Securing Letters of Support: Obtaining and Including Strong Letters of Support
Grant Writing

Securing Letters of Support: Obtaining and Including Strong Letters of Support

Strong letters of support are crucial for demonstrating the credibility and backing of your grant proposal. These letters provide external validation of your project’s significance and your ability to carry it out successfully.

The Importance of Letters of Support

Letters of support offer third-party endorsements that can significantly enhance the credibility of your proposal. They demonstrate that respected individuals or organizations recognize the value of your project and are willing to support it. For example, a letter from a key collaborator can detail their role and commitment, while a letter from a community organization can highlight the project’s relevance and impact. These endorsements provide funders with confidence in your project’s feasibility and significance. Additionally, letters of support can illustrate the broader impact and potential partnerships, making your proposal more compelling.

Addressing Misconceptions about Letters of Support

A common misconception is that letters of support are mere formalities and don’t require much effort. However, generic or lukewarm letters can detract from your proposal’s impact. Another misconception is that quantity is more important than quality. In reality, a few strong, detailed letters are more valuable than numerous vague ones. Understanding the importance of personalized and specific letters helps you secure endorsements that genuinely strengthen your proposal.

Steps to Secure Strong Letters of Support

Start by identifying key individuals or organizations who can provide meaningful support for your project. Reach out to them well in advance, providing a brief overview of your project and the specific aspects you would like them to address in their letter. For example, ask a collaborator to describe their role and commitment, or ask a community partner to highlight the project’s potential impact. Provide a template or guidelines to help them craft a detailed and relevant letter. Follow up to ensure they submit the letter on time and thank them for their support. Include these letters in your proposal, clearly referencing them in relevant sections to illustrate external validation.

Summary

Securing strong letters of support is essential for enhancing the credibility and impact of your grant proposal. By obtaining detailed and personalized endorsements, you provide external validation of your project’s significance and feasibility. Dispelling misconceptions about the formality and quantity of letters helps you focus on quality and relevance. Moving forward, proactively seek and include strong letters of support in your proposals to increase their competitiveness and chances of securing funding.

Article publié pour la première fois le 11/12/2024

Further Reading

Disclaimer: I was not compensated, sponsored, or asked to promote this book in any way—I simply found it valuable and worth sharing. A Different Kind of Book Club In academic settings, the idea of a “book club” often feels informal—something reserved for personal growth or casual discussion. Yet some books demand a more deliberate kind of engagement, particularly when they challenge the way we approach our work. Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect is one of those books. While it is grounded in the world of fine dining, its core message extends far beyond restaurants: any profession can choose to operate in the hospitality business. In research administration, this idea is both unexpected and deeply relevant (Guidara, 2022). At its core, Unreasonable Hospitality argues that excellence is not enough to differentiate an organization—what matters is how people feel as a result of their experience. This concept challenges the traditional framing of research administration as a primarily procedural or compliance-driven function. While accuracy, timeliness, and regulatory adherence remain essential, they are also widely expected. What is less common—and far more impactful—is the intentional design of experiences that are clear, supportive, and memorable. This shift from task execution to experience design forms the foundation of this series. This is not a book review. It is a translation exercise. Over the next series of posts, we will take key concepts from Unreasonable Hospitality and apply them directly to research administration—exploring how ideas such as service versus hospitality, intentionality, small moments of impact, and leadership behaviors can reshape the way we support faculty, scholars, and trainees. Each post will focus on a single principle, offering both reflection and practical application. The goal is not simply to understand the ideas, but to integrate them into daily practice. Framing this series as a “book club” is intentional. A book club implies participation, reflection, and conversation—not passive consumption. The invitation is not just to read, but to consider: How do these ideas apply to your own work? Where do they challenge your current approach? What might change if you adopted them more fully? In this way, the series becomes a shared exploration of how research administration can evolve—not through large-scale transformation alone, but through small, intentional shifts in how we approach our roles. Importantly, this series also recognizes the context in which research administrators operate. The work is complex, deadlines are fixed, and resources are often limited. The goal is not to add more to an already full workload, but to rethink how existing work is experienced. Many of the concepts explored—clarity in communication, anticipation of needs, consistency in leadership—require minimal additional time, yet have significant impact. This is the central promise of unreasonable hospitality: that small, thoughtful actions can create disproportionately meaningful experiences. Ultimately, this series is about expanding how we define excellence in research administration. If service is the baseline, hospitality becomes the differentiator. If processes define what we do, experiences define how that work is remembered. By engaging with these ideas over time, we can begin to articulate a more intentional, human-centered approach to our work—one that aligns precision with purpose. ________________________________________ What to Expect in This Series Over the next several posts, we will explore themes including: • The difference between service and hospitality • Why “good enough” is not memorable • The role of intentionality in designing experiences • The impact of small, thoughtful moments • Leadership behaviors that shape culture and trust • Balancing systems with personalization • Defining your own signature experience Each post will build on the last, creating a cohesive framework for applying these ideas within research administration. ________________________________________ Action Items to Get Started • Begin with awareness. As you move through your work this week, notice where interactions feel transactional versus experiential. • Select one upcoming interaction and consider how you might intentionally shape the experience. • Approach this series actively. Reflect on each concept and identify one small way to apply it in your context. • Engage your team. Consider discussing these ideas collectively to build shared language and alignment. This is not about doing more. It is about doing what we already do—with greater intention.
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