What's in a strong Testimonial?

Corrobating Impact Using Testimonials

Before asking for a letter of support think about how you want to use it. What impact will it corroborate? You can find out the impact of the research by asking your partners how your research contributed to them achieving a goal or making a change.

Some key elements in a letter of support

It should be from someone senior enough to be able to talk about:

• Why they use this research to achieve their goal and how it fits with the organisation's priorities or strategies

• What prompted the need for the research contribution or working with the researcher

• How much this research contribution was to the change or benefit

• How did the organisation use/adopt the research

• What happened or what was the output of using the research e.g. new understanding, guidelines, new or improved policies, improved processes

• What was the benefit to them, the wider organisation, their clients or end users, including quantitative and qualitative information.

Also, if we need the letter of support to provide a link to the research, or demonstrate the impact for an impact case study we would want to quote from it so it must contain sentences that can be used in the case study.

If you want the letter on Organisation headed paper and signed by some senior this will probably take time so it is better to let them know early that you may need this. If you are working with an individual or charity group, you should consider getting them to cost this work into the project.