Planning Scholar Celebrations & Creating Connection with the Class of 2021

Scholarship award season is just around the corner – here are some tips and resources to safely acknowledge and connect with your scholarship recipients. Celebrating and staying connected with this year’s students will keep them moving toward their dreams after high school. If you haven’t already begun these conversations, there is still time to:

1. Check-in with your local schools to learn more about their COVID-19 guidelines and plans for commencements and celebrations.  
2. Plan to participate in your school’s virtual or socially distanced events – or create a summer event to keep students focused on their fall or future admissions goals.  
3. Use what you learned last year to creatively show students you’re here for them: lawn signs, scholarship award baskets drop-offs, CarMencements, or socially distanced in-person events.  
4. Use social media and your local newspaper to acknowledge the Class of 2021.  
5. Create a low-cost online graduation KudoBoard to acknowledge your Scholars. Tip: Enter "Class of 2021" and "Dollars for Scholars" in the name fields.
6. Create a private Facebook group or ask students to opt into a WhatsApp group to stay connected. Use these platforms to remind students of upcoming deadlines, share information and stay connected with them post-high school. 

Dollars for Scholars Connect

We hope to see you next Thursday, April 1 for our second Dollars for Scholars Connect. In addition to our general discussion, we’ll be welcoming guest speaker Jeff Silverman – grandson of Scholarship America founder Dr. Irving Fradkin, and a member of our Board of Trustees.

Join in to hear Jeff’s stories about his grandfather and legacy, share best practices that are working for your Dollars for Scholars, and ask questions you may have. Register below by clicking on your Engagement Director’s name (Not sure who your Engagement Director is? Find the state-by-state listing here. Chapters in North Dakota are welcome to attend Despina's session.)

Save the dates for our future Dollars for Scholars Connect meetups on Thursdays--August 26 and October 7.

Help Celebrate the 100^th Anniversary of Dr. Irving Fradkin’s Birthday

Our founder, Dr. Irving Fradkin, was born 100 years ago – March 28, 1921. We’re celebrating this milestone anniversary all month long, and there’s still time for you to be part of it!

Some of you knew or worked with Dr. Fradkin; all of you have seen his impact and been inspired by his belief in community scholarship support. His vision has touched many lives, and we want to hear your perspective – visit this link to share how Dr. Fradkin’s legacy has inspired you and your own work with students, or to share a story, memory, picture or video. See our email from March 15 for more information.

 Scholarship Award Season FAQs

Q: Why is this student not matching to a scholarship?

A: In order to match to scholarships, a student needs to 1) search for scholarships while they are open by going to the My Scholarships section of their account and, 2) meet all of the eligibility requirements for a scholarship. This includes answering “Yes” to any associated Custom Eligibility Questions and meeting all of the Standard Restrictions entered on the scholarship. For more on matching, and what to look for as you review applications, see the training video, "How a student matches to and applies for Dollars for Scholars scholarships,” in Affiliate Resources.

Q: Why is an applicant “No Longer Eligible?”

A: An applicant’s status will change to No Longer Eligible for two reasons: 1) the student did not apply for the scholarship before the deadline and searched again after the close date or 2) the student’s profile and/or the eligibility requirements of the scholarship changed such that the student is no longer eligible to apply.

Q: How do I send an email to a group of students?

A: You can email a group of students through a report. Which group of students you want to email will determine the report you should use.

TIP: When emailing from a report, use the “Email and Track Students” option, when available, so that the system keeps a record of the App IDs of the students. You can view the list in Sent Emails.

Q: Where do we find videos, guides, templates and other resources?

A: Find these and more in Affiliate Resources, located under “Chapter Info” in the navigation menu in ChapterNet. TIP: Use the search filters on the page to locate resources more quickly.

Affiliation Fees + Financial Report

If you haven’t already, please make sure to send in your affiliation fees and update your financial report in ChapterNet by March 31, 2021. In addition, there’s a new option for you to access your funds faster with ACH Direct Deposit. You can find the ACH Overview and Authorization Form in Affiliate Resources.

Questions? Contact your Engagement Director!