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: 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.
Step 4: 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.
Step 5: Review Recommendations
Bold.org’s Scholarship Evaluation Specialists leave rolling recommendations to help guide your decisions. These recommendations are based on the student's alignment with the scholarship's goals and values. You’ll find their recommendations in the Recommended tab. While these insights are helpful, you are not obligated to follow them, and your final decisions are entirely up to you.
Step 6: Select Your Finalists
To narrow down the applications starting to 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 7: Mark Prospective Winners
After finalizing your list of finalists:
Go to the Student Profile.
Click the ribbon icon next to the student you’d like to mark as a prospective winner.
Confirm your selection. The student will now appear in your Prospective Winners tab.
Step 8: Validation Process
Once you’ve marked a prospective winner, our team will validate the selection based on eligibility requirements and the recommendations from our Scholarship Evaluation Specialists. We ask that you select your finalists and prospective winners days in advance to allow time for review.
If there are any concerns or issues with your selection, your Donor Relations Manager will reach out to you directly. If we do not receive your prospective winner selection by the specified date, our team will finalize the winner based on existing recommendations and announce on the original announcement date. Should you need more time, simply email us to adjust the announcement date.
Step 9: Announcement Date
On the announcement day:
We notify the winners and finalists by email and SMS.
We begin working with the winners to distribute the scholarship award.
You will also gain access to the Winners Page of your scholarship, where you can promote the winners and scholarship impact with your network.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How Are Recommendations for Finalists Made?
Our Scholarship Evaluation Specialists review applications on a rolling basis and provide recommendations based on how closely applicants align with the scholarship’s criteria. To assist in this process, our engineering team has built a model that helps screen for AI-generated content and plagiarism to recommend the most genuine student profiles. These recommendations are designed to guide your decision, but the final selection is entirely up to you.
Depending on the total number of applicants for your scholarship, you can expect anywhere from 5 to 25 recommendations. As you review applications, please let your Donor Relations Manager know if the applications are not meeting your expectations so the criteria can be adjusted.
Can I Contact the Finalists & Winners?
Direct contact with finalists or winners is not permitted to maintain fairness and confidentiality. However, after the winner is selected, you may work with the Bold.org team to coordinate thank-you notes or other appropriate communications.
How Do I Ensure the Money Is Accurately Awarded?
Bold.org handles the distribution of scholarship funds directly to the winners or their educational institutions. Our Awards Operations Team is responsible for validating winners and ensuring accurate distribution of the funds. If winners have any questions about their awards, they can contact awards@bold.org. In the event of any delays in a winner accepting the award or if we are unable to validate the winner, your Donor Relations Manager will contact you to discuss selecting a runner-up from your finalists.
For any additional questions or assistance, please reach out to our Donor Support Team at donors@bold.org.