How ASAE Uses OpenWater

ASAE's Transformation with OpenWater: A Story of Growth and Efficiency How a Strategic Partnership Led to Increased Applications, Reduced Workloads, and Enhanced Prestige.

What Has Been the Impact for ASAE?
Since partnering with OpenWater in 2016, the impact for ASAE has been transformative. The organization has seen its applications increase by as much as 80% per year, reflecting dramatic and sustained growth. Today, over 500 members use the platform as volunteers and judges to support the awards process. ASAE initially migrated four programs to OpenWater and now successfully manages ten, showcasing the platform's ability to support significant expansion.

The Problems ASAE Overcame with OpenWater
With OpenWater, ASAE was able to overcome several critical challenges that previously hindered its awards programs. These included the immense difficulty of configuring complex and fair judging rules, the need to reduce the tedious and time-consuming administrative workloads placed on staff, and the challenge of effectively scaling up its reporting, tracking, and communication capabilities.

How ASAE Configures Judging
By switching to OpenWater’s Application and Review Platform, ASAE gained the ability to finely configure its program’s judging. The staff can now efficiently allow judges to recuse themselves over a conflict of interest, seamlessly manage multiple rounds of judging, and precisely control a judge’s access to specific application information. The end result has been a judging process that has reduced staff time and increased fairness.

How ASAE Saves Staff Time
ASAE was keenly aware of the time its staff spent on manual tasks to administer their programs. Knowing that good stewardship of resources is a primary function, the team recognized this time took away from strategic initiatives. Since 2016, the combination of OpenWater's services, support, and training has allowed staff to cut down on tedious administrative work, enabling them to raise the prestige of their Awards programs by focusing on higher-value activities.

How ASAE Pulls Reports, Tracks Goals, and Sends Email in OpenWater The platform provides reporting features that are both customizable and easily understood by volunteers and leadership alike. This gives ASAE the tools needed to communicate effectively with applicants and stakeholders, whether through reminders or reporting. ASAE also utilizes customizable dashboards that help everyone keep tabs on progress during the annual cycle of their programs, ensuring transparency and alignment on key goals.