TIPS & TOOLS - Make Your Nomination Have a Positive Impact
By: Tracy Douglass, Coordinator, Training & Marketing

By speaking to past judges I have compiled a short list of suggestions to make your nomination most effective.

1. Pay attention to the award criteria, rules and guidelines. For example, make sure that if you are nominating an individual, it is not for an award that is to recognize a group.

2. Focus your nomination. Some awards have various categories and you need to make sure the judging panel understands clearly into which category you wish your nomination to fall. Making your nomination too general so that it fits into many different categories will actually be less effective since the judges don't have time to figure out where it should be categorized and will probably file it away completely.

3. Remember that the judging panel consists of people just like you. They want to make the best choice but when schedules must be matched it usually means that they don't have as much time for consideration as they woud like. Make sure your nomination is short, simple and to the point.

4. Make your nomination easy to understand quickly. Nothing tells a story faster than a picture. Try to include a before and after picture, a map, an example, or an audiotape to show how this volunteer made an impact.

5. Avoid the perception of bias. Convince the judges that the nomination is worthy because of the person's actions, not because of any personal relationship with the nominator.

6 . Keep in mind the spirit of the awards. Volunteering is the most fundamental act of citizenship and philanthropy. It is offering time, energy, and skills of one’s own free will. Showing how the individual's or group's actions fit this definition is an important part of the nomination.

The 23rd Annual Awards Dinner is a night to recognize the contributions that volunteers make to our communities and province everyday. Volunteer Manitoba is proud to be able to provide an oppportunity to publicly thank our volunteers and, perhaps, inspire others to become involved.