Letter Template for Financial Support Request

Dear [Supporter’s Name],

I am writing to invite your organization to support a groundbreaking international conference that strengthens research management through our innovative ROPE REACH methodology. The conference, “Effective Research Management: From Proposal to Impact,” will unite research managers, scientists, and technicians for an innovative three-day programme.

This conference addresses a critical need in the research ecosystem by introducing ROPE REACH, an integrated methodology that harmonizes research management with scientific practice. Our approach uniquely combines administrative excellence with scientific rigor, ensuring that management practices enhance rather than hinder scientific progress. The program features hands-on workshops, expert-led sessions, and collaborative opportunities that bring together management and scientific perspectives.

The ROPE REACH methodology represents a comprehensive 14-step research management framework that begins with baseline assessment and culminates in evidence-tested sustainable impact:

• Baseline: We establish the initial situation before intervention, creating a reference point for measuring progress.
• Ambition: We document local stakeholders’ goals and desired implementation methods, capturing their voices authentically while understanding current management practices.
• Outcome Challenge: We identify specific obstacles preventing stakeholders from achieving their ambitions through directed questioning.
• Activities: We design targeted interventions to overcome identified challenges, enabling stakeholders to reach their ambitions.
• Milestones: We break down activities into specific components with clear responsibilities and timelines.
• Input: We identify available and needed resources, treating resource gaps as additional challenges to address.
• Output: We quantify activity results per milestone, ensuring measurable progress tracking.
• Outcome: We document actions taken by stakeholders as a direct result of our activities.
• Progress Marker Design: We develop quantitative indicators at three levels (Expected, Wished for, Dreamed of) to measure outcomes.
• Progress Marker Scoring: We evaluate progress using a 1-5 scale, with low scores triggering challenge reviews.
• Sustainable Impact: We ensure lasting implementation by transforming successful activities into standardized procedures.
• Standard Operating Procedure (SOP): We document successful activities as written instructions for consistent application.
• Good Management Practice (GMP): We create frameworks to structure SOPs, making them easily implementable across programs.
• Testing the Evidence for Sustainable Impact (TestE): We verify impact through scientific surveys and contribution tracing methodologies.

Key conference outcomes include:

• Development of integrated research management-scientific workflows using the ROPE REACH framework
• Creation of cross-functional networks between research managers and scientists
• Implementation tools and environments for efficient research execution
• Frameworks for measuring both scientific infrastructure and scientific impact
• Training in Progress Marker design and scoring methodologies
• Techniques for developing SOPs and GMPs from successful research activities

Your support would contribute to:

• Bringing together diverse participants from research institutions across Africa
• Developing integrated management-scientific resources and toolkits based on ROPE REACH
• Facilitating professional knowledge exchange between management and scientific domains
• Creating lasting impact in how research is managed and conducted through documented SOPs
• Establishing evidence-testing mechanisms to verify the sustainability of research outcomes

We welcome the opportunity to discuss how this integrated approach can transform research practices across Africa and beyond. The ROPE REACH methodology has already demonstrated success in various research contexts, providing a proven framework for enhancing research effectiveness from proposal development through to sustainable impact.

Detailed budget information and case studies of ROPE REACH implementation are available upon request. Your support would be instrumental in advancing both the management and scientific aspects of research across Africa and Europe, creating a legacy of improved research practices that extend far beyond the conference itself.

Thank you for considering this request. We look forward to your response and potential partnership in this transformative initiative.

Best regards, [Your Name] [Your Organization]