Written for college students or professionals seeking a reference, Writing Proposals offers a comprehensive, strategic approach to proposal development for the technical professions. The author takes readers step-by-step through the development process, helping them invent ideas, organize materials, write in plain and persuasive styles, and create an effective visual design. Writing Proposals provides students with additional material frequently not found in other texts on writing proposals, including a full chapter on creating budgets and thorough coverage of using the Internet.

Table of Contents:
Preface    Chapter One: Introduction to Proposals and Grants    Why Do We Write Proposals?    Rhetoric    The Proposal Genre    The Proposal Writing Process    Writing Grant Proposals    Case Study: The Cool Campus Project    Chapter Two: Identifying Problems and Opportunities    Two Basic Reasons for Writing Proposals    Unsolicited and Solicited Proposals    Reading RFPs Determining the Status, or Stasis, of an Opportunity    A Description of the RFP Interpretation Process    Defining the Problem or Opportunity    Applying Stasis Questions    Case Study: What Is The Problem?    Chapter Three: Strategic Planning for Proposals and Grants    Elements of Strategic Planning    Setting Objectives    The Rhetorical Situation The Situation at Overture Designs    Focusing a Writing Team      Case Study: Defining the Rhetorical Situation    Chapter Four: Describing the Current Situation    Why Describe the Current Situation?    Guidelines for Drafting the Current Situation Section    Researching the Current Situation    Mapping in Teams    Writing the Current Situation Section    Lisa Miller’s Current Situation Section    Special Case: Research Grants and Literature Reviews    Case Study: Describing the Current Situation at Durango University    Chapter Five: Developing a Project Plan    The Importance of the Project Plan Section    Setting Objectives for the Project    Setting Goals for the Overture Designs Project    Answering the How Question    Mapping a Project Plan for the Overture Proposal    Organizing the Project Plan Section    Answering the Why Questions    Writing the Project Plan Section    Developing a Project Timeline A Comment on Research Methodologies    Case Study: Planning the Charrette    Chapter Six: Describing Qualifications    The Importance of Trust    Types of Qualifications Sections    What Makes You Different Makes You Attractive    Developing the Content of the Qualifications Section    Writing the Qualifications Section    Creating a Persona    To Boilerplate or Not to Boilerplate    Case Study: Who Is Qualified for the Work?    Chapter Seven: Introductions, Costs, and Benefits    Framing the Body of the Proposal    Setting the Stage: The Purpose of an Introduction    Developing the Introduction    Writing the Introduction    The Introduction to the Overture Designs Proposal    Costs and Benefits: Concluding the Proposal    Writing the Conclusion    Concluding the Overture Designs Proposal    Case Study: Beginnings and Endings    Chapter Eight: Developing Budgets    Budgets: The Bottom Line    Budget Basics    Budgeting in Teams    Developing a Budget    Writing the Budget Rationale or Budget Section    The Budget for the Overture Designs Proposal    Case Study: Money Issues    Chapter Nine: Writing With Style    Good Style Is a Choice, Not an Accident    What Is Style?    Writing Plain Sentences    Writing Plain Paragraphs    Persuasive Style    Case Study: Revising for Clarity and Power    Chapter Ten: Designing Proposals    “How You Say Something…”    How Readers Look at Proposals    Four Principles of Design    The Process of Designing a Proposal    Case Study: Creating a Look    Chapter Eleven: Using Graphics    The Need for Graphics    Guidelines for Using Graphics    Using Graphics to Display Information and Data    Case Study: Inventing Visuals    Chapter Twelve: The Final Touches    Seeing the Proposal as a Whole Document    Inventing Front Matter    Inventing Back Matter    Revising the Proposal or Grant   Case Study: Revising and Polishing    Example Proposal: “The Cool Campus Project at Durango University: A Grant to the Tempest Foundation”    Example Proposal: “Managing Office Growth: A Proposal to Earl Grey Design from Insight Systems”    References    Index