Scholarship Provider Coffee Talk: Post-Award Communication… or Lack Of

Keeping open lines of communication with your awardees can be difficult - and the award is just the beginning! Once selected, students may need to formally accept the award, confirm their university, and provide proof of enrollment or transcripts prior to receiving funding. Though you hope students will provide what you’ve asked for in a timely manner, there is often more to it than that. If after your efforts, students are still lacking documentation, what happens next? We'll talk about what’s worked, what hasn’t, and learn from each other as we move forward into the coming award season.

Some questions we cover:

• What types of documentation are you asking students for and do you see any patterns in what is easy or what is hard for them to provide?
• How do you manage your post-award communication with students?
• If information does not make it to you in a reasonable amount of time and/or students fail to inform you of an important change (school, major, etc.) how do you move forward?

The purpose of this forum is to bring professionals from across the sector together to share experiences and best practices. 

About the Author

Alyse has been working in the field of college access and scholarships for over 10 years with a focus on students residing in California’s Central Valley. She believes in the power of scholarships to uplift students, families, and communities. Born and raised in Bakersfield, California, she has deep roots and strong connections to the nonprofit sector. Before joining Foundant, Alyse spent three years with the Kern Community Foundation as they transitioned from limited paper-based scholarships to extensive online scholarship portfolio through Foundant. This exceptional experience allowed Alyse to work directly with students and school staff prior to application, build relationships with donors and community volunteers during selection and follow-up, and support awarded students throughout their college career; maintaining awareness of the entire path of success.

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