January 01, 2017
It's time to submit the proposal. Are you ready?
The last week of the proposal process can be hectic. Below are six tips to make the final days of the proposal process less stressful and set yourself up for an even smoother process next time!
Tip #1: Leave Yourself Plenty of Time to Review & Assemble the Final Draft
The first tip for making the grant proposal submission process smoother is to leave yourself plenty of time to finish the proposal, review it for completeness, edit it, and submit it. While this may seem like an obvious step, all too often it is a mad rush to submit the proposal by the deadline. When you submit a proposal at the last minute, you don't have the time to review everything as carefully as it deserves or correct last-minute formatting issues.
How much time should you leave to do the final edits and assembly? It depends on several factors, including the proposal's length and complexity.
As a general rule, reserve at least two days to complete final edits and package the proposal for submission. If you don't need both days, you can always submit the proposal early. On the other hand, if you don't have a buffer of a few days to handle the proposal editing and assembly, you risk not being able to meet the proposal deadline if you run into last-minute crises related to the content or structure of the proposal.
Tip #2: Double- and Triple-Check the Submission Guidelines
Even though you've read and re-read the submission guidelines many times, read them again. Read them at the beginning of the final week of the proposal development process and reread them in the final hours of the process when you are on the verge of submitting.
You need to do this because, although you and your colleagues have read the submission guidelines multiple times, often, this is at the start of the proposal process. At the beginning of the process, everyone focuses on questions such as how to structure the proposal response and who will be the proposal lead. In the early days of the proposal, it is natural to be less concerned with the specifics of the submission process and to focus on the instructions. To avoid being surprised at the last minute, read the submission guidelines while you still have time to address them. Read and reread, check, and double-check because when you are in proposal-writing mode, you are probably not able to concentrate on the finer details of the submission process.
Tip #3: Prepare at Least Two Sets of the Final Proposal Package
After you finish the proposal, make multiple copies of the full proposal package before you move forward with the submission process.
The full proposal will consist of the technical (or main) proposal narrative, the budget and budget narrative, the cover letter, and any attachments. You should plan to distribute copies of the proposal to the other proposal team members, senior colleagues, and external partners (excluding budget or other confidential information). At least one copy of the proposal should be archived.
Making multiple copies of the final proposal package is important. However, there is something else you should do that may be even more important: keep a backup "original" copy. In other words, prepare two identical copies of the proposal, each with original signatures on cover letters, etc. To prepare your two "originals," have the executive director sign two copies of the cover letter. If the grant application is a fill-in-the-blank form rather than a proposal narrative, complete the form twice and obtain all required signatures on each copy.
Having a backup "original" will be less of an issue if the submission is electronic instead of a hard copy. With electronic submissions, the essential task is to save a copy of the final proposal in a secure location (e.g., not on your laptop) and clearly label it as the final version.
You need to take these steps if your first attempt to submit the proposal doesn't go as planned and you need to resubmit. If you submit the proposal as a hard copy, photocopies of certain documents may not be accepted, so you should complete anything that must be submitted as an "original" document in duplicate. Of course, having a backup copy of the proposal only helps if you have enough time to resubmit, which leads to the next tip: submit your proposal not just on time but early.
Tip #4: Submit the Proposal Early
You need to submit the proposal on time to meet the funder's deadline. However, submitting the proposal on the due date itself should be the last resort.
Ideally, submit your proposal several days early so that, if something goes wrong with the submission process, you have time to resubmit and still meet the deadline. How much advance notice you need to submit depends on the submission mechanism.
If the proposal needs to be submitted in hard copy, you'll need more time than if it's submitted electronically. For hard-copy submissions, consider how many days it will take to deliver the proposal, using a reliable mail service and priority or express shipping. Whatever the delivery time, double it and work backward from the due date to find your target shipping date.
For example, if the proposal is due on the 15th of October and is shipped with priority, it will take 2 days to reach its destination. Ideally, you'll want to mail the proposal at least 4-5 days before the deadline. This buffer should allow sufficient time to ship a replacement if the first shipment goes missing. Yes, this means you will lose several days of time preparing the proposal. However, if your proposal doesn't reach its destination on time, all your work will be in vain. It is worth shortening your proposal development timeline so you have assurance that, even if a last-minute glitch occurs, you still have a good chance of meeting the deadline.
