Introduction
Welcome to the CommunityForce Implementation Guide.
Regarding the Self-Implementation Guide: This guide will walk you through the process of setting up your Scholarship Management process from beginning to end. By reading the linked articles and reviewing the associated videos, you'll understand how to manage your scholarship management cycle using the CommunityForce platform effectively. In this guide, our primary aim is to address the fundamental and crucial components. However, you are most welcome to explore all the functionality available in the platform by clicking on the links in “Learn more”.
Through this Self Implementation Guide, you will acquire knowledge in the following areas:
- Using CommunityForce as an Admin: Understanding the interface, navigation, and administrative functionalities within the CommunityForce platform.
- Creating Funding Sources: Establishing the sources from which funding will be allocated to applicants. This involves setting up the financial basis for the awards.
- Creating and Publishing Application Forms: Designing the application forms that candidates will fill out. Publishing involves making these forms accessible to the intended applicants.
- Testing Applications: Ensuring the functionality and user-friendliness of the application process before releasing it to the wider applicant pool. This step involves trial runs to detect and rectify any issues.
- Monitoring Applicants: Overseeing the application process, tracking submissions, and managing the applicant pool as they apply and submit their forms.
- Setting Up and Reviewing Evaluation Processes: Creating scoring criteria and procedures for evaluating applicants. This might involve setting standards, defining rubrics, or establishing a review panel.
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Awarding Applicants: Finalizing the selection process and awarding successful applicants based on the established criteria.
This guide aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of each step involved in administering the application and evaluation process within CommunityForce. It serves as a valuable resource for effectively managing the entire application lifecycle.
Now, let's begin the implementation process!
Implementation Process
1. Accessing your Self Implementation siteStep 1: To access the site please use the following URL
Site URL - <Enter the Site URL>
Step 2: Your profile is set up in the Scholarships Self-Implementation platform. Access the site using the Global Admin credentials provided. Your Admin account information is as follows:
- Global Administrator – <Name>
- User name: <Email id>
- Password: <Password>
We have created a self-implementation application template to demonstrate how an application form should look. This sample application form can be easily modified, copied, and improved to fit your own requirements and work process.
Furthermore, the "Open Help" function that appears in the upper right corner of every page in your application can be utilized. Information on the features and functionalities that are available on each screen is provided by this feature.
We're sure you'll have an excellent experience interacting with the CommunityForce Scholarship Management System.
Setting up Administration Dashboard Settings
To begin using the CommunityForce system, you must configure all of the basic site setup features, which are all centralized on the Administration Dashboard page.
Step 1: Click on the Administration (Top Navigation bar)
Before setting up the application form, you need to adjust the following crucial tabs in the left navigation menu:
Step 2: Manage Sponsoring Organization
- To access the user guide for the Manage Sponsoring Organization, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the video for the Manage Sponsoring Organization, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the FAQs for the Manage Sponsoring Organization, kindly click on the following link:
Step 3: Manage Site Settings
- To access the user guide for the Manage Site Settings, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the video for the Manage Site Settings, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the FAQs for the Manage Site Settings, kindly click on the following link:
Step 4: Manage Academic years
- To access the user guide for the Manage Academic years, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the video for the Manage Academic years, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the FAQs for the Manage Academic years, kindly click on the following link:
Step 5: Global Notification Center
- To access the user guide for the Global Notification Center, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the video for the Global Notification Center, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the FAQs for the Global Notification Center, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the user guide for the Administration, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the video for the Administration, kindly click on the following link:
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Administration Tab
2. Setting up your Application Form
Now you are ready to set up your application form. You may either create or clone (make a copy of an existing application form).
Step 1: Click on the Create New Application or Clone Existing Application button from the home page as shown in the image below to create your application.
To create a new application
- To access the user guide for Create New Application, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the video for the Create New Application, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the FAQs for the Create New Application, kindly click on the following link:
Cloning the existing application
- To access the user guide for Clone Existing Application, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the video for the Clone Existing Application, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the FAQs for the Clone Existing Application, kindly click on the following link:
Application Setup page
- To access the user guide for General Information Setup, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the video for the General Information Setup, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the FAQs for the General Information Setup, kindly click on the following link:
As the administrator, you can access several sub-tabs when you click on the application.
