Award recommendation letter writing
	Updated: 17 Nov 2008

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This article has advice on writing recommendation letters, specifically for SCA awards. It includes an example letter and links to similar articles by other people.

I was in the Society for over ten years before writing such a letter. I do hope you don't wait as long as I did. You can use this article to help you get started.

Use a fill-in-the-blank style if that works for you, but each recommendation letter that I wrote (before Meridies had an online form) was an original to fit the particular candidate.

As recently as 2004, less than half of the SCA kingdoms had online recommendation forms (see my list and commentary later on this page).

Even so, this article STILL has useful information regarding recommendations.

Kudos

... if you want to know more about the letter writing process with some excellent examples, please see [this page]. This is one of the best reference pages on the subject that I know of. ~ Jocosa, June 2006

CONTENTS

> Getting ready
> About length of service
> What I put in my letter
> An example letter
> Breaking down the example letter
> Examples of carriage statements, summary statements, and recommendations
> More advice
> Situational considerations (recommending an associate/your friend/your sweetie)
> What can go wrong
> Not just letters: on-the-spot appreciation, too
> Forms on kingdom Web sites (links and comments)
> Articles on this topic by other people (links and comments)

Getting ready

Before writing the letter, verify the following:

1. Who are you recommending – and for what award?
   (Service and requirements for awards and orders should be listed in Kingdom Law. Stating a specific award is much better than not doing so.)
2. They do not ALREADY HAVE the award. Check with your local herald – if they can keep a secret. Or... search the kingdom order of precedence / awards listing. Nowadays, it's quite possible that it's online and somewhat current. * Note: If the award is higher than an Award of Arms, your kingdom might require that they have a current paid membership.
3. What all have they done to deserve the award?
   (If you didn't see the service, it is good to verify it with someone who was there - if feasible.)
4. The service is appropriate for the award as listed in Kingdom Law.
5. They're planning to be at one or more events on the Crown's progress.
6. It's going where it needs to go – letters for peerage orders and kingdom-level polling orders should go to the secretary of the order as well as the Crown.

About length of service

There is no RULE that correlates time served to a given award. I've heard of someone getting an Award of Arms at their FIRST event for extraordinary service. Other people have waited more than a decade before their first award due to moving around and/or just working quietly in the background.

I've seen people receive a Court Barony within five years and (more often) after fifteen or more. If the award is higher than what you have already, you could find it useful to talk it over with someone who already has the award – or one that is similar – if they can keep a secret.

What I put in my letters

They include most or all of the following. Items that are very useful to the Crown are highlighted.

• Who the candidate is – SCA name, modern name
• The award you recommend for the candidate 
• The group with which the candidate is playing the most (i.e., their home/nearest group)
• Service they're doing now and the benefits it brings (relevant to the award/recognition)
• Service they've done in the past and the benefits it brought (ditto)
• Other reasons why the award is deserved (in my opinion)
• What events they're likely to be at that – especially those on the Crown's progress
• Affiliations* – associate, household, SO (Significant Other)
• Former SCA names (if they've changed their name in the past couple of years)
• Name pronunciation
• ALSO: a summary statement, and the recommendation

* Regarding a candidate's affiliations

Including this information in the letter can help the Crown learn more about the candidate or just remember the candidate if they know the affiliated person better.

• If the candidate is an associate – it tells the Crown (and the rest of the Society) that the candidate has caught the attention of a peer and impressed them sufficiently to accept them as a formal student.

 

• If the candidate has a Significant Other (spouse, steady, sweetie, etc.) in the Society – mentioning the relationship can help when the Crown knows the SO, but not the candidate!

An example letter

 

 

Breaking down the letter

• Recommendation, SCA and modern names. Local group.
• Service by both. Service by her. Service by him.
• Why higher award is justified (they have the lower-level awards already).
• Carriage statement. Affiliations. Upcoming events.
• Closing.

It doesn't have to be a long letter, just a good one. It needs the right information. (With an online recommendation form, the "right information" should already be built-in.) If you have the candidate's membership information (number, type, expiration date), you could include it, but their modern name is much more important. 

Recommendation examples

• I believe __ service now merits __
• In virtue of __ service, I believe it is well and fitting that __ be invited into __
• I heartily recommend __ for __

“Summary” statement examples

• Certainly these many diverse deeds deserve recognition
• For the time __ has already given, and the hours I feel __ will give in the future
• I believe __'s quiet, but consistent and quality service deserves recognition
• I seriously hope this is not the first letter you get about __
• I believe the time __ has put into __ merits recognition

More advice

Write only what you personally know about the candidate. If you think the candidate did something, but you can't verify it, it is advisable to leave it out.

I typically send several letters at a time. The cover page has the formal greeting to Their Majesties and a summary list of all the candidates' names and awards being recommended. 

Situational considerations

Recommending an associate of a peer

If the person you want to recommend is an associate (squire, apprentice, protégé) - it's not a bad idea to see what their peer thinks first before sending the letter. Their approval isn't required, though. Also, the peer should welcome the gesture and would certainly appreciate a copy of your letter for their files. (Kudos to Aaisha for this and other clues.) 

Recommending your friend

Do it. That way you know at least someone has sent in a letter. If you don't do it, someone else might have every intention – but never get around to it. 

Recommending your sweetie / significant other

In some kingdoms, this is not recommended. In others, it's not an issue – though one might discuss the possible recommendation with others first for a "reality check." When in doubt regarding the traditions of one's kingdom in this matter, I recommend that one err on the side of caution.

What can go wrong

Some of these may not apply to a given kingdom...

• The letter gets lost in transit and never arrives.
• The letter arrived, but got lost later. (It could happen.)
• The candidate hasn't yet been to an event where the Crown was.
• The candidate has moved to another kingdom.
• The award is an AoA or higher and the candidate doesn't have a current paid membership (at least according to the listing that the Crown has when they check) in a kingdom where this is required.
• The Crown doesn't know that the candidate is at the event because the sign-in sheets from registration/troll were illegible.
• Some important information is missing from the letter. Always include your email address (if you have one).

For a kingdom-level polling order, the order has to have enough members at the meeting (which is probably at an event) – and these meetings MIGHT be held once a quarter at most. Based on the polling results, the secretary of the order recommends people to the Crown. IF the Crown approves, THEN the candidate could be brought into the order.

Not just letters: on-the-spot appreciation, too

If someone's doing good stuff, let them know right then and there. (A few people even prefer this instead of awards from the Crown.) If they're an associate, let their peer know. If their SO is also in the Society, let them know. If you're an officer, let your superior know in your reports. Share the good news.

And ... when you think of it later, and you have enough information, let the Crown know by sending them a recommendation for an appropriate award for that person.

 

Articles on this topic by other people

 

 

Forms on the kingdom Web sites: annotated linkage

The reviews are presented for comparison and contrast and to mention the things I like ("yay") and things I don't like ("boo"), and other observations ("hm"). Yay/Hm/Boo added in March 2007.

Section added 1 May 2004. Last reviewed on 16 November 2008 - added Caid.

 

Your feedback is most welcome. Would you like to send me email?

Original page posted: December 22, 1999 • Links tested: January 1, 2011 • Last tweaked: January 1, 2011
 
The address for this page is [ www.therotunda.net/sca/recommend-award.html ]
 
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