Cohort 4

In this masterclass, learn the fundamentals of proposal development from capture to submission.

Jordann El Dorry

Sarah Steller

Kristen Hamaoui

Deborah Aker

Mastering Business Development

You will learn how to craft persuasive and compelling proposals through expert-guided instruction, hands-on exercises, and group discussions.&nbsp;We'll provide a comprehensive overview of the USAID proposal process through discussion of the planning and budgeting process, pre-positioning, strategy development, pricing to win, and best practices for proposal management.&nbsp;

Maximize your proposal’s competitiveness & build key competencies

New Partners who want to break into the USAID market

Development professionals that are new to the proposal process

Business development teams that want to improve their win rates and increase competitiveness

Who is this course for

Key outcomes

Understand what goes into a typical USAID proposal and the fundamentals of proposal preparation

Understand the proposal process from A to Z

Learn what governs USAID proposals and how to avoid common pitfalls

Become familiar with the core regulations and requirements

You'll learn writing fundamentals like outlining, and what makes a competitive and compelling proposal from real experts with decades of experience

Learn best practices for writing proposals

You'll learn what it takes to successfully manage a USAID proposal and will be equipped with tools and resources to help

Understand how to manage proposals

Understand what evaluators look for in a cost proposal, how to make your proposal competitive, and the do's and don'ts of proposal budgeting

Learn how to build competitive cost proposals

In this module we'll cover the basics of the USG procurement cycle and types of awards. We'll also discuss best practices for proposal capture and pre-positioning, as well as the anatomy of a proposal team.

Intro to USAID Procurement and Capture

Participants will learn best practices when reading an RFP, NOFO, or RFA, This module will also address how proposal teams can ensure compliance and responsiveness to solicitations.

Reading and Analyzing a Solicitation and Responsiveness

We'll dive into the nuts and bolts of what makes up a typical technical volume. By the end of this module participants will be able to read an RFP or NOFO and understand what are standard sections versus what are unique requirements.

Anatomy of a Technical Volume

In this session participants will learn the foundations of effective proposal management. We'll discuss some critical tools for managing proposal teams, decision-making, and troubleshooting the common pitfalls we see along the way. Participants will also learn how to maximize proposal color reviews to set the team up for success.

Fundamentals of Proposal Management

Participants will be immersed in the foundational skill of outlining - why we do it, when we do it, and how to construct general and detailed outlines. We'll also cover how to use the outline as a management tool.

Outlining

In this fun and informative module, participants will learn the secrets of compelling writing and how to rid proposals of fluff.

Persuasive Writing

We'll dive into the budget/cost proposal and talk about the big picture. What makes a competitive cost proposal? How can you expect to be evaluated? How do you develop a cost strategy?

Competitive Analysis for Budget/Cost Proposals

Here we'll go over the pieces that comprise a typical cost volume, with a deep dive in the budget narrative.

Anatomy of a Cost Volume

Course syllabus

Meet your instructors

We'll meet live for 90 minutes over Zoom twice a week, from October 5-October 31.

Tuesdays & Thursdays

You'll have short homework assignments to complete outside of class. Team up with your peers to reap the full benefits!

Weekly projects

Course schedule

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This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects

Active learning, not passive watching

You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams

Interactive and project-based

Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you

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About this course

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