Guide to Writing Proposals

A stong proposal will start by making a strong and clear claim; it will then go on to show that the proposal meets a need or solves a problem; it will further present good reasons why adopting the proposal will effectively address the need or problem; show that the proposal is feasible and should therefore be adopted.

Begin with a claim (what X or Y should do) followed by the reasons(s) why X or Y should act and the effects of adopting the proposal:

Claim        Communities should encourage the development of charter schools

Reason       because they are not burdened by the bureaucracy associated with most

                   public schooling, and

Effects        because instituting such schools will bring more effective educational

       progress to the community and offer a positive incentive to the public schools

       to improve their programs as well.

Having established a claim, you can explore its implications by drawing out the reasons, warrants, and evidence that can support it most effectively:

Claim      Congress should pass a bill legalizing the use of marijuana for medical

    purposes.

Reason     Medical marijuana is an effective pain reliever for millions suffering from

      cancer and AIDS.  

Warrant     The relief of intractable chronic pain is desirable.

Evidence    Nine states have already approved the use of cannabis for medical purposes,

     and referendums are planned in many others.  Evidence gathered in large

      double blind studies demonstrates that marijuana relives pain associated with      cancer and AIDS.

In this proposal argument the reason sets up the need for the proposal, whereas the warrant and evidence demonstrate that the proposal is just and could meet its objective.

Here are a couple of helpful hints as you start to think about your proposal topic:

• Establishing that the need or problem exists is one of the most important tasks the writer of a proposal argument faces.  You may choose to introduce the need or problem early as a way of leading up the your claim, or you may put the need right after your introduction as a major reason for adopting the proposal.  Regardless of the organization structure you choose, the task of establishing a need or problem calls on you to (a) paint a picture of the need/problem in a concrete way, (b) show how the need or problem affects the audience for the argument (and possibly the society at large), and (c) explain why the need or problem is significant.
• Showing that the proposal is workable is a critical part of a proposal.  Demonstrating workability calls on you to present more evidence—from similar cases, from personal experience, from observational data, internet, or other research.  It will help your case if you can show that what you propose can indeed be done (with the available resources).