When people join membership programs at associations and nonprofits, they may be looking for professional development opportunities, new ways to connect with peers who share similar interests, or simply the personal fulfillment of engaging with an organization or cause they care about. Keeping these reasons in mind helps you reinforce the value of membership to potential new and existing members.

Application and review processes may seem like a back-end management responsibility at your organization, but they’re actually integral to your membership value proposition. Not only do they help you make data-driven decisions that eventually lead to higher member engagement rates, but they also allow members to get involved in new ways and derive more value from their membership.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to manage three application-and-review-based offerings that are common among associations and similar organizations: awards, abstracts, and grants. But first, let’s look at some broadly applicable tips for making the most of these processes.

General Considerations for Application & Review

Every application and review procedure offers different benefits to your overarching association strategy or nonprofit membership program objectives. However, there are a few general shared qualities that make them all effective, including:

  • Clear, concise application forms. If members land on a form that is too complex, disconnected, or difficult to use, they’ll likely abandon it. Limit your applications to essential questions only, provide clear instructions for completing them, and incorporate your organization’s branding into the form’s landing page to reassure applicants that they’re in the right place.
  • Fair review proceedings. You should always do everything in your power to ensure every applicant has an equal shot at achieving their goal. Vet judges carefully to identify and prevent conflicts of interest early, and have them conduct multiple rounds of review using a standardized scoring system. Then, you can average the ratings to get a holistic assessment of each application rather than relying on isolated, subjective opinions.
  • Consistent communication with applicants. Application and review will only contribute to overall member engagement if you take active steps to ensure members stay in the loop throughout the process. Share any relevant updates as they become available, and stick to your promised timeline for communicating application decisions.
  • Data collection and analysis. Track relevant metrics like total submissions, average scores per judge, and conversion rates from promotional materials to help you evaluate and improve your processes. Additionally, consider sending out surveys to applicants about their experiences to supplement your data. According to Clowder’s member engagement guide, asking for and implementing feedback shows members you value them as you refine your procedures, so it’s a win-win!

Software will be your best friend in any application and review activity you might undertake. Look for a solution that allows you to manage all four of the above aspects, plus additional elements of your specific process, in a unified platform to streamline your internal work and, in turn, provide a better experience for applicants.

A Closer Look at Specific Application & Review Processes

Now that you understand the basics of application and review, let’s dive into the additional factors you’ll need to consider to make specific processes run smoothly for your membership organization.

1. Awards

Awards are a great way to recognize members who have gone above and beyond. You base awards on years of involvement, leadership within your program, contributions to the community, outstanding achievements in their professional industry, or any other criteria that will benefit your strategy. Depending on your membership structure, you can also create awards for individuals, organizations, or both.

Some unique aspects of managing application and review for awards include:

  • Communicating eligibility. Make it clear who can submit nominations (the general public, members only, your organization’s employees or board, etc.) and who can be nominated for each award.
  • Managing sponsorships. Businesses and individuals may be happy to provide funding for your awards program, but you should also give them a benefit in return, such as naming an award after the person of their choice or giving winners a gift that promotes their company.
  • Celebrating winners. While there are many ways to recognize award winners (e.g., creating plaques or certificates for them, shouting them out on your website, or hosting a reception), your chosen methods need to resonate with each award’s specific audience.

As OpenWater’s awards management guide explains, “When your awards process runs smoothly, everyone wins: your team, applicants, sponsors, and entire community.” Not only can you make a stronger impact on your members with well-managed awards, but you can also boost your organization’s overall reputation.

2. Abstracts

Especially for professional associations, annual conferences and related educational events (webinar series, workshops, etc.) are often a pivotal element of member engagement. But simply bringing members together isn’t enough—you also need to find event speakers who they’ll be interested in and have a valuable experience hearing from, which is where abstracts come in!

As you manage these short descriptions of proposed presentations, make sure to consider your:

  • Call for abstracts. Submission instructions and criteria are only part of a comprehensive call for abstracts. You also need to outline the types of presentations speakers could participate in (keynotes, poster sessions, panel discussions, etc.) and include ample context about the event and its audience for preparation purposes.
  • Judging criteria. In addition to ensuring speakers’ research is solid and their proposed presentations would go over well with your members, make sure you have enough variety in formats and topics among approved abstracts.
  • Event schedule. Once you notify speakers that their abstracts have been approved, reference the proposals as you build a calendar of presentations that allows event participants to attend as many sessions that align with their interests as possible. Spread out presentations that would appeal to the same attendees, and leave enough time between sessions so members can attend each one in full.

Ensure your abstract software integrates with your other event management tools to make this notoriously difficult aspect of planning slightly less time-consuming and stressful for your team.

3. Grants

Grants allow your organization to fund important work that your members are doing in their fields, whether they’re conducting research or implementing hands-on programs to improve their communities. Although there is sometimes overlap between grant and award programs, awards typically focus on past achievements, while grants look to the future to support potential progress.

To effectively manage grants, you’ll need to:

  • Create detailed proposal instructions that not only provide you with all of the information you need to make a decision but also help applicants determine whether your grant aligns well with their funding needs.
  • Ensure proper fund management so you can report grant disbursements accurately and stick to your organization’s budget.
  • Implement end-to-end progress tracking that covers open grant opportunities, outreach, follow-ups, payouts, and reports provided by grant recipients.

Additionally, when shopping for a grant management solution, choose software designed for grantmakers, not grant recipients. These are two distinct categories of tools with different functionalities, but they’re frequently called by the same name. You need a platform that lets you track how you’re awarding funding rather than applying for and spending it.

Whether your organization implements one, two, or all three of these application and review processes, the tips above should provide a solid foundation for effective management. Just make sure you never lose sight of why you’re managing awards, abstracts, and grants: to provide additional value to members and encourage them to stay in your program long-term.