Once your fund closes and you’ve received applications from community groups, it’s time to move on to the decision-making stage. This process ensures your funding goes to the projects that best meet your goals and deliver positive impact in the community.
This article outlines the options available to you and provides practical guidance on choosing the right approach.
Choosing a decision-making approach
You can use one or a combination of the following options:
1. Scoring projects
Scoring is an effective way to evaluate applications in a consistent and structured way. Each application is reviewed and scored using a set of criteria, ideally by more than one person for fairness.
We recommend using the following core criteria for every fund:
- Community need: There is a clear understanding of why the community needs this project
- Community impact: The project will have a significant positive impact and there’s clarity on how this will be measured
- Attainability: The goals are achievable within the proposed timeframe and budget
- Effective use of funding: The funding will be used for a tangible, impactful outcome
You can also include optional, fund-specific criteria, such as:
- Focus: The project clearly aligns with the fund’s purpose
- Inclusivity: The project supports or increases access for underrepresented communities
- Participation / accessibility: The project offers public benefit and isn’t restricted to a select group
Each criterion is scored on a scale of 1 to 5, helping you to compare and prioritise projects effectively.
For more help, check out our guide to scoring projects or speak with your Customer Success Manager.
2. Judging Panels
A judging panel can bring diverse perspectives and help build stakeholder engagement. Panels typically include internal colleagues, community representatives, and/or subject-matter experts.
Key tips:
- Plan panel sessions in advance to ensure availability
- Use the same shortlisting criteria above to score projects
- Aim for no more than 6 panel members to keep discussions manageable
- ActionFunder can facilitate your panel to ensure a smooth and impartial process
For more help, check out our guide to judging panels or speak with your Customer Success Manager.
3. Voting Tool
Want to involve your employees, customers, or other stakeholders in the decision-making process? Our voting tool enables democratic input into where your funding goes.
You can:
- Use voting after the shortlisting stage
- Set a custom deadline and number of votes per participant
- Share a link with your audience or use it live during in-person events
This tool is a great way to build excitement and engagement, and it adds a layer of transparency to your fund.
For more help, check out our guidance on using the voting tool or speak with your Customer Success Manager.
Additional Tips
- Document your decisions: Keep a simple record of why certain projects were chosen to support transparency and reporting.
- Keep it proportionate: Tailor your process to match the size and complexity of the fund.
- Need help? Your Customer Success Manager can support with panel planning, scoring templates, or voting setup.
Next Steps
Once you’ve selected the projects you’d like to fund:
- Log on to the platform and click ‘offer funding’
- We’ll notify all successful applicants
- Once the successful non-profits have accepted the funding invite, we will complete our due diligence process before making payment (please note, non-profits do have the option to reject the funding invite if they would like)
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Still have questions? Contact your Customer Success Manager or reach us at customersuccess@actionfunder.org – we’re here to help.