How to Create Your Proposal

First Things First: Include your team name and all your team members in your proposal submission. When determining your proposal title, consider your audience. Choose a name that will be attractive to voters!

Elevator Pitch

An “elevator pitch” is how you would describe your project proposal to someone in the time it takes to go up one floor in an elevator. It’s your teaser, your movie trailer, the thing that is going to make us want to learn more. It should be exciting and persuasive. Your pitch should only be about one small paragraph in length.

Summary

This section is where you’ll give a brief (one pager paper or a 1 minute or less for video) outline of your proposal, highlighting the purpose, goals, and expected impact of the initiative.

• What problem does your idea solve?
• What are the goals?
• What are the benefits?

The project summary is usually completed last.

Project Narrative

The project narrative is the meat & potatoes (or if you’re a plant-based eater, tofu & potatoes) of your proposal. This is where you’ll tell the story of the problem you are trying to solve and how your idea will help solve it. Please include the following elements:

Background Information: Provide background information about your project proposal and why it makes sense within the context of MHS and/or Melrose.

Statement of Need: Here’s where you’ll describe the problems you want to address with this project. This is where you’ll want to think beyond “it would be nice to have this because it’s good to have nice things” and make a clear, compelling case about how this project will be beneficial.

#Goals: State the goals of the project. Goals are overarching principles that guide decision-making and reflect the big picture. Although goals do not have to be measurable, well-stated goals will be attainable in principle.

• Example of a goal: “Get 8 hours of sleep every night.”
  
  #Objectives: Objectives are like goals but more specific. These should be measurable elements that mark progress toward the overall goal.
   
• Example of an objective: “Do not drink a red bull before bed.”

Sustainability: How will the project be sustained once it’s implemented? Sustainability is the ability of an organization to continue its mission or program far into the future)

Budget Requirement/Requests:

Now, we’ve made this part pretty easy for you by making $5,000 the maximum. That said, we want you to think through each element of the project and research what the cost for each item will be. You can conduct online research, or call a local supplier (for example, if your idea is to put picnic tables in public spaces in Melrose, you could call a local carpenter, or visit Home Depot’s website a store, etc.)

Use a table like this one to make an itemized budget:

(For the purposes of this exercise, we’ll use a dog parade as an example)

Dog Parade Budget

Consider Potential Pitfalls/Limitations

Get them before they get you! Think critically about your project idea and where the weaknesses lie. How will you counter those limitations?

What resources do you have available to you when you hit a wall or simply have a question?

• The internet (when in doubt, research it!)
• The library and your librarians (both at school and the Melrose Public Library)
• Local business owners
• City Hall Departments (see City Hall Directory handout for contact numbers)
• Your friends and teachers
• Family members