Your 3 Rs for 2022 & Beyond
Last spring, as we celebrated the Class of 2021, it seemed like a return to a pre-pandemic normal was in our view. But the highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 has thrown us a curveball. The virus has changed—but so have our communities.
High schools are working in hyperdrive to ensure students can continue to attend school safely, and the last year has taught us all to navigate online platforms for everything from school, to church, to chapter events and remote work. You can take the lessons learned during the pandemic, and use these tools to manage your Dollars for Scholars and keep the mission strong for the class of 2022 and beyond.
Re-connect: Celebrate the work you have accomplished over the past two challenging years. As the pandemic began, Gettysburg Area Dollars for Scholars started using virtual board meetings that included “happy half-hours” before board meetings to catch up and socialize. The meetings turned out to be a great way to be inclusive of all board members, and chapter president Steven Heidecker says, “there are so many pluses…I wonder if we will ever return to face to face meetings.” No matter how you decide to meet, in-person or virtually, acknowledgment and social connection are key to keeping your mission alive.
Your website and social channels can also help you reconnect with your community. Adding video excerpts or streaming your award ceremonies showcases your work making it easier to recruit and engage your community.
Re-energize: Now is a great time to add membership to your board. A new crop of parents and champions in your community want to support your community’s students, no matter what! And don’t forget your alumni—consider engaging them virtually to work on special projects, evaluation committees, social media, or to become members of your board.
Remember, the pandemic has taught us we can make a difference from anywhere. North Dakota Dollars for Scholars began inviting Michele Nguyen, a Scholarship America Dream Award Scholar at the University of North Dakota, to review applications. Now, even though she’s a graduate student in another state, Michelle has joined North Dakota’s Dollars for Scholars Board. Gettysburg Area Dollars for Scholars has also recruited its first student board member who can join virtual meetings from afar. Great ideas and engagement!
Re-tool: As you bring back in-person fundraising events, be sure to have your Plan B ready in case gatherings are not possible, or other circumstances get in the way. Creating an online donation campaign is a smart, cost-effective tool to help navigate the uncertainties of pandemic life—and the viral nature of online campaigns gives nonprofits greater access to communities beyond the ones they have been reaching.
When it comes to your students, take this time to retool your application. Chapters now have more flexibility to streamline the student application. This is key as you consider whether it makes sense to request test scores and additional required activities given pandemic realities for students.
Finally, consider the expanded Fradkin Legacy Awards as a tool to foster increased, impactful scholarship awards, renewable scholarships and student supports beyond the check. Find out more in Affiliate Resources, and apply by the September 30 deadline!
ChapterNet Enhancements, Annual Archive and Data Removal
Among the ChapterNet enhancements launched on August 2 are:
- The ability to deactivate additional sections of the student profile
- A tool to record administrative comments on a student’s application
- The option for students to change their own custom eligibility question answers.
For detailed information on all of this year’s enhancements, please see the August 2021 ChapterNet Enhancements Overview PDF or Video, available in Affiliate Resources.
Don’t forget! Coming up on September 1 –
- Annual Archive: We archive data in ChapterNet to ensure the platform continues to run efficiently, and to start the new scholarship year. For more information, see “ChapterNet Guide: Annual Archive” in Affiliate Resources.
Inactive Student Data Removal: We will be permanently deleting inactive records from ChapterNet. You can read more about this in the email sent on June 17.
In September, chapters that have successfully transitioned their online donations will have the first access to new marketing resources! You’ll have new creative materials to begin your online donation campaigns, including Giving Tuesday and end-of-year fundraising.
Join the nearly 100 chapters that have already transitioned or are in the process of moving to a new online donation platform. Steve Knopp, President of Hutchinson Dollars for Scholars said when considering Give Lively online donations, “Why wouldn’t we do something like this?”
Even if you have not had much online donation traffic, it’s a welcome way to serve your alumni and out-of-town donors, and event ticketing and other features are available with your free Give Lively membership.
Check out our 7 Tips on Getting Started to make the transition as seamless as possible:
- Do not use a personal email address for any part of this process. Request a free, @dollarsforscholars.org account if your chapter does not have an organizational account.
- Download our Guide and follow the steps. Do not skip steps. For example, if you have not completed Step 2: Claiming your GuideStar profile, Give Lively cannot verify your nonprofit status, which may cause delay or denial in Step 3: Applying for Give Lively membership.
- Get your questions answered. With a multi-step process, you may have questions. Contact your Engagement Director or use the responsive chat feature at GiveLively.org. Learn about Give Lively features at their resource hub and support portal.
- Request your Nonprofit Discount from Stripe, after your Stripe account is activated.
- Turn on ACH bank donations, the most economical way to donate, by enabling ACH terms and agreements in your Stripe Account.
- You are not finished until you connect your website's "Click to Donate" button to your online donation platform.
Sign up for a weekly onboarding webinar offered by Give Lively, once your chapter is approved for membership.
On The Scholarship America Blog
- Maine Proud: Meet the 2021 A. Cressy Morrison Scholars: Profile of the two statewide winners of this prestigious award for Maine Dollars for Scholars communities
- Four Ways Scholarships and Financial Aid Can Make a Bigger Impact
- College Students’ COVID-19 Resource Guide
Reminders
- Now - 2022 Dream Award is open for applications for full-time college students
- August 26 – Dollars for Scholars Connect session for you to ask questions and share successes with fellow volunteers (see email sent August 19 for links to register or contact your Engagement Director)
- September 1 - Archiving 2021 data
- September 30 – Dr. Irving Fradkin Legacy Awards application deadline
- November 1 - Online donation transition must be completed; Dollars for Scholars chapter donations will no longer be processed through scholarshipamerica.org
Questions? Contact your Engagement Director!