Mastering Business Development

4.3 (32)

·

4 Weeks

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Cohort-based Course

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

Course overview

Maximize your proposal’s competitiveness & build key competencies

You will learn how to craft persuasive and compelling proposals through expert-guided instruction, hands-on exercises, and group discussions. 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. 

Who is this course for

01

New Partners who want to break into the USAID market

02

Development professionals that are new to the proposal process

03

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

Key outcomes

Understand the proposal process from A to Z

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

Become familiar with the core regulations and requirements

Learn what governs USAID proposals and how to avoid common pitfalls

Learn best practices for writing proposals

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

Understand how to manage proposals

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

Learn how to build competitive cost 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

This course includes

Interactive live sessions

Lifetime access to course materials

16 in-depth lessons

Direct access to instructor

2 projects to apply learnings

Guided feedback & reflection

Private community of peers

Course certificate upon completion

Maven Satisfaction Guarantee

This course is backed by Maven’s guarantee. You can receive a full refund within 14 days after the course ends, provided you meet the completion criteria in our refund policy.

Course syllabus

Week 1

Oct 2—Oct 5

    Session 1: Intro to USG Procurement and Capture

    4 items

Week 2

Oct 6—Oct 12

    Session 2: Reading and Analyzing a Solicitation and Responsiveness

    3 items

    Session 3: Anatomy of a Technical Volume

    1 item

Week 3

Oct 13—Oct 19

    Session 4: Outlining

    2 items

    Session 4: Fundamentals of Proposal Management

    2 items

Week 4

Oct 20—Oct 26

    Session 6: Persuasive Writing

    6 items

Week 5

Oct 27—Oct 28
    Nothing scheduled for this week

4.3 (32 ratings)

What students are saying

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Join an upcoming cohort

Mastering Business Development

Cohort 14 - Fall 2025

$2,000

Dates

Oct 2—28, 2025

Payment Deadline

Oct 1, 2025

Meet your instructors

Jordann El Dorry

Jordann El Dorry

Prior to joining Keylime, Jordann was a successful business development director at Chemonics International, USAID's largest implementing partner by volume. During her 11 years at the company she consistently exceeded corporate win rate and sales targets, bringing in more than $600 million in USAID work. She is excited to share some of the tools and strategies she employs to make proposal development a little less painful and a lot more fun!

Sarah Steller

Sarah Steller

Sarah has more than 12 years of experience in business development and project management for both international and U.S.-based programs. She has managed business development teams at some of USAID's top implementing partners and is an expert in proposal writing, proposal management, and recruitment.

Kristen Hamaoui

Kristen Hamaoui

Kristen leads Keylime Academy's Cost & Pricing curriculum. She is a seasoned project implementation, business development, and program management specialist with more than 15 years of experience managing and implementing USAID-funded programs. As a cost and pricing expert, Kristen provides pricing advisory expertise to clients within the USAID market, as well as those looking to enter the USAID market or increase their USAID portfolios. Previously as a manager in Chemonics International's Cost and Pricing Department, Kristen provided formal cost proposal preparation trainings, mentored staff members, and provided pricing strategy and analysis to proposal teams and senior leadership.

Deborah Aker

Deborah Aker

Deborah has edited around 400 proposals—most to USAID—since 2008. She developed and co-facilitates sessions on persuasive writing for Keylime. She draws on her experience, good and bad examples from proposals, and the insights of communication professionals to help participants unlearn the complex and often over-the-top writing that earned high marks in school. We’ll brainstorm to improve sample text, critique proposal graphics, and share pain points as we seek ways to keep our writing compelling and readable.

A pattern of wavy dots

Join an upcoming cohort

Mastering Business Development

Cohort 14 - Fall 2025

$2,000

Dates

Oct 2—28, 2025

Payment Deadline

Oct 1, 2025

Course schedule

4-6 hours per week

  • Tuesdays & Thursdays

    9:00 AM - 10:30 AM EST

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

  • Weekly projects

    2 hours per week

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

A pattern of wavy dots

Join an upcoming cohort

Mastering Business Development

Cohort 14 - Fall 2025

$2,000

Dates

Oct 2—28, 2025

Payment Deadline

Oct 1, 2025

Learning is better with cohorts

Learning is better with cohorts

Active learning, not passive watching

This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects

Interactive and project-based

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

Learn with a cohort of peers

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

Frequently Asked Questions

A pattern of wavy dots

Join an upcoming cohort

Mastering Business Development

Cohort 14 - Fall 2025

$2,000

Dates

Oct 2—28, 2025

Payment Deadline

Oct 1, 2025

$2,000

4.3 (32)

·

4 Weeks