Dapple doesn't have a built-in references feature — but you can collect references reliably by combining a private project, a dedicated submission form, and bulk messaging. The process takes about 15 minutes to set up and gives you a live view of who has and hasn't submitted a reference at all times.
Here's how to do it, step by step.
How do you segment candidates who need to provide a reference?
Create a dedicated stage in your main project and move all successful candidates into it. This groups them into a cohort you can message and track as a unit.
Open your project and go to Stages.
Click Add stage and name it clearly — References Requested or Awaiting Reference both work well.
Move every successful candidate into this stage.
Everyone in this stage now needs to arrange a reference. Anyone not in it doesn't. That distinction matters when you send your bulk message in a later step.
How do you create a separate form for referee submissions?
Create a brand new, private project in Dapple specifically for referee submissions. Referees are third parties — they aren't candidates, so their submissions need to live separately from your main programme.
From your dashboard, click New project.
Name it clearly — References — [Programme Name] works well so it's easy to identify later.
Open the project Settings and set visibility to Private. This keeps the form off your public Pages listing — only people with the direct link can access it.
Keeping the referee project private means you control exactly who reaches the form.
What fields should a reference submission form include?
Build the form inside your new references project using the Form Builder. At a minimum, include fields that identify the candidate being referred and capture the referee's response.
Go to Form inside the new project and open the Form Builder.
Add the fields your programme needs. Recommended fields:
Name of the candidate being referred
Referee's full name
Referee's organisation and job title
Reference statement (long text field) or specific reference questions
File upload, if you require a written reference document
Once the form is complete, copy the form link from Share or Publish settings — you'll include this in your message template.
Because the project is private, the form link is the only way a referee can reach it.
How do you create a message template for reference requests?
Build a reusable message template in Dapple so you can send the same reference request to all candidates in bulk, personalised with their name.
Go to Settings → Message Templates and click New template.
Write a message asking candidates to share the referee form link with their chosen referee. Include:
What the referee needs to do and by when
The direct link to your referee submission form
Any guidance for the referee on what to include
Add merge tags to personalise automatically — inserting the candidate's first name makes the message feel direct rather than broadcast.
Save the template.
Having this as a saved template also means you can reuse it for future cohorts without rebuilding from scratch.
How do you send a reference request to all candidates at once?
Send a bulk message to every submission in your references stage using your saved template. This reaches all candidates simultaneously, with one send.
Go to your main project and open the Stages view.
Select all submissions in your References Requested stage.
Click Compose Message.
Select your reference request template.
Review and send.
Each candidate receives the message with the referee form link and can forward it directly to their chosen referee.
How do you track which candidates have completed their reference?
Track reference completion by either moving candidates between stages or applying a tag when each reference comes in. Both give you an at-a-glance view of who's outstanding — choose whichever suits your workflow.
Option A — Use a new stage
Add a new stage to your main project — name it Reference Received.
Each time a referee submits their form, find the corresponding candidate in References Requested and move them to Reference Received.
Anyone still in References Requested hasn't had their reference submitted. Anyone in Reference Received has. The stage view makes the split obvious.
Option B — Use a tag
Go to Settings → Tags and create a new Submission Tag — for example, Reference Received.
Each time a referee submits, open the corresponding candidate's submission and apply the tag from the right-hand panel.
Filter your submissions list by the tag to see all candidates with a completed reference at any time.
Tags are useful if you want to keep candidates in a single stage and use filters to surface the distinction rather than moving submissions around.