Case Study: East Texas Communities Foundation achieves a 550% increase in applicants and a streamlined application and evaluation process with SmarterSelect

East Texas Communities Foundation gets more applicants and achieves a dramatically better application process with SmarterSelect

East Texas Communities Foundation (ETCF), which administers 70 scholarship funds across 32 East Texas counties, faced a wholly manual paper application process that required photocopying and assembling separate submissions for each fund and handling transcripts and references sent separately. ETCF needed an online solution to reduce paperwork, save staff time, and simplify the experience for applicants and reviewers; they partnered with SmarterSelect and its Common App/online application system to address this challenge.

SmarterSelect moved all 70 scholarship applications online using its Common App, adding in-app broadcast messaging and built-in evaluation tools; as a result ETCF saw applications jump 550% (from 658 to over 3,700) and reported faster, more objective scoring and fewer administrative steps. SmarterSelect’s evaluation functionality and applicant workflow improvements made it easier for students to submit multiple applications and for evaluators to quantify and complete reviews.

East Texas Communities Foundation

Mary Lynn Smith

Program Officer