The Importance of Monitoring
For almost every project proposal nowadays you need to prepare a monitoring framework. This presents how you will monitor implementation for success. Very often this is seen as an exercise that is important for the donor. Something that should be done as simply as...
Keeping Up the Good Work In A Crisis
I see many not-for-profits being uncertain about their future now, as their activities are being canceled one by one. How can you keep on core staff, if project activities cannot be implemented? Do donors approve of covering such costs even though you cannot deliver...
Working Remote
As COVID-19 is spreading more and more widely and seems to have reached all corners of the world now, an increasing number of countries are in lock-down or in some kind of self-quarantine. Workplaces are deserted, of government institutions, companies and...
The Relevance of Your Idea
Many project proposal templates include a section that refers to the relevance of your idea. What do they mean by that? In my view, there are three aspects to relevance that you should keep in mind when designing a project. Relevance to the context First of all, you...
Validate your Project Idea
Most not-for-profits never lack ideas of things they could do if they had a little bit of money (or a lot). But if a call for proposals comes by it sometimes becomes clear that not all ideas are workable. Not all ideas are a full project. Some ideas might have gotten...
What to Do with a Call for Proposals
I know no not-for-profit that is not excited when they see a call for proposals. After all, a call to send in a proposal is a chance of contributing to your organization’s objectives. It is a possibility for receiving money that can help you work on your mission. An...
Report of the Board
Your annual accounts report is not complete without a report of the board. The annual accounts report must contain more than just numbers or short explanations of these numbers as you share in the notes. It needs to include a narrative that provides more insight and...
Reserves and Funds
The balance sheet of your annual accounts report includes a section called ‘reserves & funds’, if you have any organizational capital at all (negative or positive). For continuity of the organization it is needed to have reserves, even though as not-for-profit it...
How to Handle Tangible Fixed Assets?
If you buy equipment that costs more than a certain amount, this equipment becomes a so-called tangible fixed asset on the balance sheet of your annual accounts report. Maybe you wonder what that means and why it might be important? Equipment on your balance sheet The...
Exchange Rates
Managing exchange rates can be a big challenge when receiving a grant in a foreign currency. This starts from before the grant is approved, already when you are budgeting for your proposal. At that time, you are ‘translating’ your local currency prices into the...