These allow you to:
- Monitor the applicant's status. (Manage Applications)
- Evaluate and score applications. (Evaluations)
- Create reports based on your selection. (Manage Reports)
- Can Award the students based on the process. (Awards)
- Notify applicants about their status. (Notifications)
- Adjust the application settings and modules. (Application Settings)
Each one of the sub tabs has its own functionalities as shown below:
3. Manage Applications
Home > Application Form Name > Manage Applications
This menu includes all the functions needed to manage the application process.
- To access the user guide for the Manage Applications, kindly click on the following link:
3.1 Manage Applicants
Home > Application Form Name > Manage Applications > Manage Applicants
As your applicants apply you can monitor their activity by using the Manage Applicants dashboard.
- To access the user guide for Manage Applicants, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the video for the Manage Applicants, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the FAQs for the Manage Applicants, kindly click on the following link:
3.2 Application Graph
Home > Application Form Name > Manage Applications > Application Graph
Show applicants by status or Status Details using graphs.
- The user has an option to view applicants in graphs based on Status or Status Details.
- User can select the graph type from the available list of graphs (Bar, Column, Doughnut, and Pie)
- Users can click on any status or status details in the graph to navigate to the Applicant Status screen where the list of applicants with the same status/status details which the user selected in the graph will be listed.
- To access the user guide for the Application Graph, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the video for the Application Graph, kindly click on the following link:
3.3 Section Release
Home > Application Form Name > Manage Applications > Section Release
Once an application has been submitted, and you have disabled the ability to edit after an application has been submitted, the applicant can no longer make changes to their application form. The Section Release allows you to release sections of the application back to the applicants so that they can re-enter information after they have submitted their application.
- To access the user guide for the Section Release, kindly click on the following link:
- To access the FAQs for the Section Release, kindly click on the following link:
3.4 Manage Applicant Referrals
Home > Application Form Name > Manage Applications > Manage Applicant Referrals
Manage Applicant Referrals allows individuals to refer (or nominate) applicants to be approved to apply to a specific application form. Once referred the Administrator can monitor the referral process to see when an applicant has been referred, and, depending on what Site Settings you have activated, the Admin can also Approve or Deny those referrals.
Note: This is not an automatic functionality and will need to be activated in your Administration-Site Settings to be able to use this functionality. You will want to become familiar with the specific Site Settings that can be activated as part of this function and set them according to your process. Once activated, this functionality is available for all your application forms and cannot be set for just one application.
- To access the user guide for the Manage Applicant Referrals, kindly click on the following link:
- User Guides
- To access the FAQs for the Manage Applicant Referrals, kindly click on the following link:
- FAQs
3.5 Manage Renewal Applicants
Home > Application Form Name > Manage Applications > Manage Renewal Applicants
If you have applicants that you have awarded in your application form, and those awards are renewable and you populated the Renewal fields in the Manage Awards or Batch Awards when awarding, you can use the Manage Renewal Applicants to track those renewals.
The Manage Renewals allows you to release sections within the same original application form to the renewable recipients, to have them update those sections each year of the renewal.
- To access the user guide for the Manage Renewal Applicants, kindly click on the following link:
4. Setting up the Evaluation Process
Next, you will set up your evaluation process to manage the evaluation workflow for your reviewers to review the applicants and track the results of their reviews.
Home > Application Form Name > Evaluations
This menu includes all the functions needed to manage the evaluation process.
- To access the user guide for the Evaluations, kindly click on the following link: Evaluations - Review Assignments
4.1 Reviewer Task Setup
Home > Application Form Name > Evaluations > Reviewer Task Setup
For your reviewers to be able to review applications online, you will need to set up the task and assign them to your committee reviewers. Without a task setup, they will not be able to access the applications and view them.
The Tasks listing will display all tasks that have been added to your application. If you have not created any tasks this listing will be empty.
- In Evaluations tab, click on the “Reviewer Task Setup” on the left side of the panel.
- To access the user guide for the Reviewer Task Setup, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the video for the Reviewer Task Setup, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
- To access the FAQs for the Reviewer Task Setup, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
4.2 Manage Automated Scoring
Home > Application Form Name > Evaluations > Manage Automated Scoring
Automated Scoring is a feature that allows you to create scoring based on replies to specific questions. You would need to assign a score to a question and based on the answer given by the applicant, the system automatically computes the score and assigns them back to the applicant.
