At the most basic level, a proposal is a plan, recommendation, or suggestion that one person makes to another. In the workplace, a proposal is a special kind of report, one seeks not only to inform, but specifically to persuade.

Hamper and Baugh define a proposal as "a sophisticated sales piece that seeks to define a client's problem and/or opportunities and to sell the client on your company's ability to provide solutions and strategies." Defined in this way, their importance is quite clear; proposals enable individuals and corporations to solve problems (often related to funding).

To write successful proposals, you must demonstrate that you can

• define a problem that needs to be solved
• offer a solution that is reasonable and effective
• show that you or your organization has the capability to effect the solution.

The purposes of proposals -->

Sources.
Anderson, Paul V. Technical Communication: A Reader-Centered Approach. Fort Worth: Harcourt, 1999.
Bowman, Joel, and Bernadine Branshaw. How to Write Proposals that Work. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx, 1992.
Hamper, Robert J., and L. Sue Baugh. Handbook for Writing Proposals. Chicago: NTC, 1995.