1. Treat writing a nomination as you would a proposal or grant application. Pay attention to the criteria.
2. Adhere to the guidelines. Click here to view questions asked for the awards
3. Check the appropriate category for your nomination. Please note that corporate foundation nominations are generally evaluated in the foundation category. However some corporations, while not having a formal corporate foundation, refer to their charitable giving department as a “foundation.” That is considered corporate, not foundation, philanthropy. Please clarify the correct category with the nominee before submission.
4. Organize your application along the lines of the criteria so that the committee can easily find what it is looking for. The use of headings is recommended.
5. Write clearly and cleanly. Avoid typos and bad grammar. Show that you are taking the process seriously and that the person or entity you are nominating is worthy of your best professional effort.
6. Identify and include what else your nominee is doing in the Greater Cleveland area in addition to the support provided to your organization and include those details within the nomination.
7. Try to address the nominee’s current and past achievements; while you may be focused on one particular achievement, the nominee may have other qualifications that you could also address in the narrative.
8. As you write, please think about how the nominee’s achievements have made a difference in the community, especially during challenging times for philanthropy and describe that in the narrative (instead of simply listing accomplishments).
9. Co-nominations are permissible and strongly encouraged. However, there can be only one lead nominator and only one co-nominator.
10. It is suggested that applicants review the list of previous awardees. Preference will be given to nominations from among those not recognized previously.
11. Nominees must be able to attend the event on November 3, 2023.