Submittable vs. Slate for Admissions

Submittable is great for grant management, grantmaking, and scholarship awards. It's a very useful tool also when there are multiple reviewers and committees involved in the assessment of the application. The table feature is helpful, but to download the information in a usable report is a pain. Overall a very useful tool for funding.

Incentivized

Overall, [Technolutions] Slate has been an incredible CRM for our institution. It was easy to learn, and it does its job well. The ability for students to log back into a portal and see their application digitally has saved our staff a lot of time and effort. Previously, we had a web based application that didn't allow for applicants to be actively engaged in their application files and [Technolutions] Slate solved a real problem for us. It's affordable, intuitive and effective.

Incentivized

• Easy to use! Resulting in confidence and independence when using platform.
• Exporting reports to Excel files makes internal data sharing a breeze.
• Tech support for grantees frees administrators from resolving issues on their own.
• Automatic and customizable communications with applicants and grantees.

Incentivized

• Managing contacts.
• Smart communications (drip email campaigns).
• Real-time data management.
• End-to-end control of product (or instance of).
• Allows for easy to implement segmentation via smart rules and queries (data sets).

Incentivized

• It used to be easier to download submission files from the submissions screen; now, you have to run a report and request a download.
• Giving access to reviewers could be easier. It would be nice if we could create the email account and password and then give that to the reviewer. Right now, the invites are often junk, spam, or quarantine.

Incentivized

• Doesn't automatically advance to the next application in the queue once one application is processed
• Doesn't allow an easy view of other queues to see what is coming down the pike
• Doesn't allow users to copy email of applicants

Submittable is easy to use for our applicants, streamlines the grantmaking process and provides structures for a range of reviewers on our panels. i like that you continue to come up with new tools, although I wish many didn't come with additional costs.

Incentivized

Submittable is very user-friendly. As both a application builder and an applicant myself I find the system intuitive and easy. Many pre-populated questions allow a grant administrator to build an application quickly. The start-up time we first joined as a Submittable client was fast, too. Submittable does not take much time for a first-time user to understand.

Incentivized

While some features are incredibly intuitive and easy for most users to use, there are other features that essentially require coding experience to understand. The features that seem more difficult than others are queries and reports (especially configurable joins queries) and some of the conditional logic within emails and print mailings. Additionally, implementation will definitely require dedicated IT folks for at least a year (or more).

Incentivized

We have thankfully never experienced an outage nor been affected by a technology issue on Submittable's side that has delayed our grant process. We have instead been able to distribute over $6M in donated dollars to AAPI small business owners because Submittable is trustworthy and available

Incentivized

We've had a quick and efficient submittable experience that has always been easy to use. When we need a report it downloads within seconds, even the larger reports are 30 seconds or less to download. Pages are quick to load and reports complete in a more than reasonable time frame

Incentivized

I think that they are good at answering our questions and solving our problems. We occasionally get reports from applicants about problems the Submittable team has not solved, but I do not know what the applicant has done to get the problem solved.

Incentivized

While I do wish they had actual representatives that we able to come to you for trainings for implementation and new users, I understand that a big draw is the money that is saved by instead investing in knowledgebase, which is it's online tutorials for different functions of Slate.

Incentivized

We have been using this for many years but my memory is that we had a
human walk us through how to use basic features. We also used the
resource library to learn about specific topics or issues as they came
up.

Incentivized

10/10 because we were able to meet virtually and still get all of our questions answered! Online was effective too because we could easily record the sessions and review them later. Since we had to onboard our reviewers virtually, it was actually convenient that this was the same method we learned how to use the entire program virtually too.

Incentivized

I would say, provide Submittable as much detailed information on your planned use of the platform and your desires with the platform as possible, and the implementation will be tailored to accommodate your organization with minimal lag time and issues/problems.

Incentivized

When we decided on Submittable: a) Most cost-effective: solution would cost under USD3,000 per year with no setup fee. b) We needed key features of this solution that were available out-of-the-box, e.g., Online Application Form -- including answers to approximately 20-30 questions, completing a financial income/expense summary spreadsheet, and submitting supporting docs in Word, PDF, or other common file formats. Also, applicants would get instant feedback if they do not qualify, so they won't even bother completing their submission. Backend workflow allows up to 8+ committee members/reviewers to review application submissions, submit and share comments/questions, approve/reject, grant amount recommendations, etc. Basic reporting will include lists of applicants and key data by submission year (e.g., contact details, funding requested, key metrics, etc.). Email alerts to reviewers as applications are submitted. Summary of completed application emailed to applicant upon submission so they have a copy for their records—the ability to centrally track any email exchanges with applicants.

Incentivized

Slate, by Technolutions, is so much more powerful and easier to use than Banner. While we still use Banner for our current students, it wasn't enough for what we needed to do to reach our prospective student population. Especially with the communication options, Slate is lightyears ahead of what is possible with Banner.

Incentivized

We have been easily able to grow. Not only are we able to process different applications, but Submittable makes it easy to add applications onto our plan. Additionally, their eligibility form before the application does a good job of screening applicants so we do not pay for extra applications.

Incentivized

• We were able to launch our first-ever community grants program on time, and received over 300 applications (we were anticipating ~50 in our first year out.)
• This has substantially improved our application and tracking capabilities for our employee relief fund grants, and ensured we are following IRS guidelines.

Incentivized

• Helped us recruit some of our largest classes in university history
• Easier user interface so multiple departments using one platform
• Easy to generate reports based on specific criteria

Incentivized