We at ScholarNet appreciate all you do for your students – and offer ideas for helping your office celebrate Financial Aid Day on October 20.
October 20 marks the 11th anniversary of the first Financial Aid Day, which was set aside as a special day to celebrate everything you do in the financial aid office. Most of us at ScholarNet have worked in or with financial aid for the bulk of our professional lives, probably like many of you. We’ve all stayed at ScholarNet because we enjoy providing solutions that support you and – indirectly – the process of helping students access funds to achieve their educational dreams.
Happy Financial Aid Day from all of us at ScholarNet! We appreciate the knowledge you have, the agility it takes to master all the tasks you handle, the dedication you display when meeting with students and families to help them find a way to access funds for school, and the long hours you put in to make it all happen.
Tips for Celebrating Financial Aid Day
What are you doing in your office to celebrate Financial Aid Day this year? If you’re a financial aid director, there are simple things you can do to make sure your staff feels appreciated – or your team can work together to plan some fun activities.
- Show appreciation for each other. Simply saying, “Thank you” to your colleagues for all they do to help you can make a huge difference in their day – and this is a perfect day to recognize contributions of those in your financial aid office.
- Gather campus-wide appreciation. Consider placing an ad in the campus newspaper or placing posts in larger campus social media channels to spread the word about Financial Aid Day. Include a thank-you message and consider listing the names of your staff and their years of service.
- Make a celebration out of it. Post a sign with balloons and streamers near the office a couple of days in advance of Financial Aid Day to remind students and other faculty of the upcoming occasion.
- Bring food or drink. Plan a social gathering that complies with your office protocols or bring in a cake, donuts, or whatever special indulgence the group enjoys to honor staff for their contributions. You can do something as simple as reaching out to all staff to get their orders for a morning coffee run.
- Provide small gifts. Give staff extra or unique university swag items you know they don’t have, provide gift cards to a café, or whatever else staff would appreciate.
- Gather everyone for fun. If some staff are working virtually and others are in the office, plan a short virtual meeting (with no business allowed) and acknowledge everyone’s contributions. Provide time for socializing and fun and – if you’re feeling ambitious – use a free app to create a virtual trivia game, providing simple prizes for winners.
- Share best stories. You may not always have time to talk about the heartwarming stories that keep you coming back to your job every day. Today is a good day to share some of those stories with your colleagues, and remind each other why you all work in financial aid.
What you do matters to the students and families you help, the institutions you serve – and to those of us who are lucky enough to work with you. Happy Financial Aid Day from all of us at ScholarNet. We appreciate you, today and every day.