Project Design and Winning Proposals
Transform community needs into fundable projects and write compelling proposals that secure donor support. Online certificate course.
Self-Study Certificate Course
Start: Immediate Access
Time: Typically 20-30 hours to complete
Transform Problems into Fundable Projects
In humanitarian and development work, even the best project ideas struggle to secure funding. This isn't because there's anything wrong with the concept—but because they're often poorly designed or poorly communicated to donors. When project design and proposal writing are weak, organizations face:
- Rejected funding applications despite addressing critical community needs
- Wasted time on proposals that never make it past initial review
- Missed opportunities to serve communities while waiting for funding
- Projects that never launch or fail to create meaningful change
This practical training equips you with systematic approaches to design projects that deliver results for your beneficiaries and write proposals that resonate with donors. Through effective project design and proposal writing, you can:
- Transform community needs into fundable project designs
- Align your proposals with donor priorities
- Communicate complex concepts clearly and persuasively
- Increase proposal success rates
How You'll Learn
This self-paced course combines video lessons, practical exercises, and assessments:
- Video presentations with downloadable transcripts and handouts
- Practical templates and tasks for immediate application
- Reflection exercises to adapt concepts to your context
- End-of-module knowledge checks
- Certificate upon completion
Course developed and presented by Neil Kendrick, founder of ELD Impact, with 25+ years of experience training humanitarian professionals across 20+ countries
Program Overview
Click any module to see content
- Getting Started
- Pre-Course Self-Assessment: Rate Your Current Skills
- Resources
- What is Professional Writing?
- Why Do So Many People Get It Wrong?
- Writing Tells Others Who We Are
- The Writing Process
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Resources
- Why Do Proposals Fail? And How to Get It Right?
- The Logical Framework Approach: Introduction & Overview
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Resources
- Measuring Clarity: The Fog Index
- Tools and Exercises for Improving Clarity Part 1
- Tools and Exercises for Improving Clarity Part 2
- Tools and Exercises for Improving Clarity Part 3
- Solutions to Tasks & Exercises
- Professional Writing: Recap
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Resources
- Context Analysis & Data Collection
- Problem Tree Analysis
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Resources
- Deductive vs. Inductive Approaches
- Organizing Main Points Effectively
- Writing Paragraphs that Persuade
- Topic Sentence Exercises
- Extended Exercise
- Solutions to Tasks & Exercises
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Resources
- Stakeholder Analysis
- Setting Objectives
- Project Strategy
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Resources
- Keeping Your Reader's Interest
- Tools for Improving Style
- How to Edit Like a Pro (& Extended Exercise)
- Professional Writing: Recap
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Resources
- Overview of the Steps
- Building & Testing the Results Chain
- Preconditions & Assumptions
- Indicators & Means of Verification
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Resources
- The Writing Process Revisited
- Mind Mapping
- Planning the Proposal
- Drafting the Proposal
- Editing, Proofreading & Presentation
- Course Review
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- The Steps of Project Planning and Proposal Writing
- Self-Assessment: Project Design and Proposal Writing
- Action Planning for Project Design and Proposal Writing
- Course Discussion Forum
- Your Next Steps
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