First time writing a rec...

[breathesgelatin]

So I have a question for the older alums out there who write recommendations regularly.

I've been asked for the first time to write a recommendation for a young woman. It's no one I know personally - a friend of a friend kind of situation. I have no hesitations writing this person a rec, as she sounds like a great candidate and I know at the school she's going to she will definitely need recs for every org and doesn't yet have one for mine. I'm happy to do a favor. But...

When you're contacted by a parent and asked to write a rec, what kind of information do you need to ask for? It's sort of an awkward situation but obviously I need enough info on the girl to write a rec. I don't know how much her mother knows about recruitment (just got an email saying "I still desperately need recs for XYZ and ABC") so I don't know exactly how to phrase my response to the parent.

Feel free to PM me if you feel more comfortable with that.