It’s that time of year again when we ask you to nominate a volunteer, young volunteer, trustee or voluntary or community organisation for a VODA Award. Every year we get nominations for some outstanding people and organisations but sometimes we are only too aware that the nominations don’t do them justice. So, we’ve put together a list of 10 hints and tips for you to think about when making your nomination. Hopefully you will find them useful.
- Read the description of the category carefully and describe how your nominee meets the criteria of the category you have selected. For example, if you are nominating a voluntary or community organisation, ensure that you cover why they are such an excellent organisation; how they deliver significant social impact; and how they make a valuable contribution to the local community.
- Make it clear who you’re nominating and why. Don’t assume that people know everything about what your candidate does. In most cases your candidate won’t be personally known to the Awards Panel, so it is important that you tell an interesting and compelling story on their behalf.
- Don’t skimp on the detail. The Awards Panel will base its decisions on the information that you provide. Write enough to enable the judges to understand why your nominee should win an award. It’s easy to say that your nominee is great, but make sure you explain why!
- Keep it simple. While you need to provide sufficient information, remember that longer doesn’t necessarily mean better.
- What makes your nominee stand out from the rest? If you are nominating an organisation, what makes them different from other organisations that are doing the same thing? If you are nominating an individual, in what way have they gone above and beyond what is normally expected in their role? What makes them different from other volunteers or trustees? Have they used any special skills? Are there any barriers that they have had to overcome?
- Get the Panel’s attention. Remember that the Panel will be reading a large number of entries, so try to make your nomination memorable. Start off with a statement in the first few lines about why you are nominating the individual or organisation. The rest of your nomination should provide evidence to substantiate your opening statement.
- Where possible, include measurable results. If you can, include details of what the nominee has achieved and what effects it has had. How have their actions improved or changed things? Can you quantify how much money they have raised, how many people they have helped etc? The Awards Panel will look for the impact an individual or organisation has had on their community
- Bring your nomination to life. If possible, include a little bit of background about your nominee and provide examples of how they have gone above and beyond the normal responsibilities of their role. Include anecdotes and personal stories if they are relevant Are they a role model for others? Is there anything innovative about how they have delivered lasting results? Can you provide quotes from people they have helped?
- Collaborate with others. If you are aware of other people who want to nominate the same person or organisation, work with them to complete a single, stronger nomination that combines all of your perspectives, rather than submitting lots of short, vague nominations.
- Don’t leave it too late! There’s nothing worse than writing a panicked nomination hours before the deadline, only to realize later that you’ve missed out important information. So make sure you start on it in good time in case you think of something else to add later.
Ready to go? Make a nomination at www.voda.org.uk/awards
