Bright Funds
Bright Funds is an all-in-one corporate social responsibility platform that helps you manage employee giving, volunteer programs, and grantmaking to amplify your company's social impact globally.
SmarterSelect
SmarterSelect is a specialized application management software designed to help you create, manage, and evaluate online applications for scholarships, grants, awards, and specialized programs with ease.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Bright Funds | SmarterSelect |
|---|---|---|
| Website | brightfunds.org | smarterselect.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Subscription |
| Starting Price | $350/month | $125/month |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✓ 0 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2012 | 2007 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, USA | Plano, USA |
Overview
Bright Funds
Bright Funds provides a centralized platform to power your company’s social impact and employee engagement initiatives. You can easily set up workplace giving campaigns, manage donation matching, and track volunteer hours across your entire organization. The platform connects your team to over 1.8 million verified nonprofits, making it simple for employees to support the causes they care about most through payroll integrations or credit card donations.
You can also streamline your corporate grantmaking and disaster relief efforts using automated workflows. The software handles the heavy lifting of nonprofit vetting and global disbursements, ensuring your contributions reach their destination securely. Whether you are a small startup or a global enterprise, you can use these tools to build a culture of giving and generate detailed reports to share your impact with stakeholders.
SmarterSelect
SmarterSelect is a dedicated platform built to simplify how you manage complex application processes. Whether you are running a local scholarship fund, a corporate grant program, or an internal awards ceremony, you can move away from paper forms and messy spreadsheets. You can build custom application forms in minutes using a library of templates and then automate the entire collection process from start to finish.
The software focuses on the three pillars of application management: collecting data, managing reviewers, and selecting winners. You can set up automated messaging to remind applicants of deadlines and provide reviewers with a centralized portal to score submissions. It is designed to scale with your organization, helping you save time on administrative tasks so you can focus on the impact of your programs.
Overview
Bright Funds Features
- Employee Giving Empower your team to donate to millions of verified nonprofits through seamless payroll deductions or one-time credit card payments.
- Matching Gifts Automate your company’s matching gift policy to double your employees' impact while maintaining full control over your budget.
- Volunteer Management Create volunteer events, track individual and team hours, and reward participation with 'volunteer grants' for your employees' favorite charities.
- Global Grantmaking Manage your entire corporate foundation or grant cycle from application to disbursement with customizable forms and automated vetting.
- Nonprofit Vetting Rest easy knowing every organization is automatically screened against global watchlists and regulatory databases for compliance.
- Real-time Reporting Generate comprehensive impact reports instantly to track participation rates, total funds raised, and volunteer hours across your company.
SmarterSelect Features
- Form Builder. Create custom application forms quickly with a drag-and-drop interface and access to over 100 pre-built templates.
- Automated Messaging. Send automated email reminders to applicants and references to ensure all materials are submitted before your deadline.
- Reviewer Portal. Give your evaluators a private space to view applications and submit scores without sharing sensitive login credentials.
- Eligibility Rules. Set up qualifying questions that automatically filter out ineligible applicants so you only review the most qualified candidates.
- Document Uploads. Collect transcripts, photos, and letters of recommendation directly within the platform to keep all your files organized.
- Reporting Tools. Generate detailed reports on applicant demographics and scoring trends to share insights with your board or stakeholders.
Pricing Comparison
Bright Funds Pricing
- Access to 1.8M+ nonprofits
- Employee giving & matching
- Volunteer tracking tools
- Standard impact reporting
- Basic customer support
- Everything in Standard, plus:
- Custom grantmaking modules
- SSO & HRIS integrations
- Dedicated success manager
- Advanced global disbursements
- Custom branding options
SmarterSelect Pricing
- Up to 100 applications per year
- Unlimited programs
- Standard email support
- Basic reporting tools
- Automated email notifications
- Everything in Create, plus:
- Up to 500 applications per year
- Advanced scoring and evaluation
- Third-party app integrations
- Priority email support
- Custom branding options
Pros & Cons
Bright Funds
Pros
- Extremely intuitive interface for both admins and employees
- Automated nonprofit vetting saves significant administrative time
- Seamless payroll integrations simplify the donation process
- Responsive customer support team helps with program setup
Cons
- Reporting filters can be rigid for complex needs
- Initial setup of payroll sync requires IT coordination
- Pricing may be high for very small startups
SmarterSelect
Pros
- Intuitive interface makes form creation fast
- Automated reminders significantly reduce manual follow-up
- Reviewer portal simplifies the committee scoring process
- Excellent customer support during initial setup
Cons
- Initial configuration can be time-consuming
- Reporting features have a slight learning curve
- Pricing may be high for very small funds