Proposed Training Program (14, 2, 2005)

WTO Education Council

Coordinated by

George Washington University and the University of Hawaii

Accessing Development Assistance Funding for Tourism Projects

Training Module Outline

Unit 1 - Process

In this unit, participants will be provided an overview of the process for accessing funding and  the essentials to successful fundraising including:

• Tourism’s Potential - Sustainable Development, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
• DANTEI – How to use the Development Assistance Network for Tourism Enhancement and Investment

Assignment: Identify a project concept and relate to the MDGs.

Unit 2 - Funding Sources

In this unit, participants will look at the sources of funding and the nature of the funding in each category including:

• Individuals - philanthropists
• Donor Agencies – bilateral, multilateral
• Corporations –Corporate Social Responsibility (CSRs)
• Associations/Foundations – regional, national, international
• Governments – local/provincial/national

Assignment: Identify funding sources, which may be interested in funding the project concept.

Unit 3 - Access Strategies

 In this unit, participants will examine the protocol for proposal submission, including:

• Cycles – A crucial part to funding is to know when to submit a proposal
• Rules – Many times specific rules are set for who, what, when, why, where and how and if broken the proposal is automatically denied
• Method – The rules typically dictate the method for submission

Assignment: Examine the specific Rules, Cycle and Method to access the target funding source

Unit 4 - Project Analysis

In this unit, participants will learn tools to help analyze a project to determine its feasibility including:

• SWOT Analysis – Identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
• Market Research – Identify the project beneficiaries.
• Gap Analysis – How is the project going to fill an unmet need

Assignment: Conduct a SWOT Analysis, Gap Analysis and Preliminary Market Research for the project

Unit 5 - Writing the Proposal

In this unit, participants will discuss the essentials of effective proposal writing including:

• Style – What style is best for proposal writing
• Audience – Indication of who the proposal is directed toward
• Executive Summary – Importance of clear concise summary
• Technical Writing – Grammar and structure are important

Assignment: Write the Executive Summary as if it was the entire proposal in summary form 

Unit 6 - Writing Workshop

In this unit, participants will focus on creating a winning proposal including:

• Templates/Tool Kits – Creation and use of templates and tool kits to streamline the proposal writing process (PERT Charts, graphic aids, etc.)
• Budgeting – Cost estimation and justification, cost sharing, overhead rates and other financial requirements
• Performance Measurement – Determining critical success indicators, evaluation processes and monitoring systems
• Examples of Winning Proposals - Emphasis on what it takes to win multi-later and bilateral awards, focusing on: MIF, IDB, IFC, WB, USAID, MCA, Etc.

Assignment: Write the body of the proposal using the tools, formulate the budget and evaluation plan, and rewrite the executive summary 

Unit 7 - Presentation of Proposal

In this unit, participants will discuss the importance of a quality presentation to the donor including:

• Strategies proposal submission– Submission is first and most important step of getting a proposal accepted
• Medium – Using interactive presentations for enhanced exposure
• “The Five Minute Elevator Pitch” – Be able to present a brief and thorough explanation of the project

Assignment: Prepare “The Five Minute Elevator Pitch”

Unit 8 -  Testing and Evaluation

In this unit, participants will review and evaluate the techniques learned through the training module including:

• Testing of the techniques presented during the course
• Critical evaluation of the proposal written during the course