The OpenWater Blog

Why DIY Doesn’t Always Work for your Awards

The world loves DIY projects now more than ever, thanks in particular to Pinterest. And it’s easy to figure out why: they’re fun, they make you feel accomplished, and you get to learn how to do something on your own.

But as great as it is, the DIY mentality doesn’t always work. And I’m not just talking pinterest fails (though they are pretty funny). I’m talking awards programs. A lot of associations think they can get along fine by piecing together a system for their submission process using spreadsheets, paper, binders, and survey tools. It may, at first, seem like it’s going to work out, but inevitably ends up causing more problems than it solves.

Launching an awards program is a big undertaking. It’s difficult to keep everything organized and running smoothly. Updating submission statuses, entering applicants’ information into spreadsheets, and sending out reminder emails uses up a large chunk of your valuable time and introduces a chance of human error into the process.

So how do you successfully run your association awards without resorting to DIY? Simple: awards software. A software solution will manage payments, submissions, judging, and scoring. All information is stored in one place, available any time, anywhere. It blends seamlessly with your association’s website and can even run custom reports and send communications to entrants and judges.

In short, using one centralized system is the best way to ensure a successful awards program. It will streamline your process and save you time and headaches so that you can spend your DIY skills on other projects.

Miriam Hancock

Miriam Hancock
Miriam is the Marketing Coordinator for OpenWater. When she isn't writing and designing content she paints and cooks for her own personal blog.

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