaeology to rocket science. Moreover, you're probably working with program officers who have a deep understanding of their fields.

Still, as a general rule, your proposal should be written in layman's language. That means plain English of the kind used in a well-written daily newspaper.” More …