Social media users may have noticed Kids’ Chance of California (KCCA) recently sharing winning videos from their annual student video contest. These videos provide wonderful testimonials for the Kids’ Chance cause and demonstrate the profound impact that scholarship support can have on a student and their family.

Maria Henderson, KCCA founder, and her fellow founding board members started the video contest a few years ago. The contest serves several purposes: keeping their students engaged, building a library of videos to share with donors, and providing some of their students with a little extra scholarship support. So, how does it work?

Members of the KCCA Scholarship Committee begin reaching out to students in December each year to let them know about the contest. Students are given a few easy parameters to follow: tell us about your major, your family, what the scholarship has meant to you—and to keep submissions to around two minutes.  

Students are given several weeks to submit before the January deadline. The KCCA PR Committee reviews the submissions and shares them with their board. Winners are chosen based on the simple criteria of usability. Prizes of $500, $250, and $100 are awarded for first, second and third place winners, with any remaining usable entries receiving $50. Students receive their award money as part of the spring scholarship payments made to their respective colleges.

According to Amy Hanson, KCCA immediate past president and PR chairman,  some minimal editing of the videos is usually required, especially to ensure they are under two minutes. They also add the KCCA branding to each video before posting them on social media and on their YouTube channel.

“There’s no better way to thank our donors and volunteers than to let them hear from the students themselves that they are truly making a difference,” commented Amy. “It’s actually what got me hooked on Kids’ Chance. There is nothing more powerful than hearing the students tell their stories.”

When asked if she had any cautions to share with other states, Amy responded, “Not every student is going to be interested, or have the time or skills to participate. Be sure your expectations are realistic. Of our 51 scholarship recipients last year, we received videos from five of them. Keep in mind not all videos may be of usable quality.”

Sasha Allen, this year’s first place winner, produced a very compelling testimonial which you can watch here. Award announcements and the winning videos, which are shared in March and April, can be found on KCCA’s LinkedIn account. To watch videos from previous years head to the KCCA YouTube channel.