How to Engage Scholarship Donors in Real Time (Not Just After the Awards)

Most scholarship stewardship happens after the awards are made—often months after a donor has made their gift. But what if you didn’t wait?

Engaging donors during the scholarship cycle can deepen relationships, build transparency, and keep them emotionally connected to their gift in real time. According to a 2022 report from CCS Fundraising, donors who receive multiple touchpoints throughout a giving cycle are 34% more likely to renew their gift the following year.

In this post, we’ll walk through actionable ways to involve scholarship donors throughout the application, review, and awarding process—without adding major overhead for your team.

Set Expectations Early: “Here’s What You’ll See This Cycle”

Many donors are in the dark about what happens between gift receipt and award notification. Creating a quick snapshot of what the year looks like keeps them informed and engaged from day one.

Send them:

• A one-page “Scholarship Cycle at a Glance” timeline
• Key dates they can expect updates (application open, review period, awarding)
• What types of data or stories they’ll receive—and when
• Optional opportunities for involvement (more on this below)

Why it works: This level of proactive communication builds donor confidence and prevents radio silence during critical phases.

Share Application Milestones (Without Breaching FERPA)

Even before awards are made, you can share donor-friendly, aggregate insights that help them feel connected to the momentum.

Examples of what to share mid-cycle:

• Number of students who have started applications
• Popular majors or programs represented
• First-generation or Pell-eligible applicant trends
• A quote (with permission) from a student excited about applying

Platforms like AwardSpring can make pulling this data easy, especially if you're already tracking applicant demographics and fund associations.

Why it works: Progress updates humanize the process and help donors feel part of the journey—not just the outcome.

Offer Optional “Donor Involvement Moments”

While not all donors want to be hands-on, some are deeply invested in their scholarship's mission. Offering meaningful, non-intrusive ways to participate mid-cycle can build ownership.

Ideas for engagement touchpoints:

• Invite them to a scholarship info session or Q&A with your team
• Offer to preview application questions and share feedback
• Host a short virtual panel with financial aid staff to explain how the process works
• Share anonymized excerpts from standout applications (with consent)

Important: Always clarify where donor involvement ends—donors should never influence individual award decisions.

Why it works: Thoughtful involvement builds trust and transparency, especially with major donors or family-funded awards.

Use Technology to Make Engagement Easy

Your CRM, scholarship platform, or email tool can help automate real-time updates without creating more manual work.

Tactics to try:

• Segment donors by fund type and set up automated emails for each stage of the cycle
• Use merge fields to populate specific fund names or award metrics
• Create a donor portal where they can log in to see fund activity, timelines, or aggregated data

You can even embed short student videos (with consent) into mid-cycle emails for an added emotional connection.

Why it works: Consistent touchpoints don’t have to be high-lift. Smart automation creates the sense of personal care at scale.

Build Toward the Award with a “Donor Reveal Moment”

Think of the scholarship cycle like a story arc—and bring donors into the climax. Once decisions are made, make that moment special.

Try:

• Sending a short “Award Notification” email with a note that “Your scholarship helped [X] students this year—full details coming soon.”
• Letting them know when students will be notified, and inviting them to write a congratulatory note (or contribute to a welcome message)
• Teasing your impact report or thank-you package with a preview or quote

Even small gestures here can create a sense of anticipation and emotional fulfillment.

Why it works: You’re not just showing results—you’re letting the donor feel the moment their generosity changes lives.

Final Thoughts: Stewardship Starts Before the Award

Donor engagement doesn’t have to be delayed until after awards are made. In fact, the best relationships are built through trust, transparency, and touchpoints along the way.

By inviting donors into the rhythm of your scholarship cycle—in a respectful and efficient way—you show them that their gift is not just appreciated, but alive and in motion.

AwardSpring makes mid-cycle donor engagement simple, with tools that help you track fund activity, segment communications, and deliver updates that matter.

See How AwardSpring Supports Real-Time Donor Stewardship