The applicant’s automated score is a combined total of all the scores set in the automated scoring section that they have met the criteria for and not an average. The automated score will show as a separate score and is not calculated into the Total Score that you see when reviewing and awarding your applicants.
- In Evaluations tab, click on the “Manage Automated Scoring” on the left side of the panel.
- To access the user guide for the Manage Automated Scoring, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the video for the Manage Automated Scoring, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
- To access the FAQs for the Manage Automated Scoring, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
4.3 Manage Committee
Home > Application Form Name > Evaluations > Manage Committee
Committees are set up for each separate application process. Open an application and click the Manage Committees option in the left sidebar menu of the Manage Applications tab. All committees, committee members, and assigned applicants will display.
- In the Evaluations tab, click on the “Manage Committees” on the left side of the panel.
- To access the user guide for the Manage Committees, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the video for the Manage Committees, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
- To access the FAQs for the Manage Committees, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
4.4 Assignments to Committee
Home > Application Form Name > Evaluations > Assignments to Committee
The use of “Assignments to Committees” feature to assign the selected task(s) to be completed by your review committee(s) or group(s) and then also select the applicant’s that they will be reviewing for that task(s).
Tasks can be assigned on a committee/group level or assigned to a committee or group based on the specific funds they are reviewing.
- In the Evaluations tab, click on the “Assignments to Committees” on the left side of the panel
- To access the user guide for the Assignments to Committees, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the video for the Assignments to Committees, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
- To access the FAQs for the Assignments to Committees, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
4.5 Auto Applicant Assignments
Home > Application Form Name > Evaluations > Auto Applicant Assignments
The Auto Applicant Assignments feature enables the system to assign applicants to the committees for specific tasks automatically. All applicants can be assigned, or filters can be used to assign applicants that meet certain criteria. (This is best used on a one-to-one application process when you are only reviewing one application and awarding one funding source.)
Once you choose the task and committee, all the submitted applicants submitted will automatically be assigned. Or you can select a filter based on a predesigned Ad hoc report you have created to filter specific applicants for assignment to a specific task.
If you have multiple stages in your review process, you have the option to assign tasks that are dependent on other tasks being completed first. If a task is dependent on another task, reviewers in the second review would not be able to review an applicant until the first review was completed.
The use of the Auto Applicant Assignment feature is a universal site feature not as per the application option. If selected, all application forms must use the feature, and the ability to manually designate applicant assignments will not be available.
- From the 'Evaluations' tab, open the left navigation panel and click on the “Auto Applicant Assignments” option.
- To access the user guide for the Auto Applicant Assignments, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the FAQs for the Auto Applicant Assignments, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
4.6 Review Committee Status
Home > Application Form Name > Evaluations > Review Committee Status
Review Committee Status displays the status of all tasks in the selected application's review process.
This segment offers an overview of your reviewer's current statuses and the tasks they've been assigned within the application review process. It allows Administrators to monitor and supervise reviewer's advancement throughout the review stage. This functionality displays outcomes according to the assigned tasks, detailing each reviewer's evaluation results for each applicant, particularly when scoring questions are part of the tasks. Furthermore, you can retrieve and print individual task sheets for each reviewer directly from this section.
- To access the user guide for the Review Committee Status, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the video for the Review Committee Status, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
- To access the FAQs for the Review Committee Status, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
4.7 Review Committee Results
Home > Application Form Name > Evaluations > Review Committee Results
This will allow you to view the average scoring total results per applicant.
Very Important: When viewing scores in the Review Committee Results it is important to remember that the scores you are viewing are the combined average for all tasks that are currently turned on, (the Display on Review Reports is checked in the Manage Applications > Reviewer Task Setup.) For example, suppose you have two separate tasks that are currently marked to display on the review reports, when you view the Review Committee Results report, you will see the average total for both of those tasks and that total will be the combined total of all the reviewers that reviewed in both tasks.
- To access the user guide for the Review Committee Results, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the video for the Review Committee Results, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
- To access the FAQs for the Review Committee Results, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
5. Manage Reports
This feature enables you to generate and view reports to verify specific information. For example, you can use it to check if applicants have completed all required post-acceptance sections in a selected application. Each section created in the application form will be displayed as a separate column in the respective report.
