Get the Most | Submittable Next · Issue 5 · October 2026

Last issue covered the Applicant Insight Form, the private, org-only record that follows each applicant across every program. Read Issue 4 here.

This time we're looking at Request Forms: the way to collect letters of recommendation, references, and other third-party input without chasing a single email yourself. 

Let’s go!

What It Is

The best case for an applicant often comes from someone else. A professor who has watched a student grow. A community partner who has seen the work firsthand. 

Request Forms are how applicants can invite those voices straight into their application. It’s a form that you create, so you control the questions. Then, the applicant directs the form to the correct contact. Responses come back attached to the application, and the applicant never sees the Request Form itself.

How It Works

There are two steps to setting up Request Forms:

1. Build the Request Form 
2. Add a Request Section to your Intake Form 

Build the Request Form

As a Program Owner or Manager: Open your program → Cycle Settings → Intake → Request Forms. 

Add fields the same way you would on any other form in Next. It saves automatically as you go. 

Remember this is what the Recommender will fill out—so if you need to know more information about them make sure to ask it on this form.

Add the Request Section

Open your Intake Form and add a Request Section. The configuration panel opens on the right, where you:

• Pick the Request Form recommenders will complete. Haven't built it yet? Leave it blank and connect it later.
• Choose the fields the applicant fills in for each recommender. Email Address is always required. Toggle others on or off, mark them required, or hide them.
• Set the minimum and maximum number of requests. The minimum is 0 (more on this below) and the maximum is 10.
• Make sure to include instructions. If you are requiring two request forms to be completed before they can submit their application, make sure to state that in the section.

Click Done, then Save.

Full click-by-click walkthroughs → Request Forms and Configure a Request Section

What Applicants See

The applicant stays in control of their requests from start to finish, so your team isn't stuck in the middle forwarding emails.

• Send a request. The applicant enters each recommender's details (name, email, and any other fields you turned on) and sends the request. The recommender gets an email with a link to your Request Form.
• Remind a recommender. Deadline coming up and still waiting? The applicant can send a reminder right from their application. No need for them to email you, or for you to email anyone.
• Delete and add. Recommender out of office or no longer available? The applicant can delete that request and send a new one to someone else, up to the maximum you set.

• Get notified. When a recommendation is required, applicants can't submit until it's in. As soon as a recommender submits, the applicant gets an automatic notification, so they know the moment they're cleared to finish.

Tip: Send applicants straight to their own guide. Manage Your Request Forms (References & Recommendations) covers everything they can do from their side. Link it in your Request Section instructions or applicant emails.

What Recommenders See

For the person filling out the Request Form, it's as simple as it gets. No account is needed, which means no sign-in or password.

1. They receive an email with a link to the Request Form.
2. They fill it out and click Submit.
3. That's it. They're done.

Once they submit, they automatically receive a copy of what they filled out for their own records.

What Admins See

Completed Request Forms show up right alongside the application in Intake and Review. No separate inbox, no matching attachments by hand.

The section uses whatever name you gave it, like "Partner Support" or "Letters of Recommendation" (the screenshot below says "Reference Request"). It only appears once the first response comes in. Each submitted request gets its own entry labeled with the section name and the recommender's name.

Tip: If Request Forms are essential to your program, add them to your application intake data view to keep a close eye on how many have been sent and received.

Making Requests Optional

If recommendations are optional, set the minimum number of requests to 0.

The minimum controls whether an applicant can submit. With a minimum of 1 or more, the applicant can't submit until that many requests have come back. With a minimum of 0, they can submit right away.

Requests still work after submission. Any recommendations that arrive later attach to the application automatically, so nothing gets lost. This is a good fit when a letter strengthens an application but you don't want a slow recommender holding up a deadline.

How to Get the Most out of Request Forms

Here are some ways to make Request Forms work harder for you.

Letters of recommendation. The classic. Instead of a file upload field, consider creating a structured form: ask how long they've known the applicant, in what capacity, and how they'd rate them on the criteria that matter to your program. This way, reviewers will get comparable answers instead of ten different letter formats.

Professional or character references. For fellowships, residencies, and leadership programs, ask a reference to speak to specific qualities rather than writing a general endorsement.

Employer or supervisor verification. Confirm employment, hours, or role directly from the source, which is useful for workforce and employee assistance programs.

Fiscal sponsor confirmation. Have the fiscal sponsor verify the relationship directly instead of relying on an uploaded letter.

Partner support and MOU confirmation. For grants that depend on collaboration, ask each partner to confirm their role, their commitment to the project, and any formal agreement in place. For long-term partnerships, like a school working with a research team, they can also describe how decisions are shared and upload a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) right on the form.

Letters of commitment for collective impact work. When a grant funds a coordinated, cross-sector effort, ask each partner agency to state what they're contributing: staff, services, data, or funding. You get commitments in a consistent format instead of a stack of letters that each say something different.

Expansion site readiness. Taking a program to new locations? Ask each new site to confirm it's ready to participate and what it will provide.

Past funder references. Ask a previous funder how the applicant managed an earlier award: reporting, outcomes, and communication.

Community voice. Ask the people a project serves, such as residents, families, or program participants, to share why it matters to them.

Tip: Keep the Request Form short. Recommenders are doing your applicant (and you) a favor. Aim for a focused  form asking only for essential information. 

Worth Knowing

• You can always customize the auto communication emails to the recommender and the applicant. 
• Applicants never see the Request Form. They only see the Request Section where they enter the contact.
• Recommenders don't need to sign in, and they get a copy of their submission.
• Optional requests? Set the minimum required to 0. Applicants can submit, and late requests still come in.

Tip: Want to see every reference request in one place? Download a file from the intake round that shows each reference's name & title (if provided), email, and request status (sent, opened, or submitted), plus their form responses once they submit.

1. In the intake round, click Actions, then select Export All Applications Data.
2. When you get the email that your download is ready, click Go to Downloads Page, then click the download icon to the far right of the file.
3. Open the ZIP file and find the CSV named after your Request Section (for example, Application - Letters of Recommendation.csv).

Questions? Reach out to our team!

Related Resources

• Request Forms →
• Configure a Request Section →
• Edit Communications: Default Setup & Recommendations →
• Applicant Help Article →