Kaleidoscope’s Post

Looking for ways to make your scholarship program more inclusive? Here are some top ways to create an affirmative and inclusive space in your application. 1️⃣ Rethink gender identification options. It’s a small change to your application, but utilizing open text for self-identification as a choice can make everyone feel seen and included in your application process! 2️⃣ Prioritize essential information. No one likes being overloaded with questions. Consider being transparent on which information will be used or not in the selection process and placing demographic questions further down in the application. This can help applicants feel more comfortable and valued throughout the application. 3️⃣ Include opportunities to share financial situations. Unique circumstances create unique applicants. When you request FASFA information, it is essential to give applicants an opportunity to elaborate on their financial situation. Financial need may not be reflected appropriately if some applicants face obstacles in completing the FAFSA and the Student Aid Index might not solely capture the financial challenges of applicants. One of our Customer Success Managers, Megan, provides insight into how these changes can create an inclusive space for your applicants!

New Paint. 🎨 New Space. 🏢 New opportunities. 🤝 Last week we started in our new space. Yesterday we made it official with a fresh paint job. Swing by and check it out next time you are in the North Loop!

It's officially been one week in our new North Loop space and it's been incredible so far! The new space is more than just an office – it's the start of a new beginning for the our team that will provide us the opportunity to grow even bigger, and help us create an environment that inspires and fosters collaboration. Here's to the next chapter! 🎉 🎉 🎉

An amazing way to wrap up #PrideMonth in our Kaleidoscope office! We had the pleasure of hearing from Aaron Zimmerman, MA, CFRE the Executive Director at PFund Foundation on the importance of LGBTQ+ inclusivity in scholarship. One of the key takeaways for our team is the importance of an unbiased, diverse review board and selection committee. We'll share more takeaways soon in an effort to help all scholarship providers ensure they are not simply being "non-exclusive" but are making a real effort to be actively "inclusive". Thank you Aaron for all of the knowledge today! We're better off because of you and your work.

Here are some of the top ways for you to keep your donors engaged and continuing to support your scholarship and grant programs year over year 1️⃣ Send Donor Impact Reports This will help donors understand the difference their dollars make - think, number of scholarships awarded, schools attended, dollars disbursed, demographic information, and even further accolades these scholars have received after attending college. 2️⃣ Send Donor Thank You Notes This one seems almost too simple, but the impact that a thank you note from you or even better, one of your award recipients, makes on donors can be profound. 3️⃣ Produce Student Success Stories Taking the time to highlight a couple of students who have received awards can help donors visualize where their dollars are going by hearing directly from the scholars they are supporting. These stories can be as simple as a selfie video from a scholar with templated questions. No need to have a fancy video producer in order to make this work! One of our Account Managers, Audrey, gives more details on how these strategies can be impactful in retaining donors!

We're excited to announce our newest partnership with The SkillPointe Foundation! Together, we’re empowering donors to make a real difference by investing in skilled labor education and workforce training. 💡 Why This Matters 70% of the 9.5 million job openings in the U.S. don’t require a four-year degree, and approximately 80% of students attending a 2-year school drop out due to an unexpected expense of less than $1,000. Our new partnership allows donors to create their own Signature Scholarship or contribute to The National SkillPointe Scholarship, to directly support individuals pursuing these high-demand careers. Join us in supporting the next generation of skilled workers and building a stronger workforce for America’s economy! Read the full release in the comments below.

Communication is key when running a scholarship process. Think of all the messages you share with applicants throughout an award cycle... 1️⃣ Announcing the application open date 2️⃣ Reminders to finish the application 3️⃣ Deadline and closing reminders 4️⃣ Winner announcements 5️⃣ Check-ins with all applicants throughout their college journey to maintain a strong relationship And everything else in between.... Oftentimes scholarship providers will ONLY use email to communicate One of our Account Managers, Audrey, shares why it's important to consider email and SMS in all communication with applicants!

Using video can be a top tier way to showcase your award winners, and your program on the whole to drive further applications in the coming years, and more donor dollars coming in to grow your award pool. Even if you aren't a videographer or designer, with the use of some easy-to-use, free design tools, you can create a stunning video to announce your winners. For more tips and details on how to create stellar award announcements, join us for a webinar tomorrow Tuesday May 14th from 11 AM-12 PM CT. Link in the comments below to register!