How to succeed as a proposal writer in global development

Making it as a proposal writer isn't just about being a great writer or knowing a lot about a certain field. While these things are certainly important, there is a lot more to the job. Madeleine Dejean, a technical proposal writer at Save the Children US, emphasized the importance of having strong research and analytical skills and high attention to detail. The ability to work well under pressure is just as important, though perhaps less obvious, as proposal writing can involve many last-minute changes and tight deadlines, she explained. “It takes a very specific person to enjoy proposals because they're fast-paced and they're demanding. You have to like that environment,” Dejean said. Therefore having thick skin is also a must, Dejean said. The work involves a lot of constructive feedback, and proposals are often rejected — especially in competitive fields such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, she explained. Staying aware of USAID trends and priorities, which can shift with changing administrations, is important for developing successful proposals, Dejean said. Collaboration and navigating different perspectives is another important skill in this field, whether that be with the technical leads you’re developing the proposal with or on the donor side. Maria Ghazzaoui, an independent consultant in proposal development, told Devex that writers also need to work well with program staff on the ground to develop a broader understanding of the cultural sensitivities of the project location. If you’re interested in becoming a proposal writer, here's what you need to know. There’s room for generalists and specialists Ghazzaoui, who specializes in monitoring, evaluation, and facilitation, said that for proposals to be credible and accurate, they need to be based on a solid understanding of the main theoretical and practical foundations of the topic at hand. In addition to theoretical frameworks and methodologies, this includes informed opinions, arguments, and counterarguments on what works, where, and under what conditions. But being a technical expert in a subject is not essential. Dejean considers herself a generalist proposal writer at Save the Children, working across education, food security, gender, child rights, and governance. She said there also are specialized proposal writers who, for example, handle the volume of health proposals. Different organizations have different approaches, Dejean explained, with some employing specialized writers or consultants with deep technical expertise. Proposal writing for USAID, for example, often involves collaboration with technical leads, who provide the necessary detailed knowledge for drafting proposals, she added. “You're always working with a technical lead who designs the strategy of the proposal and what the project is going to look like. And so it often requires taking what lives in their head and translating it onto paper. It's a lot of teamwork with that person,” Dejean said. Tacit knowledge and integrative knowledge synthesis While formal knowledge of a subject matter is important, Ghazzaoui believes proposal writers should also capture the “tacit knowledge” embedded within communities. “Tacit knowledge includes information about cultural beliefs and practices, traditional techniques (such as those in agriculture), power dynamics, and social networks and norms. This knowledge is often not well documented, although is often powerful and passed down through generations,” Ghazzaoui explained. A strong proposal writer seeks to gather and combine the informal, on-the-ground tacit knowledge of program staff and combine it with their own technical expertise, Ghazzaoui said. This triangulation of knowledge is important because it helps to design credible and accurate interventions that are more likely to be accepted and sustained by the community, she explained. Understanding monitoring and evaluation A robust foundation in monitoring and evaluation, or M&E — especially theory of change development — equips proposal writers with a logical and systematic way of thinking about how change happens in societies, Ghazzaoui said. “This skill is so crucial as it positions the proposal writer and the bid team to ask the right questions and to seek evidence on what works, what doesn't, when and where,” she said. M&E also positions proposal writers to leverage evaluative thinking in designing interventions, which ultimately helps projects succeed in leaving a genuine and lasting impact on people's lives, Ghazzaoui said. Navigating tight deadlines One of the biggest challenges in proposal writing is managing and designing a methodical, well-thought-out, and evidence-based intervention within tight deadlines, Ghazzaoui said. “Proposal writers are often under very strict deadlines and high pressure to develop a proposal that is 'donor ready,' and that complies with all requirements of the donor, while also aligning with the technical standards and policies of the submitting organization,” she said. In Ghazzaoui’s experience, from the moment a funding call is issued to the submission of a concept note or proposal, the timeline is usually quite short. This can leave both the proposal writer and the bid team to balance the design of new interventions with their existing work. “There's never enough time,” added Dejean, explaining how most USAID proposals have a 30- to 45-day timeline. The process involves a lot of revisions, too, she said, with sprint-like work periods followed by slower phases. “That can take a toll if you're not being conscious about managing your work-life balance,” she said. Leveraging AI and other digital tools Ghazzaoui draws on several tech tools that are especially helpful for the research phase of designing an intervention, including Litmaps, Connected Papers, and Semantic Scholar. She explained how these tools map out the “formal knowledge” that is published in the public realm in terms of research articles and reports. While still in their early stages, the tools are very effective at identifying the right information in a short amount of time, she said, which is highly valuable given the time constraints of this job. “I believe that most humanitarian and development actors have not yet positioned themselves well to leverage the full potential of technology in advancing the work of proposal writing,” she said. Going beyond the research phase, Ghazzaoui expects that responsibly used AI will also play a strong role in supporting proposal writers and bid teams in developing theories of change, identifying assumptions, designing log frames, and crafting indicators. Dejean also highlighted the concerns about proprietary information being used in AI tools such as ChatGPT. “I understand there's a way for an organization to have its own, separate, personal AI, but when you use something like chat GPT, the information that you feed into it informs its future outputs to anyone,” she explained, which can be an issue when it comes to confidentiality. Humanitarian and development organizations that take steps to use AI wisely, will be better prepared to deal with increasing pressure as crises worsen and funding becomes tighter, Ghazzaoui said. A changing field in the face of localization Dejean discussed the significant shift she has seen toward localization in USAID projects, emphasizing a move towards hiring local staff for implementation and business development roles, including proposal writing. “I don't know if this will be in five years or 10 years, but hopefully we'll have more local staff who are taking the lead in proposal writing,” she said, explaining how as more local organizations lead proposals, organizations such as Save the Children will take on supportive roles. Dejean also highlighted how this will call for proposal writers to demonstrate a deep understanding of local contexts and meaningful collaboration with local partners. She noted how USAID is increasingly engaging nontraditional partners, which will lead to more untraditional proposal formats like concept notes, oral presentations, and co-creation workshops. This shift requires proposal writers to adopt a more snappy, almost marketing-focused approach, crafting concise and compelling documents rather than extensive technical reports. Are you a proposal writer or a business development specialist? Make sure your Devex profile is up to date to be considered for our exclusive curated candidate lists, which earns you a “Recruiter Pick” badge. Learn more.