The ELC Scholarship Program

Background

The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) provides over $1.5 million in scholarships for Black college students annually. The ELC Scholarship Program awards high-achieving students with scholarships, internships, mentorship and unique access to The ELC members and their companies.

The ELC’s motto is “From the Classroom to the Boardroom” which represents their mission to “build a pipeline of Black corporate talent by supporting the academic achievement and development of Black undergraduate and graduate students.”

They hoped to award scholarships to over 130 Black students in 2022, but the pandemic created a difficult environment for connecting with potential scholars. The ELC’s Web assets were also outdated and did not appeal to the younger generation, who demand a certain level of digital sophistication.

The Challenge

The Executive Leadership Council aimed to award scholarships to over 130 high-achieving Black students in 2022—but reaching those students proved difficult. The pandemic had disrupted traditional outreach channels, and The ELC’s existing website lacked the modern design and functionality needed to engage a digitally savvy student audience. Without a compelling online presence or a targeted digital strategy, the organization risked missing its application goals and falling short in its mission to build a pipeline of Black corporate talent.

The Solution

Black Digital has formed a strong relationship with the ELC Board of Directors over the past few years. Our team met with them to learn about their vision for the future of their brand and what they hoped to achieve with the ELC Scholarship Program website. From those meetings our team decided that we needed to utilize easy-to-read infographics to get the Scholarship messages across to potential applicants. We also decided that the ELC Scholarship Program required a multi-layered digital advertising strategy tailored for a specific audience that encouraged them to apply to the program. We also streamlined the application process so that interviewers could easily get in touch with students digitally.

Results

Applications to the ELC Scholarship Program increased 300% as a result of the digital marketing strategy. We increased visibility of the program by designing a simple yet stunning microsite with infographics that showed visitors statistics like dollar amounts awarded and student demographics served by the program. Finally, we streamlined the application process by including an “Apply Now” button on every pertinent landing page.