The "Manage Reports" tab is organized into various sub-tabs, streamlining the setup process for report management.
- To access the user guide for the Manage Reports, kindly click on the following link: Overview of the Manage Reports
5.1 Ad Hoc Reports
Home > (Select - Application Name) > Manage Reports > Ad Hoc Reports
Ad Hoc Reports offer the flexibility to generate customized reports based on specific data and filters you define. You can create an unlimited number of these ad hoc reports to meet your reporting needs.- To access the user guide for the Ad Hoc Reports, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the video for the Ad Hoc Reports, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
- To access the FAQs for the Ad Hoc Reports, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
Home > (Select - Application Name) > Manage Reports > Ad Hoc Queries
5.2 Ad Hoc QueriesAd hoc queries are spontaneous, on-the-fly SQL queries generated to obtain specific information from a database as needed. You can directly query the database by writing SQL statements. However, avoid using keywords like UPDATE, DELETE, and ALTER, as including them will result in a syntax error.
- To access the user guide for the Ad Hoc Queries, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the FAQs for the Ad Hoc Queries, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
5.3 Automated Scoring Report
Home > (Select - Application Name) > Manage Reports > Automated Scoring Report
Automated Scoring is a feature that allows you to create scoring based on replies to specific questions. You would need to assign a score to a question and based on the answer given by the applicant, the system automatically computes the score and assigns them back to the applicant.
The applicant’s automated score is a combined total of all the scores set in the automated scoring section that they have met the criteria for and not an average. The automated score will show as a separate score and is not calculated into the Total Score that you see when reviewing and awarding your applicants.- To access the user guide for the Automated Scoring Report, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the video for the Automated Scoring Report, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
- To access the FAQs for the Automated Scoring Report, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
5.4 Manage Post Acceptance Sections Status
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Home > (Select - Application Name) > Manage Reports > Manage Post Acceptance Sections Status
This is used to verify whether applicants have completed all required post-acceptance sections in the selected application. Each section created in the application form will appear as a separate column in the report.
- To access the user guide for the Manage Post Acceptance Section Status, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the video for the Manage Post Acceptance Section Status, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
- To access the FAQs for the Manage Post Acceptance Section Status, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
5.5 Section Status Report
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Home > (Select - Application Name) > Manage Reports > Section Status Report
The section status report is used to view all the applicants and the percentage of completion they have completed each section of the application. This report will show you a listing of all the applicants and each section in their dashboard. Each column will show the section and the percentage completed by that applicant.
- To access the user guide for the Section Status Report, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the video for the Section Status Report, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
- To access the FAQs for the Section Status Report, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
6. Awards
Home page > Select Application Form Name > Select Awards
You will be able to streamline your awarding process by using the Manage Award functionality.
In the "Awards" section, you will find the following sub-tabs in the left side panel:
- Manage Awards Multiple Funds
- Manage Award One Fund
- To access the user guide for the Awards, kindly click on the following link: Awards
6.1 Manage Awards – Multiple Funds
Home page > Select Application Form Name > Awards > Select Manage Awards - Multiple Funds
Manage Awards allows you to award by separate funding source(s). It is used to award applicants in the One-to-Many application processes where you have one application form and multiple funding sources assigned to that form which you have set up in the Application Setup’s Assign Application Funds and Manage Funds Criteria Information.
- To access the user guide for the Manage Awards – Multiple Funds, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the video for the Manage Awards – Multiple Funds, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
- To access the FAQs for the Manage Awards – Multiple Funds, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
6.2 Manage Awards – One Fund
Home Page > Select Application Form Name >Awards > Select Manage Awards – One Funds
Manage awards will be used to award your applicants if the application form you are awarding was used for just one funding source (one-to-one process and child application process in a Parent/Child application).
- To access the user guide for the Manage Awards – One Fund, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the video for the Manage Awards – One Fund, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
- To access the FAQs for the Manage Awards – One Fund, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
7. Notifications
Home > Select Application Form Name > Notifications
The "Notifications" tab is divided into multiple sub-tabs, simplifying the setup process for notifications.
