Brief

This book combines the experiences of the author Jaechoon Kim, who is a master of nonprofit proposals, having personally written hundreds of proposals and coached thousands more with a vivid voice in the field. It examines the principles and fundamentals as well as the technique and know-how that can be used in the process of preparing donation proposals.

Introduction

Not Only a Generous Manual for Donation Proposals,
But a Basic Summary of Fundraising

This book combines the experiences of the author Jaechoon Kim, who is a master of nonprofit proposals, having personally written hundreds of proposals and coached thousands more with a vivid voice in the field. It examines the principles and fundamentals as well as the technique and know-how that can be used in the process of preparing donation proposals.

The master’s work does not end here. He has filled the first half of the book with the core basics of fundraising and making proposals. The book can be described as the most practical book on donation proposals and a solid introductory book for beginners. The author claims that:

  • A proposal is a PERSUASION, rather than a DEMAND.
  • A proposal is a SOLUTION, rather than an EXPLANATION.
  • A proposal is a TRANSACTION, rather than an act of BEGGING.
  • A proposal is a CONNECTION, rather than a REQUEST.
  • A proposal is a matter of QUANTITY, rather than of QUALITY.
  • A proposal is an ONGOING PROCESS, rather than a FINALIZED DOCUMENT.

What the Author Wants to Say

The author calls himself “A Shining Star”

Kim came to know the non-profit sector while working on a commercial advertisement proposal. When he saw the way that staffs of non-profits work, he felt their “packaging” expressed their good intentions inadequately. Supposing the goodness of what they wanted to do was 10, Kim felt that what was conveyed to others was less than 1.

The author has probably reviewed thousands of nonprofit proposals, and there are two things he felt while reviewing them: (1) The writer is just explaining how good what he/she is doing is. This kind of story is not attractive from the perspective of listeners. (2) There is a lack of understanding of the principle behind getting donors to pay. In a word, he/she is trying to explain, not to persuade.

Based on this, there are two things the author wants to tell nonprofit fundraisers: (1) “You need to know how to express yourself in an engaging way” and (2) “You should know how to ‘rouse’ the purpose of the proposal rather than ‘explain’ it. This book is about the latter.

Readers’ Comments

  • This book deals with donation proposals, but it can also be useful for public offerings and other major sources of funding for nonprofit organizations.
  • This book is a reference for writing a proposal. Even if you don’t know every single content, you can look up the parts that you don’t really do well.
  • The Bible for writing the first proposal. I can even give a new fundraising colleague the task of writing a proposal after reading this book.
  • The proposal before and after reading this book will be completely different.
  • I think “to explain rather than to persuade, organization-oriented thinking rather than donor-oriented thinking, etc.” that are mentioned in this book are really the biggest problems with NGO proposals. “Donor-oriented thinking” is a key point of view for reviewing the proposals you have written.
  • “One-too-many explanations, one-to-one requests” really matters.
  • We refer to the suggestions we have found widely that “convention and convergence are the trend.”
  • Proposals should also be made a lot. Even the fundraiser doesn’t seem to make a lot of proposals!
Table of Contents

Preface : The Changing Fundraising Environment and Response to Donation Proposals
Chapter I Rethinking Donation Proposals
Chapter 2 Process and Practical Skills of Writing Donation Proposals
Chapter 3 How to Create a Donation Proposal
Chapter 4 Examples of Donation Proposals
Supplementary Materials
Q&A of Fundraising Practitioners
Good Suggestions and Proposals by Corporate Staffs
List of Fundraising Forms
Ending : The Last Skill for a Successful Donation Proposal