The more eyes the better: Proposal editing tip

When you're editing your proposal draft, always try to have at least two people other than yourself read through it. One of these people should be from your organization or program, so that they can help you ensure that you've included all the most important and persuasive aspects of what you do, that your information is accurately stated, and that the objectives are truly realistic and measurable.

That makes plenty of sense, and you probably already do that. I hope so anyhow.

But you should also have at least one person read your proposal who is not part of your organization or program. It can be anyone, a spouse, friend, whoever. Make sure that it is someone who will ask you questions and who is not afraid to admit that he or she doesn't know something.

That fearlessness is especially important in your non-program proofreader, because you want them to help you get rid of jargon in your document. The purpose of jargon specific to particular professions or programs is often to make those who understand it feel "in the know." The flipside of the coin is that it makes those who don't know the jargon feel like they are not as informed or as smart. If you're asking someone for money, you don't want to make them feel dumb, do you? You wouldn't want to give to someone who condescended to you, would you?

Your non-program proofreader will help you eliminate any offputting jargon in your document, make sure that even someone unfamiliar with your organization can understand clearly the benefits of your services, and let you know whether the proposal is too dense or boring to read.

The result is not a dumbed down proposal, but one that is engaging and makes your point clearly and persuasively to people outside of your organization who don't automatically know how awesome your programs already are.