Switch course ▾
Session 4. Partners, In-kind Support and the Three-Page Proposal
Objective. Map partners and agree what each gives and gets, record in-kind support honestly, and write and test a concise three-page proposal that follows a funder's format.
Many applications fail not because the project is weak but because the reader gets lost. Partners add strength, yet they also add expectations, so roles must be clear. A short proposal that is well organised, consistent and written in plain words can beat a long one that tries to say everything. This session helps you choose partners with open eyes, record in-kind support honestly, and write three pages that a tired reviewer can follow in five minutes.
Key ideas
Partners add what a school cannot add alone
- Possible partners: the parent committee, the mahalla, a local business, a university or college, a non-governmental organisation, another school, the district education department. Each brings something different: people, space, skills, goods, trust or official approval.
- Make a stakeholder map: for each partner write what they bring, what they want in return, and what could go wrong. A partner that gains nothing will drift away; a partner who gains too much may start to steer the project.
- Agree roles in writing. A one-page letter of agreement or support states who does what, by when, and what each side receives. Funders often ask for such letters.
In-kind support: count it, thank for it, set limits
- Goods, time and space given instead of money are in-kind support. Keep a simple log: date, what was given, who gave it, estimated value and how you estimated it. This lets you show it to the funder and thank the giver by name, if they agree.
- Set limits before you accept. A gift is acceptable if it serves the pupils' plan, comes without hidden conditions, and does not put the giver in a position to influence grades, admissions or school decisions. Ask the head and the education department if unsure.
- Business partners often want visibility. A thank-you line on a poster is usually fine; a company name on pupils' uniforms or a promise of favours is not.
The three-page proposal: what goes where
- Follow the funder's format first. If there is none, use three pages. Page 1: title, one-paragraph summary (what, for whom, how much, how long) and the needs statement. Page 2: goal, objectives, main activities, partners, results table with indicators and a simple timeline.
- Page 3: budget table with justifications, in-kind contribution, three main risks, sustainability plan, and a short 'about us' with contact. Put long proofs, letters and photos in annexes only if allowed, and never put required content only in an annex.
- The CDC's grant tips and the US Office of Justice Programs' guide say the same things in their own context: follow the instructions, organise clearly, and remember that reviewers judge only what is on the page.
Write for a tired reviewer, then test
- Use short sentences, headings, numbers and plain words. Define each abbreviation once. Answer the exact question asked, in the order asked. Make figures agree on every page: the same total, the same number of pupils.
- Funders reject many applications because the story is hard to follow, a required part is missing, or the page limit is ignored. Candid accounts of weakness plus a realistic plan are better than glowing claims.
- Test it: give the draft to one colleague and one non-expert, such as a parent. Ask them to score need, plan, budget and clarity from 1 to 4 and to say, in their own words, what the project will do. If they cannot, rewrite.
From idea to a tested draft
Partners: roles, limits and endings
A stakeholder map has a second use: it shows how much contact each partner needs. Some should be informed (a short monthly message), some consulted (asked before a decision), some involved (sitting with you when the plan is made). A parent committee that is only informed will often feel used; a busy company that is involved in every detail will often leave.
Agree three things in writing: what each side gives, what each side receives, and how the partnership can end without anger. A one-page letter with dates and names is enough. Add one sentence on how you will thank partners publicly, and one on what you will never accept, such as favours for admissions or marks.
Writing so that a reviewer can score you
Reviewers often have a score sheet with the funder's criteria. Make their job easy: use the funder's headings in the funder's order, put the answer first and the detail after it, and keep one idea per paragraph. State each number once and in the same form everywhere. A table for the results and one for the budget carry more information than a page of prose.
If the proposal must be read in another language, do not rely on a literal or machine translation. Ask a bilingual colleague to read the final version aloud and mark any sentence that sounds strange. Finally, give the draft to a non-expert and ask: 'Tell me what this project will do, in your own words.' If the retelling is wrong, the text, not the reader, needs work.
Examples from the classroom
The mahalla that wanted to be asked
Scene. A Samarkand school invites the mahalla committee to help with a weekend reading corner. At first the committee only receives a notice. Dilnoza then visits and asks what they could offer: a room, four volunteers on Saturdays, and a list of children who do not come to school libraries. The written note lists these gifts, the dates, and the school's promise to share results each term.
Insight. Asking before telling turns a notified neighbour into a partner, and a written note keeps the partnership steady when people change.
What does 'levelled books' mean?
Scene. Malika gives her Grade 4 draft to a parent, who reads it twice and asks, 'What are levelled books, and why not just give children any book?' Malika adds one sentence defining them: books grouped by difficulty so that a pupil can read most of the words alone. She also removes two abbreviations the parent could not decode.
Insight. A non-expert finds the words a reviewer will also stumble on. Define a term once or avoid it.
Three totals, one project
Scene. Jasur's draft says 96 pupils on page 1, 90 on page 2 and 100 in the budget. A colleague notices while scoring. The school counts again, finds 96 on the register, and adds a line: 'Four pupils joined in October.' All three pages now agree, and the budget table uses the same figure for the cost per pupil.
Insight. Numbers that disagree make a careful project look careless. One owner should check every figure on the final read.
Common pitfalls
- Listing partners in the proposal who have not agreed in writing.
- Accepting a gift from a partner with a hidden condition about pupils.
- Packing every idea into the text instead of choosing the main ones.
- Putting required information only in an annex, or ignoring the page limit.
Assemble and Score a Three-Page Proposal
- Open the Activity Kit: the SAMPLE project pack from sessions 1 to 3, a three-page template with word limits, a stakeholder map grid and a reviewer scoring sheet. (5 min)
- Trios (10 min): fill the stakeholder map for the sample project. For each partner write what they bring, what they want, what could go wrong. Mark one partner you would NOT accept money or goods from without a condition changed.
- Trios (25 min): split the work. One person writes page 1 (summary and need, 250 words), one writes page 2 (goal, objectives, results table, 300 words), one writes page 3 (budget table, risks, sustainability, 250 words). Use only facts in the pack.
- Swap with another trio (15 min): score the other proposal with the sheet, from 1 to 4 on need, plan, budget, clarity and consistency of numbers. Write one sentence of praise and one change that would raise the lowest score.
- Part B, Letter of support (15 min): in pairs draft a six-line letter from a partner (a local business or the parent committee) saying what it gives, since when, for how long and what it asks in return. Check against the limits card.
- Alone (5 min): write your leadership task from the Kit.
Your facilitator will guide you through this activity in the session.
Questions to discuss
- Which partner brought the most and wanted the most? Is that a good deal for the pupils?
- Which page was hardest to write from facts alone, and what does that say about the evidence you have?
- What did the score sheet reveal that you did not see while writing?
Reflect
- Which gift or offer has your school accepted that you would now handle differently?
- Who in your community could read your draft as a non-expert and tell you the truth?
- What would you cut from your last report or plan if you had to say it in three pages?
Try it tomorrow
- Draw a stakeholder map for one planned project and mark each partner as informed, consulted or involved.
- Write the 60-word summary paragraph for your project, and read it to a non-expert.
- Check your last report for the same figure written in two different ways.
Further reading and links
Choose partners for what they bring and the limits you set, then write three clear pages and test them on someone who does not know the project.