As part of its Resilient Philanthropy series, Foundant recently hosted a conversation with three scholarship providers about what they learned during the pandemic and how they used that information to create greater impact for the students they serve. This is the final post in a three-part series that highlights lessons learned and promising practices.
Triangle Community Foundation (TCF) already had multiple student-centric initiatives in its program development pipeline when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020. As its scholars began evacuating college campuses and started incurring unexpected expenses for travel home, immediate housing needs, and more, TCF fast-tracked the launch of its Student Assistance Fund to provide students with a much-needed cash infusion. TCF’s team worked diligently with their staff, board members, and donors to implement the Fund three years ahead of schedule, and learned a great deal about how to work with organizational leaders and supporters to create responsive, resilient strategies that are in students’ best interests.
Watch the webinar Foundant recently hosted with TCF and other scholarship providers to hear more about their experiences, and read on for a high-level summary of resilience practices they employed.
Focus on Students
All of TCF’s stakeholders care deeply about students and their successes. When speaking with executives and donors, TCF’s Senior Scholarships and Education Officer, Sarah Battersby, said, “You want to help students. We want to help students. How can we do it together?” Regularly revisiting organizational and programmatic intent helped maintain focus on scholars and ways TCF could help.
Collect and Share Stories, Data
The TCF team discovered that leadership is highly motivated by real-time information. Staff shared both quantitative and qualitative data about individual scholars, as well as about the collective group of students. This information helped to make the case for–and generated excitement about–creating programming that better responds to student needs. Using application and follow-up form fields such as GPA, extra-curricular involvement, and leadership experiences, they were able to describe how accomplished students had been and how much promise they held. TCF staff also tracked average financial need and compiled responses to questions about financial circumstances. They used all of this data to create at-a-glance views of scholars’ situations, as well as documents and presentations to illustrate the importance of interventions like the Student Assistance Fund.
Involve Students Directly
TCF has long involved scholarship recipients in meetings with organizational leaders and donors. Battersby describes this as a vital donor engagement strategy that has aided her team in building donor support for proposed initiatives and ideas. Both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, members of TCF’s Scholarship Recipient Advisory Committee joined board and committee meetings virtually, recounting their own experiences and describing issues among the broader student community. In advance of meetings with executives and donors, the TCF staff prepares students to share their stories, encouraging them to be open and honest. During the pandemic, TCF began compensating Committee members with a small stipend for providing the Scholarship Team with guidance and decision-making advice about student-centric issues.
Making Your Program More Student-Centric
Want to ensure that your stakeholders have students’ best interests in mind? Consider using one or more of TCF’s tried and tested tactics:
- Regularly remind staff, board members, and donors of your collective mission, vision, and values.
- When creating forms and communicating with students, collect information about demographics, academics, involvement, leadership, and financial circumstances that will help motivate your stakeholders to make meaningful change.
- Create reports that list individual and aggregate data that can be used for storytelling.
- Invite scholars to tell their own stories during board and donor meetings.
- Invite your scholars to be advisors on program and organizational priorities.
Learn More
Read the first two blogs in the series for more practical advice from fellow scholarship providers:
- Understanding Student Needs and Building Responsive, Resilient Support
- Building Student Resilience into Scholarship Program Management
Also watch a recent educational webinar, Increasing Access for All Students through Data-Driven Practices, co-hosted by National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA) and Foundant Technologies (click the link in the slide deck to access the video recording).
Learn how Foundant can streamline your scholarship management.
Jennifer Alleva
Jennifer Alleva is the Chief Executive Officer at Your Part-Time Controller, LLC (YPTC), a leading provider of nonprofit accounting services and #65 on Accounting Today’s list of Top 100 accounting firms.
Jennifer brings over three decades of expertise in accounting and leadership to her role as CEO of YPTC. A graduate of Boston College and a Certified Public Accountant, Jennifer joined YPTC in 2003 following a career in public accounting with Arthur Andersen and serving as Director of Finance and CFO for several companies. Jennifer was named YPTC Partner in 2007 and served as YPTC Managing Partner from 2018 to 2024.
As an advocate for excellence in nonprofit financial management, Jennifer has dedicated herself to educating Executive Directors and Board members on best practices in the field. Her commitment to advancing the accounting profession and nonprofit sector is reflected in her tenure as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania Fels Institute, her frequent speaking engagements on nonprofit financial management issues, and her role as the founder of the Women in Nonprofit Leadership Conference in Philadelphia.
When Jennifer joined YPTC in 2003, the firm consisted of just over 10 staff members. Since then, she has helped grow YPTC into one of the fastest growing accounting firms in the country. Throughout this growth, Jennifer has fostered countless opportunities for staff members to grow and expand their skills, contributing to YPTC’s consistent recognition as a Best Place to Work.
Jennifer’s passion for promoting the nonprofit’s mission-driven work extends beyond her professional endeavors. She has served as Treasurer of the Board for Catholic Partnership Schools in Camden, NJ, and has served on the Board of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Jennifer was a charter member of South Jersey Impact100, an organization dedicated to philanthropy and community impact. And, in 2021, Jennifer launched the Mission Business Podcast, which spotlights professionals and narratives from the nonprofit sector.
Jennifer Alleva’s leadership, expertise, and commitment to the nonprofit sector have not only contributed to Your Part-Time Controller, LLC’s significant growth, but have also advanced the field of nonprofit financial management. Through her professional achievements and community involvement, Jennifer continues to empower those dedicated to positivelyimpacting the world.
This blog is an original work of the attributed author. It is shared with permission via Foundant Technologies’ website for informative purposes only as part of our educational content in the social good sector. This text’s views, thoughts, and opinions belong solely to the author and do not necessarily reflect Foundant’s stance on this topic.