Proposal and Presentation Tips - Innovations for Poverty Action
Proposal and Presentation Tips - Innovations for Poverty Action
Proposal and Presentation Tips - Innovations for Poverty Action
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RESEARCH PROPOSAL<br />
CONSTRUCTION<br />
Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan & Emily Cupito<br />
IPA - GFII<br />
13 September 2012
Session Outline<br />
• <strong>Presentation</strong> (15 Minutes)<br />
• Discussion & Group Work (45 minutes)
Taking Stock<br />
• Fundraising <strong>for</strong> research projects is arduous<br />
Often the binding constraint<br />
LESSON: Build extensive fundraising lag into your project<br />
timeline assumptions<br />
• YASPR Competitive Fund 2011<br />
Received 119 expressions of interest<br />
Funded 5 projects<br />
• What sets a proposal apart?
How to look <strong>for</strong> grants<br />
• General tips<br />
• Grant opportunities <strong>for</strong> savings <strong>and</strong> payments<br />
research:<br />
International Impact Evaluation Initiative (3ie)<br />
www.3ieimpact.org/<br />
Institute <strong>for</strong> Money, Technology <strong>and</strong> Financial Inclusion<br />
http://www.imtfi.uci.edu<br />
Development <strong>Innovations</strong> Venture (DIV)<br />
www.usaid.gov/div
<strong>Proposal</strong> Best Practices<br />
What sets a proposal apart?<br />
• The Simple Explanation<br />
Success leaves clues – Look at projects funded in past<br />
You hit the donor in<strong>for</strong>mation “requirements” (e.g. YASPR)<br />
Motivation <strong>and</strong> Academic Contribution<br />
Innovation <strong>and</strong> Novelty<br />
Research Design <strong>and</strong> Methodological Rigor<br />
Project Viability <strong>and</strong> Feasibility<br />
Researcher Experience
<strong>Proposal</strong> Best Practices -<br />
Ideation<br />
What sets a proposal apart?<br />
• The More Universal Explanation<br />
Foundation is clarity of ideation<br />
This in<strong>for</strong>ms all other aspects of proposal construction<br />
Ideation & Communication<br />
Strong Motivation (both academic <strong>and</strong> policy)<br />
Clear Theory of Change<br />
Clear “translation” of the conceptual into the practical<br />
• Research Design<br />
• Project Plan
<strong>Proposal</strong> Best Practices -<br />
Design<br />
• Translating Your Idea into a Project<br />
Is the data collection method appropriate <strong>for</strong> your<br />
idea & theory of change?<br />
Don’t survey <strong>for</strong> the sake of surveying<br />
Are your proposed survey instruments in correspondence<br />
with your theory of change <strong>and</strong> outcomes of interest?
<strong>Proposal</strong> Best Practices -<br />
Implementation<br />
Are your assumptions of your implementing<br />
partner reasonable?<br />
Who is the implementing agency?<br />
•How are you convinced of their quality of<br />
operations?<br />
•IPA has 14 core country offices (Bangladesh in S.<br />
Asia) <strong>and</strong> key partners (India, Pakistan) who<br />
implement RCTs<br />
Artificial compression of a project timeline is not<br />
good
<strong>Proposal</strong> Best Practices -<br />
Communication<br />
• Communicating Your Ideas<br />
Don’t make any assumptions about your readership<br />
Remind them of the counterfactual of not having your<br />
research conducted<br />
Style & Quality of Narrative<br />
Enumerating Threats to Validity is a Strength<br />
Make sure to enumerate how you will mitigate against said<br />
threats
<strong>Proposal</strong> Best Practices –<br />
Potential Problems<br />
• Anticipate your flaws<br />
Discuss possible solutions to address the flaws <strong>and</strong><br />
implications<br />
• Follow instructions!<br />
Templates<br />
Key questions <strong>and</strong> guidelines<br />
• Sound Budget<br />
Underst<strong>and</strong> what can be covered by the grant<br />
Look at the big picture (is the allocation reasonable –<br />
to research costs, to travel, to staff <strong>and</strong> management)
Your CV<br />
You’re awesome! How do you let others know it?
CV Do’s …<br />
Do:<br />
• Use good grammar<br />
• Use a template<br />
• Have a colleague proofread (<strong>and</strong> then another!)<br />
• Tailor to the particular organization<br />
• Keep it short – 1 to 2 pages<br />
• Think about structure
… <strong>and</strong> CV Don’ts<br />
Don’t:<br />
• Include pictures!<br />
• List personal details such as family or religion<br />
• Include date of birth<br />
• Include colors
CV Example<br />
Dean Karlan’s CV
<strong>Presentation</strong> <strong>Tips</strong><br />
Think of the last time you saw a good presentation.<br />
What did the speaker do to engage the audience?<br />
• What, there’s an audience?<br />
• Keep it simple – length matters!<br />
• Minimise ‘text <strong>for</strong> self’<br />
• Mode of communication – why so many PPTs?<br />
• Speak clearly
If you MUST…<br />
PowerPoint tips<br />
• Simplicity!<br />
• Colors<br />
• Minimal <strong>and</strong> key text<br />
• Tell a story<br />
• Keep it interesting
Group Exercise<br />
• Sample proposal<br />
• Read through it (15 minutes)<br />
• Evaluate its strengths <strong>and</strong> weaknesses (15 minutes)<br />
• Group Discussion (15 minutes)
Questions?<br />
www.poverty-action.org/financialinclusion<br />
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