Case Study: University of Northern Colorado achieves streamlined scholarship applications and faster, paperless awards with Blackbaud Award Management

University of Northern Colorado - Customer Case Study

The University of Northern Colorado struggled with a fragmented scholarship process: students had to submit separate applications for more than 1,000 awards, reviewers received printed packets that were slow to circulate or lost, reporting was limited, and the scholarship system didn’t integrate with the student information system — forcing repeated verifications. The UNC Foundation also lacked access to awardee information and thank-you letters, creating administrative bottlenecks and delays.

UNC implemented Blackbaud Award Management with a cross-functional advisory board to create a single application workflow, nightly Banner imports to prefill student data, and online scoring and review tools. Reviewers moved finalists and awarded students in the system, students accepted awards and submitted donor thank-you letters online, and the foundation gained direct visibility into recipients. In the first year applications rose 40%, the review cycle sped up so awards were completed before classes began, and staff gained improved reporting and a visual dashboard.

University of Northern Colorado