Indiana Dollars for Scholars

Frequently Asked Questions

Volunteer FAQs

Why should I start a Indiana Dollars for Scholars chapter?
Dollars for Scholars provides an effective, proven way for you and your community to provide academic support and financial aid to local students. The cost of college continues to rise at a rapid pace, two or even three times the Consumer Price Index since 1980. Moreover, inflation-adjusted tuition has more than doubled in the past 15 years. This means that the very thing many have always believed holds the key to our society's future-a postsecondary education-is now beyond the financial grasp of many of those who are society's future.

The Dollars for Scholars program empowers communities and groups to help themselves by helping to educate their young people. In turn, it inspires students to achieve by showing that others care about them and their future.

How do I start a Indiana Dollars for Scholars chapter?
The key to establishing a successful Dollars for Scholars chapter starts with gathering a planning committee, a strong core group of community leaders with a shared interest in the educational development of local students. Since this group will play an important leadership role in the formation of a local foundation-and since Dollars for Scholars works best when it has widespread support-it should represent a broad cross-section of the community.

Once the decision to affiliate with Dollars for Scholars has been made:

Complete the forms for affiliation
Elect chapter leadership
Adopt chapter bylaws
Determine chapter goals and objectives

Visit our Starting a Chapter page to learn much more. All the organizational materials you need are contained in our "How to Organize a Dollars for Scholars Chapter Kit" available by contacting Don Setterlof at 866-877-1172 (toll free) or by e-mailing dsetterlof@scholarshipamerica.org.

Is Dollars for Scholars a reputable charity?
Dollars for Scholars is the largest, grassroots, volunteer-driven scholarship organization in the United States. Each year, SmartMoney, the Wall Street Journal's magazine of personal finance, publicizes its list of the top charities in the United States. Scholarship America (formerly Citizens' Scholarship Foundation of America), Dollars for Scholars' parent organization, has consistently been at the top of the education charity list. This means that the money goes where it belongs-right to the students. It really is local philanthropy at its best. Because local chapters are run by volunteer boards, they can usually boast that 95-99% of every dollar contributed benefits community students.

Why bother with a chapter if you already are giving away scholarships in your community?

Because a Dollars for Scholars chapter can raise more money for scholarships for your students. Tuition increases are fast outpacing what most students can afford to pay for college-there are never enough scholarships to meet the need. A Dollars for scholars chapter is completely focused on scholarships-raising money and giving it away. This is unique among other scholarship granting organizations that are usually merely awarding endowed scholarships. They are not actively advocating and raising money for scholarships. Most Dollars for Scholars chapters are awarding 100 to 200 times their first year awards within five years.
The average annual award amount for Dollars for Scholars chapters was over $20,000 in 2002. Many established chapters have endowed funds and awarding $50,000-$100,000 each year.
A Dollars for Scholars chapter can serve as the scholarship "umbrella" for the community. The chapter can coordinate all community scholarships, provide a standard application and deadline date, and act as the scholarship committee for other organizations such as Kiwanis, Rotary, etc. This saves those organization's time and money and Dollars for Scholars volunteers are experts in scholarship administration. One application and one deadline also encourages more students to apply.
The Dollars for Scholars organization has many tools and techniques available for local programs to review and adapt for local use. A complete manual of information is provided to each chapter and volunteers trainings are offered throughout the year.
By serving as the scholarship coordinator for the community, a Dollars for Scholars chapter can ensure that scholarships are distributed to the best advantage of the most students. A coordinated effort means more students are recognized and awarded scholarships. In the end, a coordinated, community-based effort receives far more recognition and publicity than one group could on its own, and all parties involved receive maximum benefit from the scholarship program.
Scholarships awarded through a Dollars for Scholars chapter are eligible for Collegiate Partner benefits that ensures that they receive the full advantage of local scholarship dollars. (see below for complete description of Collegiate Partner program)

Student FAQs

How do I apply for a Dollars for Scholars Scholarship?
You should first check with your high school to see if you have a Dollars for Scholars chapter in your community. If you do, make contact with them through the high school office or guidance counselor and determine their application process. Generally, Indiana Dollars for Scholars chapters provide scholarships to graduating high school seniors planning to attend any accredited postsecondary educational institution although some chapters also provide scholarships to alumni or community citizens returning to school. This includes trade and technical institutes and colleges, community and junior colleges and four-year colleges and universities. See the Indiana Chapter page of this Web site to locate the Dollars for Scholars chapter nearest you.

What are some general tips for searching for scholarships?
Begin your preliminary scholarship search as soon as you can. Check in with the counseling office/career center at your high school, and let your counselor know you are interested in going to college and finding available scholarships.

The next resource to check with your local community foundation. It often has scholarships that go unclaimed simply because eligible students are not aware of them. If you can not find a listing in the phonebook, try the chamber of commerce, United Way, or your local volunteer center.

Other resources to try are local service clubs and organizations: churches, Elks, Junior League, Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary, YWCA, Zonta, etc. Many of these organizations generally give small scholarships. All have different criteria, so the earlier you start checking with them the better. Check your local library resource section for directories of nationally available scholarships. These tend to be specific in nature.

You also should check with the postsecondary institution you are planning to attend. The financial aid office might be able to suggest local sources for scholarships and might even have some institutional scholarships you can apply for.

Last, but not least, you can do a scholarship search on the Internet. One word of caution: investigate the source, ESPECIALLY if it charges a fee for its scholarship search and referral services.

Here are some possible sites to check out:

Wiredscholar.com: Wiredscholar is the Internet's premier guide to college admissions and financial aid. It offers advice and tools to expedite, simplify and optimize the admissions and financial aid processes.
Fastweb.com: Find money for college by searching 600,000 scholarships worth more than $1 billion. Get expert tips on financial aid, careers, and more.
Collegeboard.com: For more than 100 years, College Board has been connecting students to colleges and opportunities. It created the SAT®, Advanced Placement Program®, and PSAT/NMSQT®. Take charge of your future with collegeboard.com.
Scholarships.com: Scholarships.com is the Internet's premier free college scholarship search engine and financial aid resource, which connects students and parents with financial aid opportunities. Their search engine matches your profile with a database of over 600,000 scholarships-from about 8,000 sources, worth more than $1.4 billion-finding the most relevant and obtainable scholarship awards. Search results include award summary and a custom application request letter.
FAFSA.org: FinAid - The SmartStudent guide for Financial Aid.
Studentaid.ed.gov: US Department of Education web site that provides a better understanding of Federal Student Aid.

What are Collegiate Partners?
Collegiate Partners are colleges, universities and other accredited postsecondary institutions that demonstrate their commitment to the development of private sector student aid by supporting the mission of Scholarship America and the Dollars for Scholars program.

Collegiate Partner institutions make the following commitments relating to undergraduate students.

Dollars for Scholars scholarships will be used to fill any unmet student need remaining after the institution's financial aid package has been calculated.
When unmet need no longer exists, Dollars for Scholars scholarships of up to $1,000 will be used to adjust the self-help portion of a student's financial aid package. Dollars for Scholars prefers that loans be reduced before work-study grants.
Some Collegiate Partners will match the Dollars for Scholars scholarship up to a specific amount.

Because College Doesn't Happen By Chance®.