Writing a Proposal: A Short Guide

The General Meeting is the principal decision-making space of the co-op. This guide is intended to help you turn an idea into a proposal that the meeting can properly consider and act on.

There is no single template, but proposals are normally structured along the following lines:

• Title – a clear and relevant title that marks it as a distinct agenda item
• Explanatory text – background information to help the meeting understand the proposal
• Proposal text – one or two sentences summarising exactly what is being proposed; this is the part usually read out at the end of discussion by the meeting facilitator and is the focus for the decision or vote to be taken.

Good proposals usually answer a small number of clear questions.

1. What are you asking the meeting to do?

Be clear and specific. For example:

• Are you asking for a decision?
• Are you bringing something for discussion before developing it further?
• Are you asking the meeting to approve funding, start a project, or agree a change in direction?

2. What is the proposal?

Briefly describe your idea:

• What is being proposed?
• Why is it needed or useful?
• What problem does it address, or what opportunity does it create?

Keep this focused — detail can come later.

3. Where does it sit in the co-op?

Consider the following:

• Does this fit within an existing working group?
• If so, has that group been contacted, and do they support the proposal?
• Is the General Meeting the right place to decide this, or is the GM being asked to mandate further work?

Proposals are usually stronger, and easier for the meeting to decide on, when they show who has been consulted and who would be involved if the proposal goes ahead.

4. What will it cost?

If funding is required, you are asked to complete a Costed Proposal Cover Sheet. The form itself suggests how you might compose your proposal. 

• Download the Costed Proposal Cover Sheet.

You may need to consult with the relevant working group co-ordinator, if applicable, and having a chat with the co-op treasurer is always a good idea. They will be able to help you with:

• Establishing the total cost (even a rough estimate)
• Whether it fits within the current budget

See also the working group spending policy

5. What happens after the meeting?

Help the meeting think beyond the decision itself:

• How will progress be reported back?
• Should the proposal be reviewed after a set period?
• Is this a one-off project, or the start of an ongoing commitment?

This reassures the meeting that the proposal will be followed through.

Supporting documentation and other information

In some cases, additional documents may support your proposal. These may be in the form of business quotes, plans, images or diagrams or other documents which illustrate what you have in mind. The Costed Proposal Cover Sheet is one such piece of supporting documentation.

Supporting documentation is typically presented as an appendix to the meeting agenda.

Discussing proposals over more than one meeting

It is not always appropriate nor desirable for a decision to be reached within one General Meeting. Decisions taken with insufficient consideration may later reveal themselves to be problematic.

In some cases a proposal may benefit from being spread over a number of meetings, particularly in cases where agreement or consensus may require extra work to achieve. This can allow time for:

• more in-depth discussion or clarification
• exploration of alternatives
• revision of the proposal in response to concerns
• building shared understanding and support

For more information on consensus decision making please visit this page on the Seeds for Change website

Getting help

You do not have to do this alone.

The Secretarial group, other relevant working groups, and office staff can help you:

• clarify your proposal
• think through costs and implications
• shape it into something the meeting can engage with constructively

Sharing ideas early often makes them stronger.