Business Writing Topic Proposal
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ProposalsSp19.pptxProposals
Fulfilling a need
What is a proposal?
Fulfills an organizational need
Secure funding
Solve a problem
Boost morale
Provide a service
Etc.
Two types of proposals
Solicited
Response to an RFP
Unsolicited
What we are doing
YOU identify the business need and provide the solution
Unsolicited Proposals
Must PERSUADE your audience
Convince them that a problem exists
Establish your credibility
Topics/ideas
What problem can you solve?
At Temple
In your SPO (club sport, sorority, etc.)
At your internship/job
With your volunteer organization
What need can you meet?
Research your idea
What do your fellow employees/students think?
Interview friends/coworkers
What does the competition (other SPOs, pizza shops, etc.) do?
Find statistics if possible (HR or Management majors?)
Document your data sources
Preferably non-academic
Can be popular/news sources, interviews, etc.
Who is your AUDIENCE?
Dean of Res Life?
Your SPO advisor?
Your boss?
Your coach?
Proposal = Sales document
Sell your solution to the audience
(Fluid) Parts to a Proposal
Executive Summary
Background/Challenges
Solution/Proposal
Schedule
Budget
Staffing
Implementation/evaluation
Benefits to your (maybe multiple) audience(s)
Conclusion/Next Steps
Appendices
Structure may vary; see examples in class
Executive Summary
Brief overview of your entire proposal
Length of a paragraph
Start with your plan
Explain why
Background/Challenges
Benefits
Timeline/implementation plan
Budget
Wrap up
This is the sales pitch
Background/Challenge
Convince that problem exists?
Clearly outline the problem
Where did you learn about problem?
Industry-wide info needed?
Refer to appendices
Acknowledge challenges to your audience
Solution/Proposal
Your recommendation/proposal
Schedule (with timeline)
Budget (do your research here!)
Staffing?
Implementation
Evaluation (how to measure your proposal’s impact)
Timeline/implementation plan
Explain, but also make visual:
Timeline in a table:
Timeline in a Gantt Chart
Timeline in a diagram
In Microsoft Word, click Insert > SmartArt > Process
Here’s an example using the “Basic Timeline” layout:
Benefits
To your audience (Dean of Res Life; SPO advisor; boss; etc.)
To multiple audiences?
Temple student community?
Temple university’s reputation?
Increase in enrollment?
Members of your SPO?
Etc.
Proposal Conclusion
Restate your sales pitch
Next steps!
Invite questions
Proposal Appendices
Supporting documents
Copies of articles
Tables, charts, graphs
Images
Etc.
Formatting and tips
MUST use brevity tools
Section headers, bold, bullets, etc.
Document must be attractive
Write fast, revise later
Let sections sit for a day (or at least a few hours)
Structure may vary; see examples in class.
