WHAT IS THE MASTER PLAYBOOK?
You do not need to know everything. You need to know what to build, in what order, and to what standard. That is what the Master Playbook is for: your starting point and navigation guide for the entire Do It Yourself Series. Designed for two audiences: in-house practitioners and external consultants.
Do It Yourself Series
The DO IT YOURSELF Series is more than a collection of e-books. It is a practical pathway to improving how organizations and individuals develop projects, engage donors, manage grants, report progress, and close out projects.
We have added two new tools to help you go the extra mile: moving beyond a generic project to one shaped by the funder's perspective, rather than solely by the experience of the team delivering it.
The core e-book provides the methodology.
Donor-Lens brings the strategic perspective.
The Sector Guide adapts the methodology to specific contexts.
Doing it yourself does not mean doing it alone.
You are not just buying inspiration.
You are investing in a structure you can put into practice.
What you get
You work with:
- A method, so you do not have to improvise.
- Templates, so you do not have to start from scratch.
- Exercises, so you build as you go.
- Individual support, to help you work through critical challenges.
- Final deliverables, so you finish with something you can use.
What makes this series different
Each e-book is a system.
Each title guides you step by step toward a tangible result:
- A fundable proposal.
- A competitive proposal.
- An evaluation system.
- A defensible social return on investment (social ROI).
- A midterm evaluation.
- A resource mobilization plan.
- A report, matrix, pitch, or master document ready to use.
If it does not produce a deliverable, it is not finished.
The method
IGROW is the foundation.
Each e-book follows a clear structure:
- I — Intention: Why you are here.
- G — Goal: What you will achieve.
- R — Reality: What is not working today.
- O — Options: Which tools you can use.
- W — Way Forward: What comes next.
IGROW turns complex topics into a practical pathway.
Less confusion.
More progress.
Designed for the challenges multidisciplinary teams face
Who it is for
This series is for:
- NGOs and civil society organizations that need to improve project design, measurement, and reporting.
- Consultants who want methodologies they can apply with clients.
- Proposal developers seeking clearer, more competitive proposals.
- Researchers who need to turn evidence into fundable proposals and supporting materials.
- Monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) teams that need to demonstrate real change.
- Leaders who want to move beyond improvised processes.
- Students and professionals who want to learn by doing.
What it is NOT
This is not:
- An academic manual.
- A course overloaded with theory.
- A PDF to leave sitting in a folder.
- A promise of effortless funding.
- A collection of disconnected tips.
It is a practical workflow.
Read, apply, review, and bring it all together.
What it IS
Consulting expertise turned into a practical system.
Each e-book combines:
- Guidance: A step-by-step pathway.
- Templates:
- Documents ready for you to complete.
- Exercises: Practical work in every section.
- Examples: Before-and-after comparisons to strengthen your judgment.
- Individual sessions: Support at the points where people most often get stuck.
- Final document: A complete deliverable you can use and adapt.
Available e-books
From Technical Project to Donor-Ready Proposal
From Technical Project to Donor-Ready Proposal
From Technical Project to Donor-Ready Proposal
Turn an idea or technical project into a proposal a donor can understand, assess, and fund.
What you build: A problem statement, situation analysis, Theory of Change, Logical Framework, activities, indicators, budget, and pitch.
Final outcome: A fundable proposal ready to adapt.
From Donor-Ready to Competitive Proposal
From Technical Project to Donor-Ready Proposal
From Technical Project to Donor-Ready Proposal
For existing proposals that need to compete more effectively.
What you build: Donor alignment, outputs and outcomes, an evidence base, storytelling, executive-level writing, and a proposal review matrix based on the donor's evaluation criteria.
Final outcome: A clearer, more persuasive proposal ready to compete.
Social ROI: Impact per Dollar
From Technical Project to Donor-Ready Proposal
Social ROI: Impact per Dollar
Calculate the cost of achieving an outcome and explain it with evidence.
What you build: An outcome defined to meet donor expectations, an ROI Calculator, sensitivity analysis, an Impact Map, a one-pager, a presentation deck, and an evidence pack.
Final outcome: A clear, traceable social ROI ready to present to donors.
Grant Writing + Storytelling
Theory of Change & Logical Framework
Theory of Change & Logical Framework
Do you have a worthy cause, but struggle to show in your proposals why someone should fund it?
What you build: A proposal structure that combines evidence and narrative to create a clear, human-centered, fundable core proposal.
Final outcome: Move from “We have a worthy cause” to “We have a proposal we can present and adapt to a donor.”
Theory of Change & Logical Framework
Theory of Change & Logical Framework
Theory of Change & Logical Framework
In Theory of Change & Logical Framework, you will learn to develop a defensible Theory of Change, a coherent Logical Framework, and the connection between them.
What you build: Two tools to design a fundable project and make a sound case for it.
Final outcome: Two documents. Two narratives. One defensible case for change.
Final Report
Theory of Change & Logical Framework
Final Report
Your final report is not the end. It can make the case for your next project.
What you build: A robust report with verifiable results, a narrative of change, explanations of deviations, lessons learned, a results one-pager, and a pitch for renewed funding.
