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5 New Uses for Awards Software From OpenWater Users

Published August 30, 2017 in Leadership

While each of these new uses is just as much for OpenWater users as it is from OpenWater users, we’re excited to discover new, innovative ways to utilize our software, especially from clients.

In this article, we’ll detail 5 new uses for the software you already have and use. These uses include:

  1. Workflows
  2. Applications
  3. Grants
  4. Board of Elections; and
  5. Autoscoring

But first, how do you know if OpenWater is the right fit for your organization?

Is OpenWater the Right Fit for My Organization?

OpenWater is the right fit for organizations that have a number of specific needs (detailed below) and the work necessary to suit those needs would take your IT department 10 hours or more to complete. Some of these needs may include:

  • Complex application forms;
  • The ability to save progress and later return to the form;
  • Need someone else to complete a letter of reference or subform;
  • Review/report/export data; or
  • Collect revenue

This means that if you have:

  • A simple form, consisting of just 5 to 10 questions;
  • Anonymous submissions; or
  • A small number of applications

it’s better to use a forms system of a CMS or a free tool, like Google Forms, for your needs.

If you’re in the right place after reading that, excellent! Let’s discuss each of the 5 innovative ways you can use OpenWater beyond awards management.

1 and 2. Fellowships and Applications

ASAE, The American Society of Association Executives, use OpenWater for their fellowship program. This includes both their Diversity Executive Leadership Program and ASAE Fellows program.

Their use of OpenWater for this purpose was notable for two primary reasons:

  1. They used the microsite, our mini content management system, to put everything they needed in one place
  2. They used staff level admin approval to ensure basic criteria were met with applications

Their workflow looked something like this:

  1. Only applicants who fit the diversity status were permitted to apply to the program
  2. Reviewers decided who should be allowed into the program
  3. The reviewers accepted chosen applicants and communicated the results to everyone who had applied

3. Grants

ASAE also used OpenWater for its Innovation Grants Program. This Program was different from their needs with the fellowships and applications because it focused on OpenWater’s forms and ability to handle larger files.

Specifically, ASAE took advantage of the following OpenWater features:

  1. Long application form (5 pages) with file uploads and embedded video
  2. The ability for reviewers to see embedded PDFs and videos in one place

Request a Demo with Openwater

To apply OpenWater’s software for their needs, ASAE followed a simple, two-step process:

  1. Only innovative associations were permitted to apply for the grant
  2. Reviewers then used the forms to decide which associations were the most grant-worthy

4. Board of Elections

The Board of Elections workflow allows organizations to use OpenWater for election nominees and board voting. Two OpenWater clients have done so: ASAE and PRSA.

ASAE used the Board of Elections workflow for their Call to Serve. To do so, they took advantage of the Aptify Integration with their OpenWater software to allow users to sign in and access their existing account information.

Their workflow followed these general steps:

  1. Applicants represent that they intend to submit an application
  2. The final application came due
  3. The ASAE staff reviewed the applications
  4. All data was exported for a board meeting and selection process. The board executives used custom PDFs and other exported data to make their selection.

PRSA, The Public Relations Society of America, used this workflow, specifically the gallery module on the OpenWater platform, to display nominees. By using filters, PRSA was able to limit roles or other slots applicants could apply for. Specifically, they auto-generated the gallery page so it automatically updated.

Some potentially useful features of this approach include:

  1. Being able to restrict gallery pages to members only, if necessary
  2. Being able to use public vote modules to allow 1 vote per member
  3. Being able to use social sharing to promote your gallery and broaden the reach of your program (and allow applicants and others to do the same)

5. Autoscoring

The autoscoring workflow functions by cutting down the programming time necessary on long, tedious forms. Many OpenWater customers don’t take advantage of this feature, believing it to be too complex, but the opposite is true.

A great example of an OpenWater customer using this workflow is Bicycle Friendly, which has hundreds of autoscoring rules to crunch data.

Here are some of the noteworthy features you may find useful:

  1. You can use autoscoring on very long forms with many questions, lessening the burden on your team
  2. You can use autoscoring to tabulate scores based on specific answers to certain questions
  3. Rules can change year over year, giving you a limitless ability to modify scoring as is necessary

Can You Use OpenWater for More than an Awards Program?

OpenWater is great for a lot more than just your awards program. And, as these OpenWater customers have evidenced, you can get more bang for your buck by getting creative and following the same general workflows outlined above.

Learn more about how each organization used OpenWater for creative needs by checking out the recording of our recent webinar, The Swiss Army Knife for Association Technology! In it, you’ll learn more about these workflows as well as tips on how to use your OpenWater software more productively, and advanced uses for the software you may want to check out!

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Ashley Surinak

Ashley Surinak is the resident OpenWater expert on all things content. From the blog to guides and beyond, you'll find her at every turn in your OpenWater journey.

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