To access the user guide for the Notifications, kindly click on the following link: Notifications - Notify Applicants, Application Invitation, and Thank You Letters
7.1 Notification Centre
Home > Select Application Form Name > Notifications > Notification Center
The Notification Centre allows you to manage the system-generated notification email templates, as well as create customized email templates that can be used to send mass emails to a group of recipients. We recommend that you review and edit each template accordingly with your messages.
- To access the user guide for the Notification Centre, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the video for the Notification Centre, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
- To access the FAQs for the Notification Centre, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
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7.2 Application Invitation
Home >(Select - Application Name) > Notifications > Application Invitation
There may be times when you have a private application that you want the applicant to be invited to apply to. Only those applicants that are invited to apply will be able to access the application form. All other applicants would not be able to access the application.
Application Invitation allows you to have private applications. To use the Application Invitation, feature all the applicants you are inviting to apply must have applicant profiles already created in the system, before inviting them. Therefore, you would need to first create applicant User profile accounts for all applicants that do not have a profile.
- To access the user guide for the Application Invitation, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
- To access the video for the Application Invitation, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
- To access the FAQs for the Application Invitation, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
7.3 Manage Donor Thank You Letters
Home > (Select - Application Name) > Manage Applications > Manage Donor Thank You Letter
Manage Thank You Letters enables you to track the progress of Thank You Letters, review and edit the letters completed by applicants, and send the finalized Thank You Letters to the appropriate donors of the awarded funds.
- To access the user guide for the Manage Donor Thank You Letters, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
8 Application Settings
In the "Application Settings" section, you will find the following sub-tabs in the left side panel:
- Sections & Questions
- General Information
- Pre-Qualification Questions
- Request Instructions to Applicant
- Submit Application Message
- Text Tabs 1 to 5
- Collaborator Instructions
- Proxy Instructions
- Assign Application Funds
- Manage Funds Criteria Information
- Manage Parent Child Application Process
- Manage Application Indicators
To access the user guide for the Application Settings, kindly click on the following link: Application Settings
8.1 Sections & Questions
Home > (Select - Application Name) > Application Settings > Sections and Questions
Once you have created your application you will need to create the individual sections and questions within the application.
The questions are categorized into various sections for the applicant to navigate easily through the process. Each section will be identified with a separate icon on the applicant’s dashboard that they see when they login to the application. Sections and Questions is where you will create these sections and their individual questions for your application.
To access the user guide for the Section and Questions, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
To access the video for the Section and Questions, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
To access the FAQ's for the Section and Questions, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
8.2 General Information
Home > (Select - Application Name) > Application Settings > General Information
After you choose to either create a new application or clone an existing one, the Application's General Information section will show up. In this section you need to set-up the application details for instance go-live date start date & end date etc.
To access the user guide for the General Information, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
To access the video for the General Information, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
To access the FAQ's for the General Information, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
8.3 Pre-Qualification Questions
Home > (Select - Application Name) > Application Settings > Prequalification Questions
This section will prequalify the applicants before they can start the application process. This is an optional feature that you can add if prequalification is required.
To access the user guide for the Pre-Qualification Questions, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
To access the video for the Pre-Qualification Questions, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
To access the FAQ's for the Pre-Qualification Questions, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
8.4 Request Instructions to Applicant
Home > Application Name > Application Settings > Request Instructions to Applicant
Request sections are used if the applicant needs someone else to complete a portion of the application. Request sections are not viewable by the applicant. This section type is usually used for Letters of Recommendation, for a Guidance Counsellor to upload transcripts or other school records, or possibly to have a parent provide information.
To access the user guide for the Request Instructions to Applicant, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
To access the video for the Request Instructions to Applicant, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
To access the FAQ's for the Request Instructions to Applicant, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
8.5 Submit Application Message
Home > (Select - Application Name) > Application Settings > Submit Application Message
When an applicant submits their application, an online submittal message will display on the screen. A submittal message must be created for each application.
To access the user guide for the Submit Application Message, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
To access the video for the Submit Application Message, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
To access the FAQ's for the Submit Application Message, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
8.6 Text Tabs 1 to 5
Home > (Select - Application Name) > Application Settings > Text Tab Information 1 - 5
There are five sections of text tabs that can be used to add information/instruction pages and tabs for the Application of Form. The text tabs are viewed by the Applicants in the applicant’s dashboard for the application they were activated on.
