Thank you!

April is National Volunteer Month, and Scholarship America President & CEO Mike Nylund has a video message for all of our Dollars for Scholars volunteers.mike-dfs-national-volunteer-month-video

This month, and always, we thank you for devoting your time, talents, and resources to making a difference for the students of your communities.  

 

Generations Joining Forces: Student and Alumni Volunteers

As you heard in the video above, Dollars for Scholars volunteering keeps our founder’s legacy alive and ensures our mission can thrive. Generations of volunteers have contributed to those efforts—and it’s vital to keep engaging student and alumni volunteers in this rewarding work.   

Here are a few examples of how some Dollars for Scholars involve their former scholars and keep their generational momentum going forward. 

Hope High Dollars for Scholars (RI) 

Jane Bermont, President of Hope High Dollars for Scholars, says their former scholars serve on the evaluation committee "learning the process and how we evaluate and select scholars—and providing their valuable input from their own experience of applying for and winning scholarships." Don’t forget, you can involve reviewers using a virtual process, allowing your former scholars to participate from any location.    

karla-robles-speech-intouchExcel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars (IL)

Nancy Robb, President of Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars highlights a standout first-gen former Scholar, Karla Robles, who serves on their Mentee Committee in support of each new class of mentees and mentors. "The experience of Karla Robles exemplifies our goal, to mentor first-generation college students and empower them to mentor other first-generation students in return." 

YouthPower365 Dollars for Scholars (CO) 

Rachel Tjossem, YouthPower365 Board Member, reports recent Dollars for Scholars alumni are volunteering to contact fellow scholarship recipients from the last decade, as part of an outcomes data project in collaboration with University of Northern Colorado researchers. Rachel said she is hoping near-peer alumni will see increased success in reaching students to complete the demographic survey.  

South Eastern Dollars for Scholars (PA)  

Janice Bowman, President of South Eastern Dollars for Scholars, says 2015 Scholar Zachary Snier  actually asked to join their Board. In addition to his skills with social media and technology, Janice says “[Zachary’s] MBA degree proved beneficial when I shared my vision on our board structure. He was instrumental in leading meetings over the summer of 2021 to create an organizational chart and write job descriptions.”    

Zachary also recruited fellow 2015 high school alumnus Hogan Strickland, an MBA and wealth management advisor, who has served as Treasurer since Spring of 2021. (His employer does not manage chapter funds.) Janice notes that “his experience provides a deeper level of understanding of investments and the markets, and he is able to work with our financial advisor to manage our funds.” 

wernig-scholarship-videoAnother South Eastern Dollars for Scholars alum is giving back, literally, by becoming a donor. Daniel Wernig created a $1,000 scholarship of his own, which will be presenting its third award to the Class of 2022. (He provided this video at last year’s virtual awards event.)

Thanks to Give Lively’s Peer-to-Peer fundraising feature, it’s easier than ever for alumni donors like Daniel to share your mission and raise funds for your Dollars for Scholars. Access the Peer to Peer Give Lively Fundraising Materials here and in ChapterNet Affiliate Resources to learn more. 

 

Staying Connected with Your Scholars

To keep engaged with your scholars and foster relationships like the ones featured above, start by offering renewable scholarships—multi-year awards keep you connected with your recipients and involve them in your mission. Using ChapterNet to administer your scholarships and track your disbursements allows you secure access to the status of their educational outcomes and next steps.  

As your scholarship recipients progress, use social media to stay engaged, and encourage your scholars to create accounts on LinkedIn, which will allow you to stay up to date once they graduate. Using LinkedIn can even help you track the outcomes of your program.  

Questions? You can reach out to your fellow volunteers like those from Esperanza Scholarship Foundation Dollars for Scholars, which has used LinkedIn, campus graduation lists, and social media to track their graduation outcomes.

 

Upcoming Awards Events: Making Those Connections You’ve Been Missing

img-book-power-of-momentsAfter two years of virtual pandemic-style awards nights, 2022 promises to be a standout year for returning to in-person celebrations. As you plan for this year’s events, check out The Power of Moments, a resource that delves into the unique resonance of moments that elevate, provide insight, pride, and connection.(Among many other examples of elevated moments, the book highlights the evolution of College Signing Day.)  

Make sure you are set up to create those moments of connection with your students in conjunction with their awards—which can help create the momentum to power through what is known as summer melt. This includes pre- or post-award huddles with your recipients, where you can briefly orient them to next steps, deadlines, instructions and award-packet contents like template donor thank you notes.  

In addition, encourage your recipients to update and share their email addresses as many will lose their school email accounts after graduating. Take advantage of free tools like a private Facebook group or a WhatsApp group to seamlessly post reminders of important email communications or to invite your recipients to future events.  

 

What Exactly is in a Financial Aid Offer?

You have likely seen offers your scholars are receiving from campuses they have applied to, and they may have come to you with questions. Our April 2021 inTouch story gives a relevant summary of the parts of a financial aid offer, and what students should look for in making their decisions. 

 

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Awards Policies: Best Practices Matter 

The technical support desk is commonly asked how to award students who either did not match or did not submit their application to a particular scholarship. While we are happy to help you resolve this question technically, we also ask that you take the time to ensure your decision is in keeping with your Dollars for Scholars' Awards Policy.  

As a matter of best practice, any time your Dollars for Scholars chooses to make an exception to the policy or do something outside of the norm, your board should vote on this and have a written record that you agreed to make an exception and why.  
 
This ensures that the procedures your Dollars for Scholars has set up are followed, and that all applicants and awardees are treated in a fair and objective manner. 

Award Season Resources 

As your Dollars for Scholars works through awards season, feel free to put the templates for award letters, announcements and certificates, available in Affiliate Resources to use. Simply search "award template" to see the various templates available.  

 

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Questions? Contact your Engagement Director!