ScholarMatch: Streamlining Donations and Student Support with IoT

• Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Database Management & Storage
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Databases

• Education
• Equipment & Machinery

• Track & Trace of Assets

ScholarMatch, a program founded by author Dave Eggers in 2010, aims to assist low-income and first-generation students in their journey to college. The program not only helps students apply to college but also provides a support system to increase their chances of graduation. ScholarMatch started by helping 39 students through crowdfunded scholarships and by 2016, it had assisted 698 students, 97% of whom are on track to graduate. These scholarships are donation-based and are awarded to eligible ScholarMatch students who have participated in their college access programming. However, tracking these donations and maintaining communication with donors was a challenge. Additionally, ScholarMatch wanted to expand its services by analyzing colleges and universities across the United States to launch ScholarMatcher, a tool that rates colleges for their supportive environments for students. Collecting and managing feedback from students using this tool was another challenge.

ScholarMatch is a program that assists low-income and first-generation students in their journey to college. Founded by author Dave Eggers in 2010, the program provides a support system to increase the chances of these students graduating. ScholarMatch started by helping 39 students through crowdfunded scholarships and by 2016, it had assisted 698 students, 97% of whom are on track to graduate. These scholarships are donation-based and are awarded to eligible ScholarMatch students who have participated in their college access programming. The organization also launched ScholarMatcher, a tool that rates colleges for their supportive environments for students from households making less than $50,000 a year.

ScholarMatch leveraged the power of IoT to streamline its operations. It used a Zap, a bridge between two apps, to connect the online payment processor Stripe and Airtable, a spreadsheet and database organizer. When new charges come through Stripe, the app automation tool Zapier adds the charges to a specific Airtable database. This triggers another Zap that automatically sends an email from Gmail to the donor, thanking them for their contribution. This solution allows ScholarMatch to track donations and email donors regardless of the time of day or the frequency of contributions. To manage feedback for ScholarMatcher, the organization uses Gravity Forms, a WordPress-based form. When a student submits their feedback, ScholarMatch pushes that information into a different board on Airtable. This allows the ScholarMatch team to stay on top of student concerns and improve their services.

• The implementation of IoT solutions has significantly improved the operations of ScholarMatch. The automation of donation tracking and donor communication has streamlined the process, making it efficient and reliable. The organization can now track donations and communicate with donors at any time and regardless of the frequency of contributions. The use of Gravity Forms for collecting student feedback has also improved the functionality of ScholarMatcher. The team can now quickly access student feedback and address their concerns, leading to continuous improvement of the tool. Overall, the use of IoT has enabled ScholarMatch to work more efficiently towards its goal of ending the cycle of poverty through higher education.

• ScholarMatch started by helping 39 students and by 2016, it had assisted 698 students.

• 97% of the students assisted by ScholarMatch are on track to graduate.

• ScholarMatch rates approximately 300 colleges for their supportive environments for students.