To access the user guide for the Text Tabs, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
To access the video for the Text Tabs, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
To access the FAQ's for the Text Tabs, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
8.7 Collaborator Instructions
Home > (Select - Application Name) > Application Settings > Collaborator Instructions
If you are allowing your applicant to collaborate with other applicants to complete their application form, you will need to set up the Collaborator Instructions. Collaborator Instructions are the instructions to the applicant on how to setup a collaboration with another applicant and invite that collaborated applicant to specific sections in their application form.
To access the user guide for the Collaborator Instructions, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
To access the video for the Collaborator Instructions, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
To access the FAQ's for the Collaborator Instructions, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
8.8 Proxy Instructions
Home > (Select - Application Name) > Application Settings > Proxy Instructions
The Proxy instructions are the instructions that the Proxy sees after they have selected the option to “Apply on Behalf of Someone Else”, when applying to an application form.
To access the user guide for the Proxy Instructions, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
To access the FAQ's for the Proxy Instructions, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
8.9 Assign Application Funds
Home > (Select - Application Name) > Application Settings > Assign Application Funds
Associating multiple funding sources to one application, allows you to set matching eligibility criteria in your applications, that will match your applicants to multiple funding sources that may be available to them.
To access the user guide for the Assign Application Funds, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
To access the video for the Assign Application Funds, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
To access the FAQ's for the Assign Application Funds, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
8.10 Manage Funds Criteria Information
Home > (Select - Application Name) > Application Settings > Manage Funds Criteria Information
Fund criteria settings restrict the eligible recipients to only those applicants that meet the conditions set in the Manage Funds Criteria section. The criteria condition reports match applicants to each fund based on how they answer the defined eligibility criteria question(s).
To access the user guide for the Manage Fund Criteria Information, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
To access the video for the Manage Fund Criteria Information, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
To access the FAQ's for the Manage Fund Criteria Information, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
8.11 Manage Parent Child Application Process
Home > (Select - Application Name) > Application Settings > Manage Parent-Child Application Process
The Parent Child Application Form allows one application to send data to multiple fund applications based on criteria in the parent form. You will clone both the parent and child applications separately. For the Parent Application, select the "Posting" fund to link to it. For each child fund application, choose the funding source that will fund the single application form.
To access the user guide for the Manage Parent Child Application Process, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
To access the FAQ's for the Manage Parent Child Application Process, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
8.12 Manage Application Indicators
Home > (Select - Application Name) > Application Settings > Manage Application Indicators
Application Indicators allow our system to call and collect data on your Banner system and auto-apply on behalf of the applicants to any application for which the conditions match that applicant’s data in your Banner System. The conditions are checked against the data attributes that are returned by Banner for the applicant. If the conditions are met (Applicant is eligible) then the system auto applies for that application on behalf of the applicant.
This feature is currently only available for Banner users and must be enabled on the Administration > Manage Site Settings > General Settings screen before it is available as an option in your Application Settings menu. Click Yes for the Enable Application Indicators setting.
To access the user guide for the Manage Application Indicators, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
In detail of Creating Acceptance and Post Acceptance Sections
The Acceptance and Post-Acceptance Sections serve as components within the Awarding process, gathering information after the applicant's submission of their application form. For instance, an Acceptance Section can be designed for recipients who have been granted an award, like an Award Agreement Section. Meanwhile, Post-Acceptance Sections cater to applicants after they have acknowledged the initial award, such as managing Quarterly Reports.
To access the user guide for the Creating Acceptance Sections, kindly click on the following link: Creating Sections - Create an Acceptance Section
To access the user guide for the Creating Post Acceptance Sections, kindly click on the following link: Creating Sections - Create a Post Acceptance Section
To access the video for the Creating Acceptance and Post Acceptance Sections, kindly click on the following link: Using Acceptance and Post-Acceptance Sections
9 Setup a Scholarship Fund/Grant in the Manage Application Fund Screen
Funds from which awards will be made are referred to as the funding source or allocation pool. It gives you the ability to manage every dollar allotted to your requests. Since each application needs to be connected to a fund to be published and made available to applicants, creating a fund—also known as a posting fund—is essential. This requirement remains even if you do not intend to make awards; a posting fund is still necessary.
