October 2002 - Blue Ribbon Programs

Nominate your employee volunteer program or volunteers for special recognition!

CVC members gathered to learn tips to help improve their odds of successful award nominations. Presenters were:

• Diane Cormany - The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal
• Craig Hotvedt - KARE 11 News
• Terry Straub - RSVP

All the experts suggest the following:

• Follow the nomination form rules!
• Read the entire form to know exactly what the judges are looking for.
• Make sure the nominee meets the criteria.
• Know the organization you"re applying to (e.g., KARE11 TV is a visual medium, so the awardees will most likely be engaged in volunteer activities that are more interesting on film, rather than participating in board meetings.)
• Say your best stuff up front - not on the last page. What if the judge doesn"t read past the first paragraph or two?
• Be specific. How did the nominee impact the community?
• Get the whole story from the volunteer for accuracy and a stronger nomination.
• Include letters of support, when encouraged.
• Proofread - neatness, spelling and grammar do count!
• Respect the deadline.
• Do nominate someone!

The Business Journal Awards
The following awards may be of interest to CVC members:

• Forty Under 40
• Minority Business Awards
• Most Influential Women to Watch
• Great Places to Work
• Corporate Citizenship Profiles

Eleven Who KARE Awards Tips & Timeline
Judges are looking for people who may not get other recognition.

• Forms accepted through mid-January 2003.
• Letters of support should be addressed to current KARE11 management.
• 225-250 nominations are submitted each year.
• A small group of KARE11 employees narrow the field to 100 nominations.
• Then a larger group of KARE11 employees narrow it further to 30-40.
• The KARE11 Board of Governors selects eleven from the list by the middle of May.
• A black-tie dinner is held in early September.

There are many other awards [106k Word document] to apply for!

Tips from Terry Straub (formerly with the Governor"s Acts of Kindness Award).

CVC -Twin Cities Leadership and Spotlight Award nominations are due November 27. Letters of support, especially from volunteers, are encouraged. Download an application form.

Thank you to Peggy Paul and GMAC-RFC for hosting this event - and providing the delicious lunch from Kincaid"s.

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