January 2009– Schultz & Williams assists Scholarship America in laying groundwork to support student success.

Schultz & Williams’ integrated consulting approach and expertise with higher education organizations recently helped a national nonprofit that plays a critical role in college financing. Founded in 1958 by an optometrist in Fall River, Massachusetts, Schultz & Williams client Scholarship America started with a simple idea: every citizen should donate a dollar to help students attend college. Having distributed more than $2 billion to nearly 2 million students, Scholarship America celebrated its 50th anniversary by introducing a new strategic plan that sets a path to transform the way communities think about higher education preparation and access.

Scholarship America’s Dollars for Scholars program includes a network of 1200 grassroots chapters that provide scholarships, promote college aspirations, and assist with navigating the college financing process. Realizing that one-time aid was not always sufficient to help students succeed, Scholarship America has committed to build its organizational capacity, both centrally and at the chapter level, to help students along the continuum from high school through college, to "giving back" after graduation.

Schultz & Williams was engaged to assess the structure of the Dollars for Scholars program and to make recommendations to position it for stronger fundraising and better operational efficiency. Our consultants interviewed staff and board members, and benchmarked other organizations with local/regional/national structures.

"Our key recommendations were to build chapter capacity with support and oversight from the national office, build brand awareness, and strengthen their central advancement program," said senior consultant David Walsh. "All three imperatives are closely intertwined and success in one area will support the other two."

Schultz & Williams consultants then facilitated a two-day working session for Scholarship America staff and volunteer leaders to refine strategic priorities and action steps for each imperative. The process enabled Scholarship America to examine the synergies between Dollars for Scholars and the organization’s other programs and constituencies.

"We were happy to assist Scholarship America to begin strengthening Dollars for Scholars as the heart and soul of its effort to help more students achieve success," said Schultz & Williams President Scott Schultz. "Now more than ever, with the financial crisis and the changing nature of the workforce, America needs a movement for student success in higher education. With its history and network of volunteers, Scholarship America is well-positioned to lead it."

Founded in 1987, Schultz & Williams is a national consulting firm headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Today S&W works with nonprofits throughout the United States and continues to exemplify its legacy as one of the first firms in the country to combine the principles of development, management and marketing into our consulting services—an approach that proves successful for nearly every client challenge.