Writing a funding bid: an act of persuasion

It is easy to treat writing funding bids as a task – something to tick off your list, to get done. But don’t forget, your bid is a form of communication and one that is seeking to persuade.

One of the classic models of persuasion directs you to appeal to the head, heart and hands so make sure you cover all three aspects in your bid:

• The head – this relates to the logical flow of your proposal. Does it make sense? Will your activities lead to the changes you claim? Do your numbers add up? Is the unit cost reasonable?
• The heart – this is where you need to get across the importance of your cause. Make sure you convey the experience of your users with examples and case studies.
• The hands – this is the call for action. What do you want the funder to do? You would not believe how many times this is not clear so make sure the ask is upfront and explicit. For example, please give us £X to do Y to make Z happen.

You never really know who is going to read your bid or have the final say on whether or not it is successful. I tend to get won over when the logic stacks up, but someone else will remember the story – and all the angles are important and valid. The added benefit of covering all three approaches means at least one should appeal, no matter which decision-maker it reaches and whatever their preferences for being persuaded might be.