How to Write a Concept Paper

This article was co-authored by Anar Kazimov. Anar Kazimov is a Digital Marketing Expert based in Vancouver, Canada. He is the Owner and Marketing Director of Pixel Prodigies, a company created to help business owners achieve more sales by revamping their digital portfolio. He has helped the NIH, IBM, Canadian film studios, Rolex dealerships, and many other firms in their marketing campaigns. He previously had a career in the IT industry and worked at Freelancer.com. He received a BS in Computer Science from the University of Victoria.

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If you’ve got a great idea for a new product, program, or service, writing a concept paper is one way to seek funding for it. Concept papers describe the purpose and projected outcomes of the project, and are delivered to potential sponsors. To create a successful one, use clear, passionate language that expresses why your project matters, and who will benefit from it. Above all, show the sponsor that the goals of your project match up with the kinds of initiatives they want to support.

Sample Concept Papers

Establishing the Purpose

• For instance, you could start off your paper with an attention-grabbing statistic related to your project: “Every year, 10.5 million pounds of food go to waste due to one common pest: rats.”
• Giving your concept paper a descriptive title, like “Lock the Rat Box: Humane, Hands-Free Rodent Control,” is another good way to grab their attention.

• Try something like: “The Savco Foundation has long been committed to funding projects that foster healthy communities. We have developed Lock the Rat Box as an easy, cost-effective means to lower illness rates and sanitation costs in municipalities, and are seeking your support for the project.”

Describe the problem your project addresses. The next section of a concept paper will devote a few sentences or short paragraphs to the specific purpose of your project. Describe the problem you want to solve, and illustrate how you know it exists. [3] X Research source

• For instance, your concept paper could include a statement like: “Rats are a nuisance, but also a serious vector of diseases such as rabies and the bubonic plague. Municipalities across the United States spend upwards of twenty million dollars a year combating these issues.”
• Include references to verify any data you cite.

Explaining How your Concept Works

• For instance, your project may involve building a prototype device to humanely trap rats.
• Your methods might also involve activities. For instance, you may propose advertising programs to educate communities about rat problems, or sending investigators to study the extent of the issue in various communities.

• Try using statements like: “While previous governmental services have explained rat infestations via poster, radio, and television campaigns, they have not taken advantage of social media as a means of connecting with community members. Our project fills that gap.”

• For example: “February 2018: sign a lease for a workshop space. Late February 2018: purchase materials for Lock the Rat Box prototype. March 2018: conduct preliminary tests of the prototype.”

• Other assessment tools could include things like surveys to gauge customer satisfaction, community involvement, or other metrics.

• Personnel, including any assistants
• Equipment and supplies
• Travel
• Consultants you may need to bring in
• Space (rent, for example)

End with a project summary. Wrap things up with a short paragraph at the end of your paper, reiterating your project’s purpose, basic plan of action, and needs. Focus on the essential points you want to stick in the sponsor’s mind. [8] X Research source

Reviewing the Draft

• If the application requests a particular format, follow the directions exactly.
• Otherwise, type your paper in a standard font at a readable size (12 point is good), number your pages, and use reasonable margins (1 inch all around is fine).

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• For instance, avoid statements like “We believe that our product, Lock the Rat Box, could potentially help certain municipalities at least control rat infestations.”
• A stronger statement would be: “Lock the Rat Box will curtail rat infestations in any mid-sized municipality, and completely eradicate them in many cases.”

• If you are writing for a general, non-expert audience, ask someone unfamiliar with your project to read your concept paper and tell you if there were any parts they did not understand.

Include contact info. Make sure the sponsor knows how to reach you by mail, email, and phone. Even if you’ve included this information elsewhere in a project application, it’s a good idea to include it in the concept paper so the sponsor won’t have to hunt for it. [10] X Research source

• Have someone who has not previously read your concept paper take a look at the final draft before you submit it. They’ll be more likely to catch any lingering errors.

Expert Q&A

Anar Kazimov is a Digital Marketing Expert based in Vancouver, Canada. He is the Owner and Marketing Director of Pixel Prodigies, a company created to help business owners achieve more sales by revamping their digital portfolio. He has helped the NIH, IBM, Canadian film studios, Rolex dealerships, and many other firms in their marketing campaigns. He previously had a career in the IT industry and worked at Freelancer.com. He received a BS in Computer Science from the University of Victoria.

It's important to do a thorough research to get a handle on your market and who you're trying to reach. Figure out what you want to achieve and break down your audience into groups so you can create messages that speak to them. Be smart about your budget thinking about how much it costs to get new customers, and choose the right places to advertise based on what you've learned. Come up with messages that pack a punch and line up with what you're trying to do in your campaign. Keep an eye on how things are going and be ready to change course using what the numbers tell you. A good example is one of our clients, an online store blew around $10,000 on Instagram ads that weren't well thought out. They didn't get much out of it because they didn't research, split up their audience, or target their message at specific groups.

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