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How to Write a Winning Collaboration Proposal (+Examples)

Learn how to write a collaboration proposal to win business partnerships. Explore the winning format and get customizable collaboration proposal examples.

Author Dominika Krukowska

5 minute read

How to write a collaboration proposal

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Short answer

What to include in a collaboration proposal?

  1. Cover slide

  2. Company overview

  3. Partnership overview

  4. Partnership details

  5. Project timeline

  6. Promotion strategy

  7. Expected results

  8. Financial projections

  9. Case studies

  10. Next steps slide


Keep reading for a full breakdown of how to create each slide ⤵

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What is a collaboration proposal?

A collaboration proposal is a document that outlines a potential partnership between businesses or organizations. It includes shared goals, ways the parties can work together, and the benefits each side stands to gain.

What are the main types of collaboration proposals?

  • General business partnerships: These involve several parties teaming up to chase common business goals, sharing profits and duties along the way.

  • Joint ventures: In these alliances, companies come together to pool resources for specific projects, like entering new markets.

  • Limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships: Perfect for specific ventures such as real estate or professional services, these agreements offer different levels of liability and involvement.

  • Sponsorship partnerships: This type sees one organization providing financial support to another for promotional perks.

  • Influencer partnerships: These agreements team brands up with influencers who create and share content that promotes the brand to their audience.

What does a collaboration proposal look like?

Most traditional collaboration proposals are simple Word documents filled with detailed text about the scope and objectives of the partnership or basic slide presentations.

These formats are easy to create and access, but editing them, viewing on mobile devices, or making them stand out can be challenging.

Modern companies are transitioning to interactive decks that can pull branding elements directly from websites, incorporate interactive data visualizations, and feature multimedia content such as before-and-after comparisons.

This makes for a more engaging and persuasive presentation.


Here’s an example of an interactive collaboration proposal:

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How to write a collaboration proposal?

Writing a great collaboration proposal begins with the right prep work. You need to do some digging first to pick the perfect partner.

This groundwork ensures that when you sit down to write, you’re ready to highlight how both companies will benefit, not just your own.

This section will walk you through creating your proposal step-by-step, focusing on crafting a clear and compelling message on each slide.

1) Cover slide

The cover slide of your collaboration proposal sets the stage for what's to come.

Start with a title that clearly summarizes the nature of the partnership. Be sure to include both partners' names and logos, which visually reinforces the collaboration.

To really engage your audience from the get-go, consider adding a short video to the slide. Videos can increase viewer engagement by up to 32%.

Also, mentioning the average reading time can help keep viewers focused, potentially reducing the bounce rate by 24%.


Here's a great example of a cover slide:

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Collaboration proposal cover slide example

2) Company overview

When crafting your collaboration proposal, remember it’s often prepared after there's already some mutual interest between the parties, not just out of the blue.

On your company overview slide, keep it brief and to the point. Focus more on the partnership concept and how it benefits the other brand, rather than delving too deep into your own company’s details.

This approach will help them see the advantages of teaming up with you, making your proposal more compelling.


Company overview slide example:

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Collaboration proposal company overview slide example

3) Partnership overview

The partnership overview slide is where you outline your vision for the collaboration. Describe the scope and mention how the partnership could grow if successful.

Mentioning your target audience helps show how both audiences complement each other, which can be a strong point for the partnership.

Detail your overarching goals and specific targets to help everyone see what you’re aiming for together. This slide is key for aligning expectations and generating excitement about the potential of the partnership.


An example of a partnership overview slide:

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Collaboration proposal partnership overview slide example

And here's an example of a target audience section:

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Collaboration proposal target audience slide example

4) Partnership details

In the partnership details section, specify each partner's contributions and responsibilities in the collaboration.

This is where you outline the scope of what each entity is bringing to the table—be it resources, expertise, or other assets. Detail any additional commitments that are crucial to the partnership’s success but haven't been covered in earlier sections.

This ensures all parties are clear on what is expected of them and helps prevent any misunderstandings or assumptions that could complicate the partnership.


An example of a partnership details slide:

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Collaboration proposal collaboration details slide example

5) Timeline

In the timeline section, start by outlining a clear list of deliverables before moving on to the key stages and deadlines of the partnership.

This structure gives your prospective partner a clear view of how the project will progress. The timeline helps both parties plan and allocate resources efficiently.

Highlight important dates and phases, from the initial meeting to the final deliverables, ensuring everyone knows what to expect and when to expect it.

This proactive approach encourages everyone to work towards a common start date and keeps the project on track.


Deliverables slide example:

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Collaboration proposal deliverables slide example

And here's a great example of a timeline slide:

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Collaboration proposal timeline slide example

6) Promotion strategy

This slide details how you'll get the word out about your partnership. It should list the marketing channels, like social media, email, and events, that you plan to use.

