Writing Homework Help

To: (The individual/s at the business/organization who have the authority to approve your proposal)

From: (Your name)

Subject: (Proposal Title)

Audience:  The individual/s at the business/organization who have the authority to approve your proposal

Purpose:  To define a problem, recommend solutions, and persuade your audience to implement the recommendations.

For this assignment, you will be writing a proposal in which you define a problem and recommend a solution.  Your goal is to persuade your audience that your solution should be implemented.  The problem could be a campus or work-related, political, social, environmental, or economic problem.  You might be proposing a service, the purchase of equipment, or a policy change. See Lunsford Everyone’s an Author  pg. 391-395 for help with choosing a topic, prewriting, and organizing your ideas.

Choose a problem that is narrow enough that your proposal can be described in some depth in 3-4 pages.  For instance, “How to Solve Poverty in America” would not be an appropriate topic; however, you could address the issue of hungry students by proposing the establishment of a campus food co-op.  Your proposal should include the following sections (label each section):

1. To, From, Subject as described above.
2. Definition of the Problem—explain the scope and significance of the problem.
3. Solution and Recommendations—a detailed description of your solution to the problem, which could include costs, information from experts in the field or other interested parties, plans for implementation, etc.
4. Conclusion—a persuasive paragraph which will explain why your proposal will solve this particular problem.
5. Works Cited page—include at least 2 sources that provide additional support for your proposal. Sources could include interviews, government documents, cost information, statistics, experts in the field, and so on.

Here are some questions that will help you write the Proposal:

• What is the significance of this problem? Why should the audience be concerned about this?
• Who is the audience—Level of interest? Educational level? Familiarity with the topic? Pre-existing bias?
• Is the language of my Proposal clear and appropriate to the purpose and audience?
• What research information will best support my ideas? Statistics? Trend analysis? Quotations from experts?