This guide will walk you through the steps of reviewing applications, selecting finalists, and marking prospective winners.
Step 1: Log In to the Donor Dashboard
Log in to your Bold.org Donor Account.
Once logged in, navigate to the Donor Dashboard.
Click on your scholarship name.
Step 2: Review Applications
After clicking into your scholarship, you’ll be taken to a page that includes key details such as:
Application deadline
Date for finalist selection
Winner announcement date
On this page, you’ll find the following tabs:
All Applicants: Displays all the applicants for your scholarship.
Recommended: Contains applicants recommended by our Scholarship Evaluation Specialists.
Finalists: Lists the applications you’ve marked as finalists.
Prospective Winners: Shows applications you’ve selected as potential winners.
To review an application:
Click on a student’s name to open their Student Profile.
View their application essay (if applicable).
Continue scrolling to review the student’s profile, which highlights their academic background, hobbies, extracurricular activities, aspirations, and personal interests.
Step 3: Review Recommendations
Our Scholarship Evaluation Specialists leave rolling recommendations to help guide your finalist and winner designations. These recommendations are based on the student's alignment with the scholarship's eligibility criteria. You’ll find recommendations in the Recommended tab.
Step 4: Select Your Finalists
To narrow down the applications and mark your finalists:
In the student’s profile, click the “Add to Finalists” button located in the top-right corner.
This will move the student into your Finalists tab.
Why Finalists Matter
Selecting finalists acknowledges students’ hard work and keeps them encouraged. Additionally, finalists can serve as runner-ups in case the winner is not eligible.
Important: Remove any students you do not want to advance to the finalist round before the announcement deadline.
Step 5: Mark Prospective Winners
To mark your prospective winners:
Go to the Student Profile.
Click the ribbon icon next to the student you want to mark as a prospective winner.
Confirm your selection. The student will now appear in your Prospective Winners tab.
Step 6: Announcement Date & Award Distribution
On the announcement day:
Winners and finalists are notified by email and SMS.
Our team will begin validating the winners' eligibility and coordinating the distribution of the scholarship award.
You will receive a celebratory email with a link to your scholarship's Winner's Page, where you can showcase the winners and share the scholarship's impact with your network.
If any concerns or issues arise regarding a winner's eligibility, your Donor Relations Manager will contact you as soon as possible.
How to Filter Applications
You can filter applications by:
Degree, state, city, school, major, GPA, demographics, and whether you have read the applications.
You can also sort by:
Profile strength, application date, and ranking by stars.
How to Rank Applications Using the Star Rating System
While reviewing applications, you can use the star rating system to evaluate applicants on a scale of 1 to 5. This helps you prioritize candidates based on how well they align with your scholarship criteria. Star ratings are private and not visible to students; they serve as an internal tool to help you stay organized during the review process. Additionally, you can add private notes on each applicant’s profile to record your thoughts and insights as you review.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How Are Recommendations for Finalists Made?
Our Scholarship Evaluation Specialists review applications on a rolling basis, recommending candidates who best align with your scholarship criteria. To support this process, our engineering team has developed tools to screen for AI-generated content and plagiarism, ensuring recommendations highlight genuine student profiles. These recommendations serve as a guide to narrow down your total applications. Depending on the number of applicants, you can expect 5 to 25 recommendations. Please contact your Donor Relations Manager if the applications or recommendations don’t meet your expectations.
What Happens If I Don’t Designate Finalists or Winners?
If we don't get your designations by the deadline, our team will select the finalists and winner(s) based on the existing eligibility criteria and recommendations, making sure the scholarship is awarded as scheduled in accordance with the Bold Foundation's Donor Terms & Conditions.
Final recipient selection is managed by the Bold Foundation to comply with tax-exempt regulations and ensure fairness.
Donors can participate in the selection process as non-controlling members of the selection committee.
If a donor is unresponsive, the Foundation will select recipients in line with the donor’s original intent as outlined in the scholarship criteria.
In cases where the donor’s intent cannot be fulfilled, funds may be redirected to align with the donor’s wishes, while adhering to all regulations.
Can I Contact the Finalists & Winners?
Direct contact with finalists or winners is not permitted to ensure fairness and confidentiality. However, your Donor Relations Manager can help facilitate thank-you notes or other appropriate communications after the winner is announced.
How Do I Ensure the Money Is Accurately Awarded?
Bold.org distributes scholarship funds directly to the winners or their educational institutions. Our Awards Operations Team is responsible for validating winners and ensuring the accurate distribution of the funds. If winners have any questions about their awards, they can contact awards@bold.org. If a winner delays accepting the award or we cannot validate the winner, your Donor Relations Manager will contact you to discuss selecting a runner-up from your finalists.
If you have any other questions or need help, please contact our Donor Team at donors@bold.org.