Submitting a proposal by email or through an online portal does make it easier. After submitting a proposal via email or online, you should receive an automated reply confirming receipt. If you don't receive an acknowledgment or get an error message, you'll know you need to resubmit. Additionally, you'll often receive feedback on why the first submission attempt didn't work. For example, maybe your document was in the wrong format or the file size was too large, two things that are quick to remedy. For electronic submissions, 24-48 hours' advance notice should be sufficient.
Regarding electronic submissions, note that many email systems have size limits and may not deliver messages over 10MB, so check the size of your attachments. You may need to chunk your proposal up into several smaller files before submitting it.
In addition to giving yourself a few days' buffer to prepare the final proposal draft, submitting the proposal early is one of the best ways to reduce the stress of the process.
Tip #5: Confirm Receipt of the Proposal
If you submit the grant proposal by email or via an electronic portal such as grants.gov, you should receive a confirmation message. When you receive this acknowledgment, you can begin to relax, but don't get too comfortable. Issues may arise with the electronic files, so it is advisable to be prepared to resubmit the proposal by the due date.
If you submitted your proposal as a hard copy, contact the funder to confirm receipt. Do this even if you receive a signed confirmation from the mail carrier, unless you are 100% positive that the person you sent the proposal to (e.g., the relevant program officer at a foundation) signed for it themselves. A quick email or phone call will confirm receipt of the proposal. You'll sleep much better knowing the proposal reached the right person by the due date, so don't skip this step. If the proposal didn't reach the right person and you gave yourself a few days' buffer, you'll still have enough time to resubmit if needed.
When relying on a national postal service or a delivery service such as FedEx, ensure you require signature confirmation of receipt. And not just any signature. Require a signed receipt from the person who is supposed to receive the proposal, per the proposal submission instructions.
Another delivery option, if a hard copy is required and it is feasible to do so, is to hand-deliver the proposal. If you hand deliver, prepare an acknowledgment of receipt form in advance. When you drop off the proposal, have the receipt signed by whoever receives the proposal on behalf of the donor.
Tip #6: Request Feedback from Your Colleagues & the Funder
After you submit the proposal, ultimately, one of two things will happen. Either you'll receive the grant, or you will not. Regardless of whether your proposal is funded, you probably did some things better than others during the proposal process.
While the proposal process is still fresh, schedule a debriefing to review the experience. If possible, don’t wait until you hear back from the funder before doing this. It may take several months before you learn the fate of your submission. If you wait until you know the outcome of the proposal, you'll have forgotten many of the details of the proposal experience. Schedule a meeting with the proposal team shortly after proposal submission to review each stage of the proposal process and discuss what went well, what did not, and what could be improved. Maybe the proposal calendar wasn't realistic, or perhaps the review process didn't go smoothly. Regardless of the feedback, take notes and consider how you'll implement it in the next proposal effort.
Lastly, consider requesting feedback from the funder. You can do this regardless of whether the proposal is funded, but the feedback will be especially valuable if it is not. As soon as you receive the rejection letter, contact the funder to arrange a time to discuss where your proposal fell short. The funder may not be willing or able to speak with you, but it is worth exploring.
If you submitted your proposal to a U.S. government agency, the agency should inform you in the rejection letter how to schedule a meeting to receive feedback on your proposal. The request timing and the days when reviews can take place are usually listed in the notification. The feedback may not always be verbal. In many cases, the agency staff will provide only written feedback.
If you have the opportunity to discuss your proposal with the funder, it is worth doing, particularly if you plan to submit a proposal to them in the future. During your meeting with the funder, you may receive general feedback that the proposal was not responsive to the RFA or hear about specific areas where your proposal did not meet the funder's expressed interests. With this information, you'll have greater insight into how the funder evaluates proposals and be in a stronger position for your next proposal. To ensure you don't forget what the funder says, document the meeting after it ends and archive the notes with a copy of the final proposal for future reference.