Reusable Materials 29: Questions About Letters of Recommendation

Thursdays we discuss how reusable materials help you WOW committees and save time

Kinsey’s mother belonged to the largest women’s service organization in the world. More than a decade ago the worldwide president of the organization asked the women to make and donate quilts to refugees from the war in Kosovo. Kinsey made 25 baby quilts. She took a picture of herself surrounded by all of the quilts before she donated them. Five years later she sent a copy of the picture with a letter to the worldwide president of the organization requesting a letter of recommendation to use with scholarships. Think of the clout her applications carried with a letter thanking her for her donation to Kosovo refugees.

Q: Can you really draft letters of recommendation for others?

A: This questioner continued by sharing how she felt uncomfortable and a little dishonest writing the letter for somebody else to sign. Most of the people you will ask to give you a letter of recommendation stay very busy. Drafting the letter for them saves them time and energy from writing it themselves. Most appreciate your efforts on their behalf. Remember, however, that you must

• Allow them to edit the letter and put it in their own words
• Recognize that they may choose to entirely rewrite the letter
• Include value statements highlighting what you did related to the letter writer
• Ask the writer’s permission to change to whom the letter is addressed

Q: What format is best for letters of recommendation?

A: Scanning a hardcopy letter on the letter writer’s stationery remains the best format for reusable letters of recommendation. These tips will help:

• Save the scanned image using Adobe’s PDF format
• Title the file something like “Red Cross Letter of Recommendation for Kinsey Wright”

You should also ask for several hardcopy copies of the letter in sealed envelopes with their signature across the seal. A few scholarship committees still ask for confidential letters, but not many.

The least helpful version is a word processed, electronic copy.

Saturday we share a caution about when to not waste time applying for scholarships

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