Creating Your Dollars for Scholars Social Media Presence
For any nonprofit, it is vital to meet stakeholders where they are – and, for most of us, that's social media. In October, North Dakota Dollars for Scholars held a virtual training for its 65 chapters, sponsored by the Bank of North Dakota. A panel of active Dollars for Scholars social media users shared what they have learned. The session was titled “Hashtags, Mentions, Likes and More: Creating Your Dollars for Scholars Social Media Presence.”
“Part of what drove us to the social media side was the need to compete with the many organizations in the area", said BJ Bumactao and Gary Freeman, President and former Board Member of Stamford Dollars for Scholars. “We use Facebook and Instagram to recognize and thank our donors, sponsors and highlight our former recipients. Remember to keep it fresh. Your social media presence is who you are.”
Read on for more recommendations, and find a video of the full panel and roundup of social media posts from various Dollars for Scholars in Affiliate Resources.
Key Takeaways
Be fearless. From Bruce Myers, President, Taconic Hills Dollars for Scholars: “Don’t be afraid to jump in, it’s all do-able. Don’t be locked into thinking you can only have people who live in your district (area) help you. Three former scholarship recipients have started working with us on our Facebook and Instagram accounts, and none of them currently live in our area.”
Lead with students. Engage a student Intern, former scholarship recipient or student board member to co-lead your social media efforts. Create a student take-over of your social media accounts, and have them share a day or a week in their lives.
Use more than one social platform. Establishing a social presence provides powerful tools for fundraising and community engagement. From Sylvia Olsan and Barry Olson, President and Fundraising Chair of Esperanza Scholarship Foundation Dollars for Scholars: “[LinkedIn] is a great way to recruit board members and helps us tell the story of our students’ education and career paths after they receive their scholarships.” The Dollars for Scholars Social Media Handbook in Affiliate Resources provides a great overview of each social media channel.
Use Scholarship America resources and link out to our social media pages or other Dollars for Scholars, high school and key community partner pages.
Review Your 2021 Program Design
With COVID-19 still impacting every level of education, and with students finishing up their fall term, it’s an ideal time for your Dollars for Scholars to review your program design for 2021. As you develop next year’s application, think about the impacts that COVID has had on the communities you serve, and adjust accordingly. Consider how you want to address:
Letters of recommendation
ACT/SAT Test Scores
Activities participation
Full-time enrollment
Revisit the ‘Dollars for Scholars COVID-19 Information and Resources’ document available in Affiliate Resources for more information and reach out to your Engagement Director with any questions.
ICYMI: 2020 ChapterNet Enhancements
A number of enhancements were made to the ChapterNet system on August 10, 2020, one being a new look and layout to the Admin site. Check out the August 2020 Enhancement Overview guide and video, available in Affiliate Resources, to get familiar with the changes.
NEW – Reporting Dashboard – One of this year’s enhancements was the addition of a reporting dashboard. Depending on your Security Profile, the dashboard will be pre-populated with helpful, up-to-date report data on scholarships and applicants. This dashboard can be customized by User. Refer to the Enhancement Overview video for more details.
2021 GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program Now Open
Deadline: January 5, 2021
The GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program offers $10,000 renewable scholarships – up to $40,000 each – to numerous students annually. This national program is open to current high school seniors who demonstrate leadership, drive, integrity and citizenship similar to that of our nation’s 40th President. Scholars are invited to participate in a special awards program and receive ongoing leadership-development support in college and beyond.
Share this opportunity with students in your community and encourage them to apply here.
