Using Data to Identify Scholarship Fund Growth Opportunities

Growing scholarship funding doesn’t have to start with a major campaign. In fact, some of your most promising opportunities are already in your data—if you know where to look.

With the right tools and a clear process, your team can surface growth opportunities by analyzing fund performance, identifying donor engagement signals, and aligning unmet student need with donor intent.

This post outlines five practical ways your team can use data to proactively strengthen your scholarship funding pipeline—without increasing headcount or starting from scratch.

Start with Fund Performance Insights

Every scholarship fund holds valuable performance data. Some are active and growing, while others remain underutilized or go un-awarded year after year.

Start by reviewing a fund-level report that includes:

• Current fund balance
• Total dollars awarded in the last cycle
• Number of students supported
• Multi-year awarding trends
• Timing of award disbursement

With AwardSpring, you can easily filter and view fund-level performance data across multiple years, helping you flag underused funds and benchmark your most impactful ones.

Why it matters: You can’t grow what you’re not actively measuring. Fund performance data reveals where stewardship and outreach can have the biggest return.

Analyze Donor Engagement and Giving Behavior

Scholarship donors who haven’t given in a while—but are still opening emails or attending events—represent a prime opportunity for reactivation.

With AwardSpring’s donor reporting and segmentation features, you can track:

• Donor-designated fund activity
• Renewal vs. lapse history
• Impact report delivery and engagement
• Which funds have the strongest student stories or engagement tied to them

Cross-referencing these insights with your advancement or foundation CRM can help prioritize outreach to donors showing signs of re-engagement potential.

Why it matters: Dormant donors may not be gone—they may just be waiting to see impact. Targeted outreach supported by real-time data can bring them back to the table.

Match Unmet Student Need to Donor Priorities

Scholarship growth isn’t just about increasing the number of donors—it’s about funding the right opportunities.

Use AwardSpring’s application data to map:

• Which programs, departments, or demographics have the highest number of qualified but unawarded applicants
• Where demand is consistently outpacing funding
• Where students are dropping off in the application process due to perceived ineligibility

Overlay this with your known donor priorities or gift intent to identify high-potential matches.

Example:

“In the College of Health Sciences, 43 students applied for aid aligned with community service values—but only 6 were funded. Here’s an opportunity to re-engage donors passionate about local impact.”

Why it matters: Data-driven appeals resonate. When you show donors where their gift can directly address unmet need, you move from request to solution.

Leverage Student Stories with Supporting Metrics

A compelling student story backed by data is one of the most powerful tools in your fundraising arsenal.

With AwardSpring, you can gather recipient testimonials at the point of award acceptance, link stories to fund performance, and use visuals and metrics to build stronger growth cases.

Pair each story with:

• Number of similar applicants who weren’t funded
• Program completion or retention data
• Financial need statistics for the broader applicant pool

Why it matters: Emotion drives giving—but data builds confidence. Together, they create a strong, strategic narrative for why growth is needed.

Track Opportunity Gaps to Align with Institutional Priorities

Finally, use fund and applicant-level reporting to identify opportunity gaps you can elevate internally. These insights can support case development, cross-departmental collaboration, and broader advancement planning.

Track and share metrics like:

• Percentage of funds with declining usage
• Departments with few or no designated scholarships
• Applicant demographics with limited access to aid
• Projected fund exhaustion timelines

Then use these insights to engage academic leadership, strategic planning teams, or corporate and foundation relations staff.

Why it matters: Growth doesn’t happen in isolation. Making the case internally, with hard data, helps align fundraising efforts with student success priorities.

Final Thoughts: Growth Is Already in Your Data

Your next wave of scholarship funding may not require a new initiative—just a clearer view of what’s already happening.

AwardSpring equips scholarship and advancement teams with the tools to analyze fund activity, identify opportunity gaps, track student need, and personalize donor outreach at scale. With the right reporting strategy, you can turn your data into your most powerful fundraising tool.

See How AwardSpring Helps You Use Data to Grow Your Scholarship Program