Student Affairs Fundraising Part 5 - Guest Blogger CeCe Ridder

February 27 2009, 1:29pm

So far, we’ve covered the benefits to a company, where to begin, who should be involved, knowing the rules on campus and the company cycle. Now you’re ready to cover writing a great proposal. Writing a proposal 1. Proposals should be short. One page is best or AT LEAST have an executive summary page at the beginning. Company people, alumni, whomever - let’s just say busy people, don’t have time to read the whole glossy document. You want to wow them with a few marketing lines and put the price-tag so they can skim down to it. Then they can read the entire document if they want. 2. If you don’t think the reader is familiar with your school you can give a short description. 3. State the purpose. Is it unique (do some research)? What is the value? Who is the audience? Are the price points in line with the benefits and level of fund you’re seeking? If the amount is broken down per person, does it seem reasonable? 4. Provide statistics or hard data if you can. How many people have benefited from the program, participated, succeeded etc. 5. Give testimonials (either as an added page or as pulled out quotes on the sides or bottom). 6. Think of benefit levels if it is appropriate (i.e. Platinum, Gold, Silver levels). If you can support more than one donor, company etc. and you have enough benefits to spread around, make funding levels. The top level should have everything that you can think of for involvement (opportunity to speak, logos on banners or websites, attend and participate, judging, booth at event, provide remarks at an opening or closing session, lunch or dinner with set of “special” participants, resume books or cd’s). If it is a year-long program, list out opportunities. Pull out as many specific parts of the program as you can (like the lunch is sponsored by one company, dinner has someone else) and then divide them appropriately. Look critically at the levels so you don’t have multiple donors/companies expecting to attend or speak at the same thing. 7. If you have an itinerary, list it. 8. Contact information, website etc. 9. Sponsorship deadline. I hope that I have given you some good information. I am always open to discussing more ideas, this would be a great forum to do so!

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