[Author Prev][Author Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
[Author Index (this month)][Thread Index (this month)][Top of Archive]

Re: Proposal writers: Comments or suggestions about proposal writing courses, especially ICI, The Grant Institute

Subject: Re: Proposal writers: Comments or suggestions about proposal writing courses, especially ICI, The Grant Institute
From: Dick Margulis <margulisd -at- comcast -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 17 Aug 2005 06:35:36 -0400




Kathleen MacDowell wrote:

Hi All,


Is there a standardarized set of procedures that can be taught that
apply to both profit and non-profit organizations? I imagine I will be
working at a for-profit org.


Not really. Grant writing (the subject of the workshop you mentioned) consists of soliciting support from foundations, government agencies, etc., for research, community services, etc. It is part of the nonprofit world and is quite different from commercial proposal writing, which is part of the industrial sales process. To the extent the two activities have anything in common, those factors could probably be summarized in the course of this thread. Here. I'll start:

1. Observe all schedule dates and deadlines.
2. Answer all questions.
3. Write clear, accurate, truthful answers.
4. Do not imply a commitment you cannot fulfill.

Beyond that (plus whatever others add to that list), I think grant writing and commercial proposal writing are rather different. I think grant writing probably does encompass a more standarized set of procedures that can be taught and that would make a $600 workshop a good investment. Proposal writing is probably better learned through practice.


How much of the proposal process is organization specific (in your experience)?

There are aspects of proposal writing that are industry-specific (whether you're talking about the industry you work in or the industry you are selling into). Company processes for writing proposals tend to vary with company size (one person part-time up to fully staffed departments). But the general process seems to be similar from place to place.



Do you think that my attendance at a workshop would be a useful
addition to my tech writing experience if an employer wanted a
proposal writer (My only proposal experience was as a student
researcher)?

Not unless you change your career direction and go into grant writing.


Assuming that the workshop is well run, do you think I would/could
learn as much from such a workshop as I could get from several books
at the library?

As I said, the workshop would probably be worth the money if you wanted to make a career of grant writing for nonprofits.



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Now Shipping -- WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word! Easily create online
Help. And online anything else. Redesigned interface with a new
project-based workflow. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l


---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.


Follow-Ups:

References:
Proposal writers: Comments or suggestions about proposal writing courses, especially ICI, The Grant Institute: From: Kathleen MacDowell

Previous by Author: Anyone else ever notice this Word feature?
Next by Author: Re: Odd font differences in PDFs
Previous by Thread: Proposal writers: Comments or suggestions about proposal writing courses, especially ICI, The Grant Institute
Next by Thread: Re: Proposal writers: Comments or suggestions about proposal writing courses, especially ICI, The Grant Institute

[Top of Archive] | [Author Index (this month)] | [Thread Index (this month)]

What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:

Sponsored Ads