Step 1: Click on Manage Application Funds to set up Fund/Grant
Step 2: Click on Setup Funding (See Setup Funding - Setup a New Funding Source)
To access the user guide for the Manage Application Funds, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
To access the video for the Manage Application Funds, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
To access the FAQ's for the Manage Application Funds, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
If your application has 1: Many i.e., 1 Universal Application: multiple scholarships process then you need to follow the below step.
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Associating Multiple Funds to a single application form – One to Many application
This is used in a one-to-many process when you have one application that is used by your applicants to apply for multiple funding sources.
When setting up the funding source in the Funding source setup, you will recall that if using a one-to-many relationship you do not associate an application to that individual funding source, you would leave the Associated Application field blank. You only associate the main application with a posting fund. So, then that raises the question of how is a funding source linked to the group application.
When an application is associated with multiple funds, it becomes essential to retrieve a list of applicants who meet specific fund-related criteria questions established within the application form.
Step 1: Click on the Application Form Name from the home page as shown in the image below to create your application.
Step 2: Click on the Application Settings & this will open up the Assign Application Funds
To access the user guide to Assign funds to your application, kindly click on the following link: Assign Application Funds - Overview of Assign Application Funds – 1 to Many Application
To access the video to Assign funds to your application, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
To access the FAQ's to Assign funds to your application, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
Managing Funds Criteria Information
Managing Fund Criteria creates the criteria condition reports that match applicants to each fund according to how they answer those specific eligibility criteria questions. This will allow you to pull applicants who meet the eligibility criteria for a specific fund. This is useful in the following ways:
- If you'd like applicants to view a comprehensive list of all the funds they've been matched with through the Matching Fund Eligibility question, they can then deselect any funds they prefer not to apply for from that list.
- You would be able to set logic on other questions and sections using the selected funds in the Matching Fund Eligibility questions. You can set logic on other additional questions or sections in the application that are to be answered if a specific fund is selected. Those questions/sections would only appear if the fund was matched to the applicant.
- You have multiple funding source funds connected to just one application and you review on a per-fund basis and need to know all applicants eligible for a specific funding source fund when assigning them to the reviewers.
- You have multiple funding source funds connected to just one application and you need to be able to see a listing of all eligible applicants eligible for a specific funding source when awarding specific funds.
- You have multiple funding sources and each funding source has its own application. However, there could be funding sources that are similar that the applicant could apply to, based on the same criteria as another funding source. You need the applicant to be able to be matched to those additional applications based on the criteria that were matched in each and be able to select if they want to apply to those additional applications or not.
To access the user guide for the Manage Fund Criteria Information, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
To access the video for the Manage Fund Criteria Information, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
To access the FAQ's for the Manage Fund Criteria Information, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
10 Testing your application before publishing
Now that you are done creating an Application Form and have attached all the required funding, thoroughly test your application as an applicant so you can see it from the applicant’s perspective.
Step 1: Create an Applicant account using the Create New Account on the login page. Utilize an email address that differs from your administrative login credentials.
Step 2: To test your application, you will need to publish the funding source that is attached to your application form.
See: How to publish an application
Please note that once an application is published, it becomes accessible to anyone who has access to your website. If you have other active applications and do not wish for the application you are currently working on to be published, you can utilize the Application Invitation process to invite your test applicant(s) while keeping it private from the general public process.
To access the user guide for the Application Invitation, kindly click on the following link: User Guides
To access the video for the Application Invitation, kindly click on the following link: Training Videos
To access the FAQ's for the Application Invitation, kindly click on the following link: FAQs
During the testing of the Request sections, input your email details as the designated recipient to receive the requested email. Then, click the link to enter the desired section. This method allows you to observe what the recipient receives and views upon accessing the designated section. Remember, during testing, only one instance of the site can be active in a single browser. To conduct multiple testing sessions concurrently, utilize two different browsers or distinct browser profiles.
- See the Article: Checklist of the Application Before Going Live
- See the Article: Testing Your Application
Going Live with your Application
It is time for you to Go live or publish your newly created application. Before going live remember to follow two important steps.
Step 1: Under the Application Settings > General Information, make sure your Begin Accepting Applications Date and your Deadline Date are set with the correct dates and times.
Step 2: Make sure the attached funding source has been marked as published (if this is not a private application).
