Introducing Collaboration for Collective Applications

Submittable is thrilled to announce that it is now possible for multiple people to collaborate together on a collective application, in real time.

Now available on Submittable’s new form engine, the new collaboration tool opens the door for all kinds opportunities where submitters need to work together. Whether you accept applications from colleagues or business partners, from teams working on a single project or large associations with shared workloads, or from applicants who simply may need assistance from others, organizations can now enable submitters to collaborate on forms, as well as streamline all communication with the group post-submission.

collaboration on collective application

How does it work?

With the new collaboration tool, organizations can:

  • Enable collaborations. Allow your submitters to invite others to collaborate with them on a collective application.
  • Message collaborators. You can message the whole group of collaborators in bulk.
  • Limit collaborations. Since it may not make sense for every opportunity, you get to decide which Projects you’d like to allow collaboration on.

How will it help our applicants?

Meanwhile, your applicants will be empowered to:

  • Invite collaborators. They can assemble their team to work together on an application.
  • See real-time presence. Applicants will see in real time when their collaborators are working on the form, including an indication of which question a collaborator is currently answering.
  • Maintain ownership. Even though all collaborators can work together, only the submission owner who originally began the application may submit.
  • Stay on the same page. By receiving updates and messages regarding the submission, the whole team knows where their application stands.

collaborator field presence on collective application

How will it help me and my team?

  • Open the door to collective applications. Allowing collective applications clears the path to a more dynamic applicant pool, such as opportunities ripe for:
    • A duo, such as an athlete and coach, applying for a scholarship;
    • A team, such as an emerging entrepreneurs club, applying for a grant; or
    • A large group, such as an industry association, applying for an award.
  • Streamline communication with groups. Use Submittable tools such as messaging and status updates to efficiently keep multiple people informed regarding the progress of an application.
  • Promote accessibility. The collaboration tool expands the availability of opportunities to applicants of different means and abilities, including to applicants who require assistance with an application. This could include, for example:
    • A child needing assistance from a parent or guardian;
    • A student needing assistance from a teacher or professor; or
    • A person needing technical or editorial assistance.
  • Provide an elevated applicant experience. With easy to understand, real-time indications of who is working on which part of the form in a given moment, this is a best-in-class collaboration tool that your submitters will greatly appreciate.
  • Support an approval process. In some cases, you or your applicant pool may require a level of approval or sign-off in the process. This feature can easily facilitate such a step.

Also new at Submittable

Catch up on some other exciting new features that we’ve recently added to our product:

  • Advanced Reporting, to make your data actionable, answer stakeholder questions, and measure your impact.
  • Internal Forms, to supplement submissions and provide context to reviewers.
  • Review Workflow, to support a complex review process with multiple rounds.

Don’t forget to check out our on-demand and upcoming webinars for tips and tricks from the Submittable team to help you get the most out of the product.

Learn more about Submittable

New to Submittable? Welcome! We’d love for you to check out a demo and get connected with our team.

Natalya DeRobertis-Theye

Natalya is a product marketer at Submittable focused on helping organizations get a ton of value out of the platform. She is a bookworm, adventure enthusiast and card-carrying cat lady as well as a writer and yogi.