How a Fraternal Service Organization Modernized Their Student Loan Program Without Breaking the Bank

The Organization

A faith-based fraternal service organization has operated a student loan fund since 1959, providing low-cost educational loans to members and their families. Governed by a volunteer board and funded through member contributions, the fund processes approximately 150 loan applications annually and includes specialized forgiveness programs for borrowers pursuing religious vocations.

The Challenge: A Manual Process Preventing Mission Impact

In 2024, the organization was still operating their loan program the way they had for decades: paper applications mailed in, manual data entry, phone calls and letters back and forth for missing information. For a volunteer board managing this alongside their day jobs, the administrative burden was becoming unsustainable.

The real problems:

• Volunteer burnout: Board members spent hours on data entry and application review rather than strategic oversight
• No audit trail: When volunteers stepped down, institutional knowledge walked out the door with them
• Underutilized funds: Process inefficiencies meant available capital sat idle while qualified applicants waited weeks for decisions
• Borrower experience: In 2024, asking students to print, complete, and mail paper forms felt antiquated and created barriers to access
• Security concerns: Sensitive financial information moving through the mail and stored in filing cabinets

The organization knew they needed to digitize, but faced a dilemma common to many small nonprofits: purpose-built loan origination systems cost $50,000+ annually - prohibitively expensive for 150 applications per year. A custom-built solution would be equally costly and raise security questions. They needed something right-sized for their volume and budget.

The Solution: HubSpot as the Workflow Backbone

Lake One helped the organization see past the "marketing automation" label typically associated with HubSpot and recognize its potential as a secure workflow management platform for their unique use case.

The architecture:

• Intellistack (formerly Fromstack) captures the complex loan application with conditional logic and field validation
• Data parsed intelligently: Highly sensitive information (SSNs, detailed financial data) routes to Box for secure storage; general contact and application data flows to HubSpot
• HubSpot pipelines manage the multi-stage approval process, tracking which board members have reviewed applications and flagging items needing follow-up
• Automated communications keep borrowers informed throughout the process and trigger requests for missing information

Rather than trying to force-fit an enterprise loan origination system or build from scratch, Lake One configured existing, proven tools into a cohesive workflow that matched how the board actually worked - just digitally.

The Results: From Weeks to Days

Processing time: Applications that previously took weeks (waiting for mail, manual review, mailed follow-ups) now move from submission to decision in days.

Volunteer capacity reclaimed: Board members now spend their time on decision-making and strategic fund management rather than administrative paperwork.

Borrower experience: Applicants complete applications online, receive immediate confirmation, and get real-time updates on their application status.

Institutional continuity: The entire loan process now lives in a documented, auditable system. When board members transition, the next person steps into a structured workflow rather than inheriting file cabinets.

Increased access: Early indicators show growth in loan applications as the digital process removes barriers to access.

Want to explore whether HubSpot could work for your nonprofit's specialized workflows? Lake One specializes in helping purpose-driven organizations discover creative applications of HubSpot beyond traditional marketing use cases.