Chapter 12, The Final Touches

The deadline is looming and the writer is tired but there is still more to do before the proposal can be submitted. Working with faculty and students in AAH I always stress the importance of trying to have the document ready for submission three to five days prior to the deadline. That gives the writer and our office time to make last minute revisions and changes prior to submission. It also allows a fresh set of eyes to review the document and offer suggestions. A few weeks ago I worked with a faculty member and graduate student on a proposal that we actually submitted three minutes past the deadline. Frankly, the proposal presentation reflected a last minute, rushed proposal. When a reviewer sits down to read proposals they have a stack of proposals to read and is probably tired before they even start to read. My guess is that particular proposal was probably never read from start to finish. This is so important to allot time to put the finishing touches on your proposal. It is a shame to put time and effort into a proposal that is not even read.

The writer should not wait until the last minute to try to obtain letters of support, subawards, bios, and contract documentation. These are all items that tend to be forgotten about until the last minute. They are also all items that take a considerable amount of time to obtain. These contacts should be made at the beginning of the proposal process.

Revise the proposal one last time. The writer is probably tired of looking at the document and it may be a good idea to have someone not associated with the project to review it. If writing a proposal for an institution contact a grants coordinator or someone in the administrative office to acquire a checklist to make sure nothing has been left off. Review the sponsor’s guidelines again to make sure the package has everything that is required.