Tips for Gathering Letters of Support

Who Should I Ask?

    Current and previous employer(s)
    Friends and family
    Mentors or sponsors
    Faith-based leaders
    Teachers
    Counselors
    Community leaders and members of community organizations
    Anyone else who can speak to your character and rehabilitation efforts, and will be seen as credible by the court

What Should My References Write in the Letter?

    For a Character Letter from an Employer or Previous Employer the person should:
    Define their relationship with you. Give specific details about who they are, how they know you, and how long they have known you.
    Give the reader a reason to respect their letter of support (through their career, community involvement, education, etc.). They need to establish their own credibility.
    Give specific information and details about your employment (wages, length of time employed, responsibilities, manner of performance, etc.).
    Provide how they will continue or increase their support for you.
    Thank the reader for consideration of their letter. They may also want to mention that they are available to provide further information, and provide their phone number or other contact information.
    For a Character Letter from anyone else they should:
    Define their relationship with you. Give specific details about who they are, how they know you, and how long they have known you.
    Give the reader a reason to respect their letter of support (through their career, community involvement, education, etc.). They need to establish their own credibility.
    Give specific information and details about you, focusing on how they have experienced your positive personal assets.
    Provide how they will continue or increase their support of you.
    Thank the reader for consideration of their letter. They may also want to mention that they are available to provide further information, and provide their phone number or other contact information.

HERE ARE SOME GENERAL GUIDELINES ON ASKING FOR LETTERS OF SUPPORT.

General Reminders:
    Make it as easy for people as possible! People are busy and letters of support can take time to write. Some ways you can make it easier for the people you are asking to help you are:
    Give them plenty of time. Don’t ask them 2 days before you need to turn in the letter. Give them plenty of time to work on it so they don’t feel rushed and can put thought into what they’re writing.
    Give them plenty of information. Make sure to remind them of things they can write about, such as your accomplishments or your positive impact on them.
    Give them friendly reminders. If someone hasn’t responded to you or hasn’t given you a letter by the date you asked to have it done by, try writing them a quick email or calling them. Be polite and not demanding. Your message should be along the lines of “I know you are busy, but I was curious if you will have any time to work on that letter of support I asked you about?”
    Have a variety of people write letters for you. You should have letters from people who know as many different aspects of you as possible. Don’t get all of your letters from people who all know you from the same activity or area of your life.
    Keep it Short. It is best to keep the letters short, about 1–2 pages. This will make them easier to read and also less time consuming to write.