Staying “Flexible” in Times Like These

Kody Jackson
Kody Jackson
Seventh Anniversary Kudos 2 Participant Facilitator 1
in Blackbaud Award Management™ and Blackbaud Stewardship Management™ Blog

In times like these, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the big things. Stores are closed, the kids are home, and no one knows what tomorrow will bring. 

I’d recommend—as much to myself as to all of you—to focus on the little things instead. Take a walk. Smell the flowers. Chuckle at how many people are using your “family” Netflix account. 

Thinking about the little things in Award Management, I’d like to highlight flexible opportunities. Though every site includes at least one flexible opportunity, not many people know what they do or how to use them.  

When to use flexible opportunities 

Clients most commonly use flexible opportunities for grants, teacher fellowships, or—more recently—emergency funds. 

Compared to apply-to opportunities, flexible opportunities are: 

  • Simpler for applicants:  

  • Accessible via a direct link (that you can provide via email or your website) 

  • Don’t require completion of the General Application 

  • Simpler for admins: Because these opportunities don’t have to line up with your normal awarding cycle 

  • Not used enough: Every site has at least one flexible opportunity (though some have more). To see how many flexible opportunities your subscription includes, go to Site, Settings, Details. 

Set up flexible opportunities 

Create a flexible opportunity just like you would create a new apply-to portfolio and opportunity. Just make sure you select Flexible when choosing the Type. 

For more guidance, check out our documentation. 

Advertise your flexible opportunity 

To tell applicants about your emergency award: 

  1. Go to the Details tab of your new opportunity. 

  1. Copy the link for the Public Opportunity Webpage. 

  1. Add the link to your website or an email. 

Selecting the Public Opportunity Webpage link takes applicants directly to your award. 

Review and award applicants 

Review applicants just like you would with any other opportunities. Just make sure that you select Flexible Applications as the Source for your reviewer group. 

If applicants to the opportunity are part of your user import file, you’ll be able to see their imported information as well. You can use this data to inform reviews and awards and even set up opportunity qualifications. 

What’s next 

Looking for another little thing to focus on? Share your organization’s experiences in adapting to times like these. 

What are you doing differently? What’s worked and—just as importantly--what hasn’t? By sharing all our “little things” with each other, we just might be able to make a big impact. 

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