To learn more: For information on how your applicant applies, see Completing an Application Form and Accessing Your Application Form After Submission
11 Application Rollover
We will guide you through initiating a new application process by rolling over and cloning a previous cycle's application form. The following are the steps you should follow during the application rollover.
Step 1: Adjusting the existing funding sources:
Each budget cycle of your funding source awarding is determined through the application form directly linked to that funding source. Each time you link an application to a funding source it will rotate the Annual Budget Academic/Academic Year information to the new application’s data.
If you're not creating new funding sources each term, you can easily remove the application form. Then, during the rollover process, you can automatically link that fund to the new application using the Associate/Link Fund feature that becomes available when cloning the application form.
Note that in the funding source setup, if you had data in the description fields that applied to the prior term you will want to update that data to your new period’s information. Once you update this data it is permanent and no record is kept of the previous information, it is an overwriting of data.
Your first step in rolling an application over is to remove the prior application form from that funding source that is used to fund that application’s process from term to term.
Important Note: It's important to note that you should refrain from initiating the rollover process until all awarding have been completed, and the applicants have accepted their awards in the prior period's application form. If you remove the application form before the awarding is completed, it will no longer be available for awarding in the original application form. Any of the links for the Application/Acceptance/Post Acceptance sections will also be changed and will be linked to the new application’s Acceptance/Post Acceptance sections. If you're using those links, it's advisable to make a note of the prior application's links and keep a copy of them stored in a safe place. This way, you'll have access to the prior application's links to provide to clients as needed, even after rolling the application.
Step 2: Clone your previous year's applications & funding:
The next step in your Rollover Process is to create the new application form(s) that the applicant’s will be applying to.
- If you are cloning the existing application, then please see: Clone Existing Application
Step 3: Adding new funding sources or cloning the existing one:
At this stage, if you have any new funds to include in your application form that were not present in the cloned application form, you should proceed by adding these new funds in the "Setup Funds" section. Then, you can incorporate their criteria into this application form using the "Manage Application Funds" and "Manage Fund Criteria" features.
Additionally, if there have been any changes in the criteria for funds that have been cloned over, it's essential to access the "Manage Fund Criteria" section and make the necessary adjustments to the criteria that were copied from the originating application. This ensures that the criteria accurately reflect any modifications for the new application form.
- If you are cloning the existing fund/scholarship, then please see: Clone Existing Fund/Scholarship
Step 4: Adjusting budget amount in your funding source:
When you clone your application form, all the funds from the original application you're cloning will automatically have their Annual Budget/Academic Year date rolled to the same date as the application form that you have included them in. However, please note that this process will not update the Annual Budget Amount for these funds.
Once all the funding sources have been rolled over to your new application form, you will need to access each of those funds individually and input the Annual Budget awarding amount for the current awarding period.
It's important to note that when cloning, the system will initially enter the amount as $0, and you'll need to manually adjust the figure. If you are unsure of the amount at the moment, you can add this figure later once it's confirmed and you're ready to begin awarding. Ensure that you select the correct Academic Year when entering this amount to synchronize it with the application form being used for that specific period.
Step 5: Notification template review:
When cloning an application form, any email templates that were present in the cloned application will be carried over and included in the new application form.
Please access your email templates for the new application form and ensure that any date information manually typed in the email body is updated to reflect the current date information. This can help maintain consistency in communication with applicants throughout different application cycles.
Step 6: Review set-up:
Review the task sheets that were cloned over
- Add or remove any questions that are to be included in this new application’s review process.
- Update any questions within the tasks that have date information to the current process’s dates.
Step 7: Archive the previous year's application form(s):
After completing the setup of your application, make sure to archive the application(s) from the previous term to avoid any confusion. When you archive an application form, it will also be archived for the applicant in their "My Applications" tab.
Step 8: Test Your new application:
Once you have finished setting up your new application form, it's time to move on to the testing phase. Please refer to the guide titled "Testing Your Application" for detailed instructions on how to effectively test your application form before it goes live.
- See the videos: Application Rollover
We hope you enjoyed the experience using CommunityForce.
- For the complete training video, see the Support Help Desk
- Find the knowledge base or raise a support ticket by clicking here
Thank you! We hope this guide proves beneficial as you embark on implementing the new application.
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7.2 Application Invitation