Final outcome: A story of results, evidence, learning, and credibility to share with your next donor.
Budget Development
Post-Award: Delivering without Chaos
Financial Management & Procurement
For designing and managing projects that effectively connect the budget with implementation.
What you build: An integrated system with activities that can be costed, a costing matrix, budget assumptions, a budget by category, cost justifications, an implementation schedule, dependencies, a critical path, and a risk matrix.
Final outcome: A
For designing and managing projects that effectively connect the budget with implementation.
What you build: An integrated system with activities that can be costed, a costing matrix, budget assumptions, a budget by category, cost justifications, an implementation schedule, dependencies, a critical path, and a risk matrix.
Final outcome: A Budget, Costing, and Critical Path Toolkit you can use to review, adapt, or prepare your project before submitting it to a donor or starting implementation.
Financial Management & Procurement
Post-Award: Delivering without Chaos
Financial Management & Procurement
For people managing or contributing to projects funded by multilateral organizations, international development cooperation partners, and other institutional donors.
What you build: A practical system that connects budget → procurement → contracts → deliverables → approvals → payments → evidence → reporting → closeout.
Final outcome: A Fina
For people managing or contributing to projects funded by multilateral organizations, international development cooperation partners, and other institutional donors.
What you build: A practical system that connects budget → procurement → contracts → deliverables → approvals → payments → evidence → reporting → closeout.
Final outcome: A Financial Management and Procurement Toolkit for Funded Projects, with practical tools to organize financial implementation, strengthen document traceability, reduce improvisation, and better prepare for reporting, reviews, audits, and financial closeout.
Post-Award: Delivering without Chaos
Post-Award: Delivering without Chaos
Post-Award: Delivering without Chaos
For managing awarded grants and ongoing implementation in NGOs, civil society organizations, foundations, associations, project implementation units, cooperatives, and project teams.
What you build: An implementation system in which every task has an owner, every change is documented, every result is backed by evidence, and reports draw on
For managing awarded grants and ongoing implementation in NGOs, civil society organizations, foundations, associations, project implementation units, cooperatives, and project teams.
What you build: An implementation system in which every task has an owner, every change is documented, every result is backed by evidence, and reports draw on organized, consistent information.
Final outcome: A Post-Award Implementation Toolkit embedded in your organization, including a Tracker, a RACI responsibility matrix, a Data Room, an Evidence Map, a Reporting Pack, a change control system, a Closeout Checklist, an Evidence Index, and a 30/60/90-Day Playbook.
Resource Mobilization
Resource Mobilization
Resource Mobilization
Move from reactive fundraising to strategic resource mobilization.
What you build: An organizational readiness assessment, a donor matrix, a funding pipeline, a go/no-go decision process, a one-pager, a value proposition, a diversification strategy, and an annual plan.
Final outcome: An annual resource mobilization system.
Midterm Evaluation
Resource Mobilization
Resource Mobilization
Correct course before it is too late.
What you build: Evaluation questions, criteria, Terms of Reference (ToR), a data collection plan, a findings matrix, and an action plan.
Final outcome: A midterm evaluation that supports decision-making.
Impact Evaluation
Resource Mobilization
Impact Evaluation
Put a minimum viable impact evaluation system in place.
What you build: A Theory of Change, indicators, a baseline, data collection tools, findings, an impact report, and a learning plan.
Final outcome: An evaluation system you can confidently justify to donors.
Compliance 1
Compliance 1
Compliance 1
Get your project accountability records in order before a donor or auditor asks for them.
What you build: A filing system, financial controls, an expenditure checklist, streamlined procurement procedures, a basic MEL system, and a coherent report.
Final outcome: An operational compliance system ready for audit.
Compliance 2
Compliance 1
Compliance 1
For organizations that need to demonstrate institutional controls, risk management, and governance to funders.
What you build: A Compliance Manual, a risk map, a due diligence process, clauses ready for donor review, a dashboard, and an organizational capacity statement.
Final outcome: An institutional package ready for donor review.
Pre-Award
Compliance 1
Pre-Award
Put a system in place to make decisions, develop proposals, and submit them without constantly operating in crisis mode.
What you build: Standard operating procedures (SOPs), a RACI responsibility matrix, a scorecard, an alignment matrix, a Donor Fit Memo, an Evergreen Pack of reusable materials, a quality assurance process, and a final pr
Put a system in place to make decisions, develop proposals, and submit them without constantly operating in crisis mode.
What you build: Standard operating procedures (SOPs), a RACI responsibility matrix, a scorecard, an alignment matrix, a Donor Fit Memo, an Evergreen Pack of reusable materials, a quality assurance process, and a final pre-submission check.
Final outcome: A pre-award system for producing proposals ready to submit.
From Research Paper to Donor- Ready Proposal
From Research Paper to Donor- Ready Proposal
From Research Paper to Donor- Ready Proposal
In final production
Communication Toolkit
From Research Paper to Donor- Ready Proposal
From Research Paper to Donor- Ready Proposal
In final production
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