1. Webinar 12/04/15 at 10:00 a.m. For anyone interested in nominating an individual or group for the 2016 Governor’s Volunteerism & Community Service Awards

2.  New website! http://www.vavolunteerismawards.org/ http://www.vavolunteerismawards.org/  All nominations MUST be submitted electronically  Complete all fields online and upload two support letters  Click SUBMIT; this should generate an automatic e- mail confirmation of receipt of nomination

3.  E-mail  Download nomination form from website  Complete all fields of downloaded form and save  Scan two required support letters  E-mail all to volunteerism@dss.virginia.govvolunteerism@dss.virginia.gov  Confirmation e-mail will be sent

4.  New website link: http://www.vavolunteerismawards.org/ http://www.vavolunteerismawards.org/

5.  Adult Volunteer  Individual aged 19 - 59  Senior Volunteer  Individual aged 60+  Youth Volunteer  Individual up to age 18

6.  Community Organization  Group of volunteers serving in or from a nonprofit, civic, public safety, governmental, or other service organization  Corporation  Employee group representing a for-profit corporation with 51 or more employees that has made an outstanding contribution to the community or State  Educational Institution  Group of volunteers serving in or from an educational institution (K-12, College or University)

7.  Faith-Based Organization  Group of volunteers serving in or from a faith-based organization (church, synagogue, temple or other religious organization)  Family Volunteers  Family who volunteers together for a specific project or organization (a married couple is considered a family)  Small Business  Employee group representing a for-profit small business with 50 or less employees that has made an outstanding contribution to the community or State

8.  A Sample Letter of Support can be found on the Nomination Page of the new website A Sample Letter of Support  Two letters of support are required, no longer than one page each   Letters should clearly state the author’s relationship to the nominee and knowledge of his/her or the group’s service

9.  Letters must be submitted by someone other than the nominator and by someone not directly related to the nominee   If possible, letters of support should be submitted on the letterhead of the letter writer and signed by the writer – no anonymous support letter writer’s permitted  Support letters MUST be submitted or uploaded at the same time that the nomination is submitted

11.  Nominators are crucial!  Judges rely on the nominator to see your nominee’s attributes and contributions  Source: Adapted from “Writing Award Winning Nominations ”article written by Mary V. Merrill, L.S.W., and published in Volunteer Management Review™, 2004

12.  Read “FAQ’s” on Home Page Tab in the drop- down list  Answer all questions in the order specified  Can’t accept incomplete applications

13.  Judges will score lots of nominations  Judges will look for the specific info required  Hunting for info makes it harder to score  The scoring tool matches the nomination form

14.  Judges do not know your nominee! Be descriptive.  Avoid the use of too many pronouns, run-on sentences and acronyms  Proofread!

15.  Complete nomination in Word first, then cut and paste  The online form does NOT have a “start, save and finish later” feature and it can be frustrating to lose the nomination information and start over!

16.  Be concise and support with observation and fact  Give specific examples to reinforce  Talk to your nominee, ask questions and listen for information that can be used to support your own thoughts and ideas  Call people that work for and with the nominee  Gather as much information as possible

17.  Organize thoughts, follow instructions  Share personal skills: listening, team-building, collaboration, creativity, and professionalism  What impact has the nominee’s service made?

18.  Create a unique picture of your nominee  Choose qualities that make your nominee truly outstanding and give specific examples

19.  Make sure to submit the nomination narrative and the two letters of support all together by the deadline of 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 16, 2015

20.  Contact Cathy Walker  Office on Volunteerism and Community Service (OVCS)  Toll-free: 1-800-638-3839  Direct Phone: 804-726-7918  E-mail: volunteerism@dss.virginia.govvolunteerism@dss.virginia.gov