4. Monitoring/evaluation

With regard to the planning and preparation phase of the project, there is a built-in evaluator, namely funders to whom you present your dossier and from whom you request financial support. In addition to their thumbs-up or thumbs-down, many funders are willing to provide feedback as to why a given dossier was looked upon favorably or not. As your funding hunt continues, you might want to incorporate some of that feedback into your dossier.
However, there are a number of steps you can take before submitting the dossier that might enhance your chances of success:
a. Circulate the detailed project plan and fundraising documents to team members for comment; improve the plan based on their critical input; recirculate_. (This procedure also serves to strengthen a collective sense of ownership in the project.)
b. Request feedback from those who have carried out a Scenarios-style project in the past. We would be happy to take a look at project documents and provide some feedback.
c. Some funders are willing to take a look at a draft proposal and provide comment before you submit your final draft. You might want to ask the funding body if that possibility exists. We really appreciate this opportunity, as it makes us feel confident that our dossier will succeed or fail based on its merits, and not because we made good or bad guesses as to what we should include or leave out, emphasize or just mention in passing.