It’ll also specify who’s responsible for what, making sure both sides know their roles in promoting the collaboration. This coordinated approach helps make sure your promotional efforts are clear and effective, reaching as many people as possible.


Promotion strategy slide example:

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Collaboration proposal promotion strategy slide example

7) Expected results

This slide shows how you'll check the success of the partnership.

First, you should pick the right Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that line up with what you both want to achieve—think sales increases, better customer engagement, or expanding your market reach.

You should also have a plan for how both partners will keep track of these KPIs. This clear plan ensures you can easily see how things are going and helps keep the partnership on target.

By regularly looking over these metrics, you can tweak your approach as needed to make sure you're hitting your goals.


Expected results slide example:

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Collaboration proposal expected results slide example

8) Financial projections

This slide gets down to the brass tacks: the money. It’s great to talk about partnering, but we all know that the bottom line matters.

Here, you’ll show exactly how much each partner is expected to chip in, what you'll spend it on, and what you’re looking to get back.

From marketing expenses to operational costs, this slide lays out a clear financial plan so everyone understands the costs and can anticipate their returns.

This clear financial outline is crucial for making informed decisions and setting the right expectations for the partnership’s success.


An example of a financial projections slide:

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Collaboration proposal financial projections slide example

9) Case studies

Demonstrate why your brand is the ideal partner by sharing examples of past successes. You can highlight the size and engagement of your audience or show how your product aligns with your partner’s needs.

If you’ve collaborated successfully with other brands before, share those experiences here.

Use data from these previous partnerships to support the expected outcomes you've outlined, adding credibility and strength to your proposal.


An example of a case studies slide:

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Collaboration proposal case studies slide example

10) Next steps slide

Avoid simply closing with a thank you slide, as this can halt the momentum you’ve built. Instead, use this slide as a springboard to keep the conversation going.

Clearly outline the next steps, making it easy for your potential partner to move forward. Consider embedding a calendar for easy meeting scheduling or adding links to relevant resources.

You can also include legal details here, asking the partner to review them, or provide a separate slide with an eSignature option to formalize the agreement.


Great example of a next steps slide:

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Collaboration proposal next steps slide example

Collaboration proposal examples that persuade partners

Now that we’ve covered how to create a successful collaboration proposal, let’s see what it looks like in practice.

I’ve picked a few samples that really stand out in different ways. Let’s see why they work so well. If you find one you like, the good news is they're all set to use as templates.

Corporate partnership proposal

The first thing that grabbed my attention was the highly personalized cover slide. It includes spots for logos and customizable tags like {{company}} or {{Prospect_name}} for your potential partner’s name.

What I appreciated most was how easy it was to personalize. Simply by entering the company’s URL, the logos automatically populated—no stress about getting the right design or background.

For those who want to really tailor their approach, you can even pull complete branding elements from the URL. And if you’re using a CRM, you can autofill details like names and company information right into the proposal.

This can be incredibly handy for co-branding efforts, letting potential partners immediately see how well your brands could mesh together.

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Marketing partnership proposal

This next partnership proposal example has a similar structure, but it’s tailored for marketing collaborations.

I really appreciated the partnership overview section with its ‘read more’ button, which allows you to include comprehensive information without cluttering the main view.

I also liked how the objectives section is split into 2 side-by-side parts, making it easy to compare the marketing goals of each entity and highlight shared benefits.

It would be even better with an appendices slide for attaching documents like branding guidelines. However, you can easily add it from the slide library to enhance the presentation.

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Project partnership proposal

This collaboration proposal sample is ideal for project-based partnerships.

I really liked the clarity of the section that defines the scope and responsibilities. The use of grayed-out content helps focus on the relevant parts, although breaking it down by each partner's responsibilities could make it even better.

It also walked me through the project timeline and financial projections based on complexity and scope. This setup makes it super easy to understand the schedule, necessary resources, and the overall importance of the project.

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Business partnership proposal

For the final collaboration proposal example, I really appreciated how actionable this deck is.

Instead of overwhelming you with fine print, the terms and conditions are neatly tucked away under expandable text.

There’s even an option to display them fully on a dedicated slide that includes an e-signature feature, so you can seal the deal on the spot.

I also loved the embedded calendar—it makes setting up a follow-up meeting a breeze.

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Where to find interactive collaboration proposal templates?

Presenting your company is already a big task, but combining details from 2 companies to highlight mutual benefits is even tougher.

You need to make sure the proposal reflects value for both parties, which can be overwhelming as you work to stand out among competitors.

Interactive collaboration proposal templates provide a structured start, so you can just add your information and adjust the design to fit your combined branding. This saves time and helps your proposal look polished and compelling.

Just grab one.

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Dominika Krukowska

Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

Table of contents
What to include in a collaboration proposal What is a collaboration proposal Main types of collaboration proposals What does a collaboration proposal look like How to write a collaboration proposal Collaboration proposal examples Interactive collaboration proposal templates
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