Judging panels are a fantastic way to engage your team and stakeholders in selecting which community projects to fund. Panels bring fresh perspectives, support collaborative decision-making, and help build internal and external awareness of your fund.
This guide explains how to plan, run, and get the most out of a judging panel.
Why run a judging panel?
- Involve your stakeholders e.g. colleagues, partners, or residents in meaningful decision-making
- Gain diverse viewpoints on the impact and potential of projects
- Build transparency and accountability into your funding process
- Bring more visibility to your community fund and its purpose
How does a judging panel work?
Judging panels can take place virtually or in person and usually follow this structure:
- Project Presentations – Each shortlisted project is introduced, either by a facilitator or via written/video submissions. This includes what the project aims to address, the proposed solution, funding required, and anticipated impact.
- Discussion – Panellists discuss each project, ask questions, and share opinions. This part is often the most valuable, as it brings insight from different perspectives.
- Scoring – Each panellist scores every project out of 5 using agreed criteria. Scores can then be tallied to help determine the highest-ranking projects.
Ask your Customer Success Manager about ActionFunder facilitating your panel — a great way to keep things impartial and efficient.
Who should be involved?
Consider including a mix of the following:
- Internal team members: A great way to build engagement and awareness across your organisation.
- Local stakeholders: If your fund is place-based, consider inviting residents, community leaders, councillors, or business owners.
- Topic experts: If your fund has a theme (e.g. youth, environment), invite people with expertise in that area.
- Past grantees or community reps: Their lived experience brings vital context and credibility to your discussions.
We recommend a maximum of 6 panellists to keep conversations focused and manageable.
How long should it take?
Allow at least 1.5 hours per panel session. This gives enough time to review approximately 6 projects, allow for discussion, and complete scoring.
How to prepare
- Schedule Early – Give panellists plenty of notice and agree on a date and time that works for everyone.
- Send a Judging Pack – Share a judging pack at least one week in advance. It should include:
- A short overview of your organisation and the fund’s aims
- An explanation of the panel format and what’s expected of panellists
- The scoring criteria (see our Guidance on scoring projects article)
- A summary of each project (or links to the project pages on ActionFunder)
Scoring criteria
Use the same criteria as in your shortlisting phase to ensure consistency. We recommend:
- Community Need
- Community Impact
- Attainability
- Effective Use of Funding
You can also add custom criteria (e.g. alignment with fund goals, inclusivity) depending on your organisation’s priorities.
After the Panel
Once the panel concludes:
- Collate scores and review any standout projects
- Decide whether to go to a public or employee vote (if applicable)
- Offer funding to successful projects via the platform and reject unsuccessful projects
Need help?
Want support planning or running your judging panel? Your ActionFunder Customer Success Manager can:
- Help design your scoring process
- Set up your judging pack
- Facilitate your panel session
Need more help? Get in touch with your Customer Success Manager or email us at customersuccess@actionfunder.org.