A Quick Guide to Writing a Proposal

By Dr. Jennifer L. Bowie

For Electronic Writing & Publishing

What is a proposal?

• A common business document

• An attempt to persuade the audience to take some form of direct action

• Developed to sell the idea

• Has a primarily persuasive purpose

• Provides persuasive answers to basic question (Lannon, 571)

• Is informative, clear, and realistic

What are the major sections:• Summary or Overview

– includes Statement of Problems and Objective

• Description of the Proposed Project

• Statement of Work/ Work Plan

• Qualifications/Personnel/Facilities

• Budget

• Conclusion

What do we need to include?• Summary or Overview: a paragraph or so summarizing the whole proposal, which

includes a concise statement of problem(s) and objective [for this project your problem will be the need in the community for the website]

• Description of the proposed project with a detailed discussion of the:– Problem (statement of problem): What is the problem you hope to solve (or need you hope

to repsond to)?– Project goal/ purpose/objective: What is the purpose? What do you plan to do? What is your

objective? [hint: use Jeney’s Purpose Analysis on page 37 may help] – Plan/proposed solutions to the problem (which may be combined with the goal): How will

this solve the problem? – Audience: Who is the site for? Provide a detailed audience profile, perhaps even niches and

personas of audience [hint: use Jeney’s Audience Analysis on page 38] – Use & goals: How will the audience use the site? What will they do? What tasks can the

complete? What goals will they come to the site with?– Website plan: what do you plan to do? What will your website look like? What will it include?

Discuss the proposed outline or possibly a site map (which can be attached)– Genre: what genre(s) is the website? How will it fit within the genre? What ways, if any, will it

differ? • Statement of Work/ Work Plan: Provide a plan, with dates and roles, of your work • Qualifications/Personnel/Facilities: Optional, as needed• Budget: Optional, not needed for this proposal• Conclusion: a paragraph or so which includes

– A summary of the proposal – A statement on why the audience (of the proposal (in this case me), not of the site) should

accept your proposed proposal idea

Good luck & have fun