Six Steps to Writing a Proposal Cover Page

Chris Daniels reports:

"Whether for business, research or philanthropy, a proposal is your case for securing resources and permission to pursue a project. The cover letter to your proposal is the first chance to make a favorable impression. As opposed to the executive summary of your project, a good cover letter explains how the organization will benefit from your proposal...Address the cover letter to the person who will be evaluating the proposal. If you do not know, opt for a more personable salutation such as 'Dear Reader' rather than the impersonal 'To Whom It May Concern.'...Introduce the project you are proposing and the amount of funding [you] are requesting in the first sentence...Describe how your project will further the goals of the organization. For a philanthropic organization, this will be its charitable mission. For research, this will be the overall benefit to scientific, medical or technical knowledge. For your business, this will be profits and opportunities gained...Reference any prior contact or interaction you have had with the evaluator of the proposal...List the contents of your proposal without going into depth about the specific contents; this is best left for the executive summary...Provide contact details for the proposal leader in case the evaluator has any further questions. Also, the cover letter should be signed by hand by the project leader."