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Writing for a Good Cause: The Complete Guide to Crafting Proposals and Other Persuasive Pieces for Nonprofits
Filled with tips and survival skills from writers and fund-raising officers at nonprofits of all sizes, Writing for a Good Cause is the first book to explain how to use words well to win your cause the money it needs. Whether you work for a storefront social action agency or a leading university, the authors' knowledgeable, practical advice will help
Write the perfect proposal—from the initial research and interviews to the final product
Draft, revise, and polish a "beguiling, exciting, can't-put-it-down and surely can't-turn-it-down" request for funds
Create case statements and other big money materials—also write, design, and print newsletters, and use the World Wide Web effectively
Survive last-minute proposals and other crises—with the Down-and-Dirty Proposal Kit!
Writing for a Good Cause provides everything fund raisers, volunteers, staff writers, freelancers, and program directors need to know to win funds from individual, foundation, and corporate donors.
Write the perfect proposal—from the initial research and interviews to the final product
Draft, revise, and polish a "beguiling, exciting, can't-put-it-down and surely can't-turn-it-down" request for funds
Create case statements and other big money materials—also write, design, and print newsletters, and use the World Wide Web effectively
Survive last-minute proposals and other crises—with the Down-and-Dirty Proposal Kit!
Writing for a Good Cause provides everything fund raisers, volunteers, staff writers, freelancers, and program directors need to know to win funds from individual, foundation, and corporate donors.
- GenresWritingNonfiction
332 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
12 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 28, 2019
More than anything, Writing was an encouraging read, a cheerleader for writers. Stashed between the helpful tips and checklists were uplifting comments telling me I am up to the task. I found that refreshing since so many of these kinds of books just say “You’re doing everything wrong! Implement my advice or you’re doomed!” Writing came across as more of a friendly reminder.
The biggest concrete step the book advises is to make time to write. Place the seat of your pants against the seat of your chair and put black on white. That’s advice I’ve been hearing more of lately; probably confirmation bias because I know I need to do it. Writing is the number one thing that makes you better at writing.
The book allows for a lot of flexibility in what makes a “good” donor proposal. There are a lot of handy guides to refer to, especially late in the book when the authors cover many other items - brochures, newsletters, etc. - as things which create the correct climate for proposals.
The biggest concrete step the book advises is to make time to write. Place the seat of your pants against the seat of your chair and put black on white. That’s advice I’ve been hearing more of lately; probably confirmation bias because I know I need to do it. Writing is the number one thing that makes you better at writing.
The book allows for a lot of flexibility in what makes a “good” donor proposal. There are a lot of handy guides to refer to, especially late in the book when the authors cover many other items - brochures, newsletters, etc. - as things which create the correct climate for proposals.
July 28, 2023
Reading this in 2023, it’s outdated when it comes to how proposals and other development collateral are developed and delivered.
BUT the core principles will never go out of date, and this books had a ton of great information on how to create compelling fundraising materials. I learned new things and was reminded of a ton of good tried and true best practices.
BUT the core principles will never go out of date, and this books had a ton of great information on how to create compelling fundraising materials. I learned new things and was reminded of a ton of good tried and true best practices.
September 26, 2013
A little outdated (especially in terms of the internet) but I really liked how they explored the actual development field and didn't just discuss grants. One of the more informative books I've come across so far, and that includes my textbooks in a related class!
April 28, 2019
I read this book for my English class and found it really helpful! It contains excellent advice for writing grants and case statements. For example, instead of warning readers that the donors will notice any errors, the author jokes, "If you wrote it at breakfast, they will know the kind of Danish pastry you ate." The only part I didn't like was the lack of information about websites. This book was written during the Internet's early days, so it contains zero information about social media. Even though it might not be super-helpful to modern grant writers, I would still recommend this book to anyone working for a nonprofit.
December 9, 2020
While it's now somewhat outdated, much of the information is solid, as is the helpful and encouraging tone. Well-structured, with great breakdowns of all the standard parts of grant proposal writing, including a useful glossary of printing terms at the back. Lots of useful sources. And gosh it's well written!
March 27, 2019
The beginning 2 parts were much more helpful than the last few. I think when this was first written it was probably more relevant for writing grants. Definitely good for those who need help going after foundation grants rather than federal.
August 26, 2018
Clear and concise tips and guidelines in easy to understand language and easily approachable sections. Great resource.
July 12, 2014
Read ~55% of this book (rapidly, while preparing for my qualification exam), focusing on the parts related to proposal writing (e.g., grant-writing for science), skipping the parts more focused on development offices of nonprofits.
Found it helpful, and informative. Good for "setting the mood" of this type of writing. Particularly inspiring in the philosophy of grant-writing, that the writing effort is a noble cause that helps donors feel good about donating their money to good causes. Also helpful practical advise for putting together the writing.
As they say, the book is more about the writing effort, than about the proposal-development effort. It's not about the process of coming up with programs and ideas to present in your proposal, it's about how to collect and write that up.
In truth, this book doesn't go into too much depth on how to write well, either. It sort of sits in the middle ground between content-development, and how to write well, addressing neither of those in much depth, but instead serving the question of "how should I approach writing for grant proposals and the like?" To that end it's effective, but it probably cannot be your only guide to writing grant proposals or other proposals.
I did really enjoy the chapter on persuasive writing, and many tips and tricks for the profession of writing dispersed throughout the book. Worth my (selective) time to read the chapters I found most relevant for me.
Found it helpful, and informative. Good for "setting the mood" of this type of writing. Particularly inspiring in the philosophy of grant-writing, that the writing effort is a noble cause that helps donors feel good about donating their money to good causes. Also helpful practical advise for putting together the writing.
As they say, the book is more about the writing effort, than about the proposal-development effort. It's not about the process of coming up with programs and ideas to present in your proposal, it's about how to collect and write that up.
In truth, this book doesn't go into too much depth on how to write well, either. It sort of sits in the middle ground between content-development, and how to write well, addressing neither of those in much depth, but instead serving the question of "how should I approach writing for grant proposals and the like?" To that end it's effective, but it probably cannot be your only guide to writing grant proposals or other proposals.
I did really enjoy the chapter on persuasive writing, and many tips and tricks for the profession of writing dispersed throughout the book. Worth my (selective) time to read the chapters I found most relevant for me.
August 29, 2014
Here is a practical and charming guide to writing solidly effective grants...and any other sort of business proposal. This is a smart, canny, and thorough resource for organizing, crafting, and polishing persuasive proposal/request writing.
If you write anything at work, you'll be happy to have this volume in your reference library. I highly recommend it.
If you write anything at work, you'll be happy to have this volume in your reference library. I highly recommend it.
November 16, 2011
Although this book isn't up to date with using the internet and emails when they talk about sending out proposals and letters of inquiry, the basic information and guidance here is all good stuff. This will be a permanent reference guide for me.
March 11, 2010
One of my favorite books about using your writing skils to make a difference. I read it a few years ago, and I'm on the lookout for newer books on the same topic.
April 23, 2014
A good introduction to writing for non-profits. A little dated when it came to digital technologies but an enjoyable read with some great tips. Especially useful for beginner fundraisers.
May 1, 2015
Lots of great information and valuable insight. Must-read for anyone working in development, fundraising, or grant writing.
September 8, 2016
This is one of the most practical fundraising guidebooks that I have read.
February 17, 2016
i really tried kevin
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November 14, 2016Didn't finish it but it was a little outdated anyway.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews