AwardSpring

Thanks to all of the amazing folks that came out to join us for a break at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) conference at Tom’s Watch Bar. It was great to have so many conversations and in person connections either folks we only see virtually so often. It’s not too late to connect with us. Stop by booth 423 to grab some resources and discover how the Fund Platform can support student success.

It's live. The 2026 Donor Stewardship Benchmark arrives today. 125 institutions told us how they manage and steward scholarship dollars. The data shows where those dollars get stuck, and what the strongest programs do differently. Read it: https://lnkd.in/gKZ_4QtF We're at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) conference all week. Come find us at Booth 423 to talk about what the findings mean for your program, and to see the Fund Platform built for Financial Aid.

Tomorrow we release the 2026 Donor Stewardship Benchmark at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) conference. 125 institutions. A benchmark for how higher ed manages and stewards scholarship dollars. The findings are honest, and in a few places, uncomfortable. If you want it the moment it drops, join the list: https://lnkd.in/gKZ_4QtF And if you're in National Harbor, come talk through it with us at Booth 423.

Most scholarship tools were built to store data, not to make sure every dollar reaches a student. The Fund Platform is built for Financial Aid: · See which funds are at risk of going unawarded in real time, not at year-end. · Match eligible students to restricted funds faster, with SpringIQ doing the heavy lifting and your team in control: autopilot, co-pilot, or human-in-the-loop. · Connect fund utilization to compliance, so the picture is always current. We support 600+ organizations, and we've been doing this for 10+ years. See it live at Booth 423 at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) conference, June 29 to July 2 in National Harbor.

71% of the institutions we surveyed had at least one scholarship fund go unawarded last year. Not because the money wasn't there. Because Financial Aid, Advancement, and Finance were working from different systems, with no shared view of which funds were at risk before the deadline. That's one finding from the 2026 Donor Stewardship Benchmark, built on responses from 125 institutions. The full report releases June 29 at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) conference. Be first to see it: tinyurl.com/2y8llqzc

We're heading to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) conference. Come find us at Booth 423. We're bringing two things higher-ed teams have been asking for. First, the Fund Platform, live and in your hands: the connected system across Scholarship Management, Donor Management, Fund Management, and Donor Experience so Financial Aid, Advancement, and Finance finally work from the same picture of every scholarship dollar. Second, a first look at the full 2026 Donor Stewardship Benchmark ... What 125+ foundations told us about where stewardship is breaking down. The full report drops June 29, and Booth 423 is where you'll see it first. Find the link in the comments to get on the waitlist to be sure you get it as soon as it drops. Our team will be on the floor all week. See you there!

If you already run scholarships on AwardSpring, the donor side is closer than you think. Donor Management sits right on top of the scholarship and fund data you trust us with and turns it into a unified donor record: every gift, every fund, every interaction in one place. No exporting. No stitching systems together by hand. Join us Monday, June 22 for a walkthrough of Donor Management, how it fits onto your current setup, and a first look at the new fundraising and donor CRM capabilities coming to the Fund Platform. Built for advancement, donor relations, and foundation teams. Look Again: Donor Management in the AwardSpring Fund Platform Monday, June 22 · 2:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM CT Register: https://lnkd.in/guV_Bd_A #Advancement #DonorRelations #HigherEdFundraising #DonorManagement #AwardSpring

You probably know AwardSpring for scholarships. Look again. There's a whole donor side to the platform you may not have seen yet. Donor Management gives advancement and donor relations teams a unified donor record - every gift, every fund, every interaction in one place, built right around the scholarship and fund data you already trust us with. Segment and target donors, acknowledge gifts, run engagement workflows, and report on all of it without stitching the picture together by hand across systems. On Monday, June 22, we're walking through Donor Management, how it fits, and a first look at new fundraising and donor CRM capabilities rolling out across the Fund Platform. Bring your questions. Look Again: Donor Management in the AwardSpring Fund Platform Monday, June 22 · 2:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM CT Save your seat: https://lnkd.in/guV_Bd_A #DonorManagement #Advancement #HigherEd #FundraisingOperations #AwardSpring

This is the kind of stewardship I wish more campuses were watching for. A University of South Florida student recently posted on LinkedIn about receiving a scholarship through USF and AwardSpring, and what stood out to me was not just the gratitude. It was how naturally she told the story. She shared the excitement. She shared what she is balancing. She shared how much the scholarship meant. And she did it in a way that also builds her professional brand. That last part matters. As traditional resumes become less of the full picture, students who know how to use LinkedIn as a “living resume” are giving future employers, mentors, and networks a much better view of who they are. The question is: are colleges and universities helping students learn how to do this? Because this feels like such a clear win-win. For students, it is a chance to celebrate a milestone, practice professional storytelling, and show the grit behind the achievement. For donor relations teams, it creates something every donor wants but teams often have to chase: authentic impact. Not a forced thank-you. Not another task on a student’s checklist. Not a form that feels disconnected from their life. Just a student sharing their story in their own words. And maybe the opportunity is not to ask more of students, but to collaborate differently. Career services. Advising. Student success. Financial aid. Advancement. What if these teams helped students see scholarship moments as professional moments, too? A simple LinkedIn post can become a dot-connector between the student experience and donor impact, while still putting the student’s professional growth first. That feels like the future of stewardship to me. Less “please write a thank-you.” More “let’s help you tell your story in a way that opens doors for you.” Congrats to Jasmine and bravo to USF. Always love seeing this kind of organic impact made on students at an AwardSpring partner campus.

Two new leaders are joining AwardSpring. We’re proud to welcome James Francis as Chief AI Officer. James was previously CEO of Screencastify, one of the most widely used video tools in education, and went on to found Paper Jam AI, an AI development firm. AwardSpring was an early customer of Paper Jam, and our work became a turning point for us. It pushed our team to go AI-native and showed us what is possible. James will lead both sides of our AI effort - AI-first products for our customers across the donor and fund lifecycle, and how we work as a team every day. Kevin Martin joins as President. Kevin has spent almost 15 years in education technology, most recently in key leadership roles at Instructure, and over a decade building Parchment by Instructure into the leading academic credentials platform. He brings a rich background of forging partnerships and leading world class teams to AwardSpring, where he will be in charge of deepening our partnerships with institutions across the country. Welcome to the team, Kevin and James. #AwardSpring #FundPlatform #HigherEducation #EdTech #Leadership