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Templates

Edit Right Advisors templates are free tools that nonprofit and NGO teams can adapt for their own work, such as a bid decision checklist, a proposal compliance matrix, or a MEL plan outline. Each template comes with short instructions and links to the guide or service it supports.

Illustration of a stacked logframe grid, worksheet, and checklist cards with a pencil.

Free templates

  • Edit Right Advisors free resource R01: Bid or No Bid Funding Opportunity Checklist. Not every open call deserves a proposal.

    R01 · 5 pages

    Bid or No Bid Funding Opportunity Checklist

    Decide in one meeting whether a funding call is worth pursuing. First, check five must-pass gates. Then score eight criteria, convert the total to a percentage, and leave with a clear Go, Go with conditions, or No go and a named owner.

    See the model
    Bid or No Bid checklist model. Step 1, five must-pass gates: eligibility rules, a complete proposal before the deadline, mission fit, required match or cost share, and reporting, audit, and compliance terms. If any answer is No, the decision is No go. Step 4, decision bands: Go at 70 percent or more, Go with conditions at 50 to 69 percent, and No go below 50 percent.
    Five must-pass gates, 8 criteria scored 0 to 3 with optional weights, percentage decision bands, minimum scores, a short explanation of the bands, a decision record, and a worked example. Design: Edit Right Advisors, 2026.
    PDFA4Letter
    WordA4Letter
  • Edit Right Advisors free resource R02: Pre-Proposal Planning Worksheet. Strong proposals start with honest answers to eight questions.

    R02 · 5 pages

    Pre-Proposal Planning Worksheet

    Before anyone starts drafting, answer the eight questions every strong proposal rests on. Each answer is linked to the proposal section it feeds. You mark what you can prove and what is still an assumption.

    See the model
    The eight pre-proposal planning questions: What problem are we solving? Who is most affected? What evidence do we actually have? Why do we think this approach will help? What could get in the way? Who needs to be involved, and does everyone agree on their part? What will change if the program works? How will we know?
    The eight planning questions. Each shows the proposal section it feeds and has a status line; there is also a readiness rule and a worked example. Design: Edit Right Advisors, 2026. The eight questions are credited to Atiq Rehman.
    PDFA4Letter
    WordA4Letter
  • Edit Right Advisors free resource R03: Logic Model and Theory of Change Template. Used together, they give funders the what and the why of your program.

    R03 · 5 pages

    Logic Model and Theory of Change Template

    Map your program from inputs to impact on one page, using the standard results-chain terms. Then explain why each step should lead to the next, and list the risks and external factors that could get in the way.

    See the model
    Logic model chain from problem statement to inputs, activities, outputs, short-term outcomes, medium-term outcomes, and impact. Assumptions: conditions that must hold for one level to lead to the next; if an assumption fails, the chain breaks.
    Definitions in plain words, a landscape logic model, a theory of change statement, external factors, a risk table (likelihood and impact), a quality check, and a worked example. Design: Edit Right Advisors, 2026. Results chain terms follow the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Logic Model Development Guide (2004) and the OECD Glossary (2023).
    PDFA4Letter
    WordA4Letter
  • Edit Right Advisors free resource R04: Proposal-Stage MEL Starter Template. Build a short, credible indicator table with baselines, targets, and means of verification.

    R04 · 6 pages

    Proposal-Stage MEL Starter Template

    Build a short, credible indicator table with baselines, targets, and means of verification. Add a reference sheet for your key indicators, then cost your monitoring, evaluation, and learning work before the budget is final.

    See the model
    MEL indicator table column guide, in order: result; indicator; definition, unit, and calculation; baseline (value and year); target and milestones; data source and means of verification; method and tool; frequency and responsible; and disaggregation.
    Column guide, a landscape 10-column indicator table, an indicator reference sheet, learning questions, MEL budget lines, and a worked example. Design: Edit Right Advisors, 2026.
    PDFA4Letter
    WordA4Letter
  • Edit Right Advisors free resource R05: Proposal Budget Alignment Checklist. Your budget is the proposal written in numbers.

    R05 · 5 pages

    Proposal Budget Alignment Checklist

    Make sure your budget and narrative tell the same story, and that every cost meets your funder's rules. Includes examples from US, EU, and UK funding rules.

    See the model
    The seven parts of the budget alignment checklist: A, staffing matches the promised services; B, data and MEL costs are included; C, partner roles are confirmed and costed; D, indirect costs; E, match and cost share; F, every cost is eligible under the funder's rules; G, narrative and budget tell the same story.
    A seven-part checklist for any funder. It cites US, EU, and UK FCDO cost rules as examples. Worked example included. Design: Edit Right Advisors, 2026.
    PDFA4Letter
    WordA4Letter

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