> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.introw.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Configure the proposal step
> Configure the MDF proposal step: build the intake form, set CRM automations and partner attribution, approval gates, and the decision timeline.
> The proposal step is where a partner asks for budget - and how you configure it decides what they're asked, how it lands in your CRM, and who signs off. This guide sets up the whole step: the form, its CRM automation, the approval gates, and the deadline.
A proposal is the entry point of an MDF project. Configuring the step well means the request form captures the right plan, the submission lands as an attributed CRM record with no duplicates, the right people approve it (with AI clearing the routine ones), and nothing sits past its deadline. You do all of it no-code from the fund's edit mode.
## What you'll achieve
A proposal step where partners submit a branded intake form, the submission creates an attributed project record in your CRM, an AI review plus your named approvers decide it in sequence, and a decision deadline keeps it moving.
## Before you start
Create the fund and allocate budget first. See [Set up an MDF program](/features/mdf/funds-allocation/guides/set-up-an-mdf-program).
Attribution and field mapping need a connected CRM. See [Attribute deals to partners](/features/integrations/crm/attribution) for the method the form reuses.
## Watch it
## Steps
### Open the proposal step
Go to [Marketing Funds](https://app.introw.io/marketing-funds), open the fund, and use **Configure**. In the left navigation, open the **Request Fund** step - the proposal step, where a partner asks for budget.
### Build the proposal form
The **Intake form** section shows the form bound to this step, provisioned with the fund. Select **Go to form** to open it in the no-code builder, where you shape what partners fill in.
On the **Form builder** tab, add and arrange the fields the proposal needs - activity type, requested amount, activity date, and expected outcomes are the essentials; add your own for anything your program tracks. Fields are drag-in, no code.
On the **Automation** tab, the form's CRM automation maps each field to a CRM property, matches an existing record instead of duplicating it, and attributes the created project to the submitting partner using your defined method. This is the same engine every Introw form runs on. See [CRM Automations](/features/forms/crm-automations) for the full behavior.
### Set the approval gates
In the form's automation, enable the agentic review so it can auto-approve straightforward proposals above a certainty threshold and escalate the rest. This clears the routine asks without a human waiting on them.
Back on the step, under **Acceptance steps**, use **Manage acceptance steps** to set who signs off, in order - for example **Partner Manager**, then **Partner Marketing**. Each step must accept before the next, and an approver can be a specific person, a partner-team role, or anyone. Decline at any step stops the proposal.
### Set the decision timeline
Set the **Request decision timeline** - your team's SLA to decide, measured from submission. Choose **Relative** (a number of days, weeks, or months) or a **Fixed date**, then **Save**. Overdue proposals are flagged so none sit unanswered.
## Verify it worked
Open the Request Fund step and confirm its intake form, acceptance steps, and decision timeline are set. Submit a test proposal through a partner link: it lands as an attributed CRM project record, the AI review runs, and it routes to your named approvers in order.
## Related
Operate the whole flow, from proposal through reimbursement.
How the form maps, attributes, dedupes, and enriches on submit.
Every channel partners can propose from - link, embed, email, Slack, Teams, or AI.
The agentic and human approval mechanics in depth.