2008 United Way Awards Program
The annual United Way Awards Program recognizes our extraordinary supporters who have gone above and beyond to LIVE UNTED by helping advance the common good and inspiring others to give, advocate and volunteer. We encourage you to apply for one or more of these exciting awards or even nominate others with whom you may have worked. Below is the link to the 2009 award descriptions and applications.
Applications are due February 2, 2009
2008 Award Applications
Community Spirit Award
The Community Spirit Award is the highest tribute United Way pays to any organization that best exemplifies how they LIVE UNITED by demonstrating excellence in delivering the LIVE UNITED message across the five Pillars Awards.
To be considered for a Community Spirit Award, organizations must complete applications for all five Pillar Awards. Two Community Spirit Awards are awarded each year - one to an organization with 250 or more employees and one to an organization with 250 or fewer employees.
Pillar Awards
The United Way Pillar Awards recognizes organizations that excel in implementing the LIVE UNITED theme in specific areas of their support to United Way: Corporate Support, Employee Support, Leadership and Tocqueville Giving, Volunteerism and Communications. Candidates are free to apply for one or more Pillar Awards.
The Corporate Support Pillar recognizes the organization that best aligns its philanthropic goals around strengthening our Chicagoland community and demonstrates its commitment to LIVE UNITED by providing generous financial and/or in-kind support to United Way.
The Employee Support Pillar recognizes the organization that best provides employees ample opportunity to LIVE UNITED, investing in their community, by contributing to United Way.
Leadership Giving and Tocqueville Pillar
The Leadership Giving and Tocqueville Pillar recognizes the organization whose employees LIVE UNITED by demonstrating extraordinary generosity through contributing Leadership ($1,000+) and Tocqueville ($10,000+) gifts to United Way.
The Volunteerism Pillar recognizes the organization that best promotes, encourages and supports its employees to LIVE UNITED through hands-on volunteerism in our community through United Way.
The Communications Pillar recognizes the organization that strategically and effectively spreads the word about how to LIVE UNITED through an outstanding communication program that works all year long.
Other Awards
Leo Perlis Labor Participation Award
The Leo Perlis Labor Participation Award recognizes the local union that excels in their support of and involvement in United Way to ensure the success of a workplace campaign. Named after the former director of the National AFL-CIO Community Service Program who was extremely instrumental in forging United Way’s earliest partnerships with organized labor.
Campaign Leader (CL) formerly named Employee Campaign Coordinator (ECC)
Named after one of the founders of the national United Way movement, the Frances Wisebart Jacobs Award recognizes the campaign leader who works in the most exemplary way during their workplace campaign and throughout the year, to educate and inspire employees to LIVE UNITED by investing in their community through United Way.
The Diversity Award recognizes the organization that best demonstrates its commitment to create an inclusive and flexible workplace that enables individuals to embrace their diversity, richness of backgrounds and varying perspectives. The winning organization supports, promotes, implements LIVE UNITED in its diversity initiatives and events, and when appropriate, incorporates the United Way Diversity programs throughout its workplace campaign.
The Growth & Innovation Award recognizes the organization that best demonstrates creativity and forward-thinking activities in its campaign efforts, generating an increase of at least 10% in their workplace campaign over the previous year by incorporating LIVE UNITED Campaign Best Practices and/or developing new give, advocate and volunteer strategies.
Great Beginnings Leadership Award
The Great Beginnings Leadership Award recognizes the organization that runs the most exceptional first-time workplace campaign, incorporates at least one LIVE UNITED Campaign Best Practice, obtains and/or maintains a high participation rate and achieves outstanding results. Organizations that re-engage with United Way after a two-year or more absence also qualify for the Great Beginnings Leadership Award.
Outstanding Campaign Video Award
The Outstanding Campaign Video Award recognizes the organization that produces the best company video for their workplace campaign that creatively inspires and educates its employees about how to LIVE UNITED.
Innovative Promotion Support Award
The Innovative Promotion Support Award recognizes the company that creatively uses company produced campaign products (brochures, t-shirts, posters, pledge cards, etc.) to promote LIVE UNITED during their workplace campaign.
Highly Innovative Project Award
The Highly Innovative Project Award recognizes the United Way funded project (could be a program or initiative) that takes a unique approach to addressing a persistent or emerging issue in their community in 2008.
Outstanding Leadership in Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Award
The Outstanding Leadership in Continuous Quality Improvement Award recognizes the United Way funded program that has been a leader in implementing a CQI system within their program/agency.
Outstanding Agency Partners of the Year Award
The Outstanding Agency Partner Award recognizes two agency partners - one with an annual budget of $5,000,000 or more and one with an annual budget of less than $5,000,000 - that have taken full advantage of United Way resources and acted as valuable and collaborative partners in advancing the LIVE UNITED message.
LIVE UNITED Volunteer of the Year Award
The Outstanding Volunteer Award recognizes United Way volunteers, whose work has gone beyond the defined requirements and resulted in groundbreaking achievements toward advancing the common good and inspiring others to LIVE UNITED during 2008. (Volunteers from all areas of United Way are eligible for nomination.)
David Yancy Ambassador Award
The David Yancy Award recognizes the Agency Ambassador who has been devoted and effective at educating others about how to LIVE UNITED: give, advocate and volunteer in the community through presentations, agency tours and/or exhibits during the United Way campaign. No applications necessary.
Million Dollar Corporate Partner Award
The Million Dollar Corporate Partner Award recognizes generous companies that contribute $1 Million or more to United Way through their loaned executive, corporate gift and endowment contributions. Awards are based on information obtained from the organizations campaign final report. No application necessary.
#1 Tocqueville Society Company Award
The Tocqueville Society Company Award recognizes the top organization that contributes the most in Tocqueville giving. The award is based on information obtained from the organizations campaign final report. No application necessary.
Top 25 Corporate Citizens Award
The United Way Top 25 Corporate Citizen Awards recognize 25 companies and their employees that contribute the most dollars to United Way through corporate and employee gifts, special events, grants, sponsorships, the endowment and loaned executive program participation during their annual campaign. Awards are based on information obtained from organization campaign final reports. No application necessary.
Member United Way Top Corporate Citizen Award
The Member United Way Top Corporate Citizen Awards recognize member-managed companies and their employees that contribute the most dollars to United Way through their participation in at least two of the following areas - corporate, employee, special events and the loaned executive program. The Member United Ways from the following area are to submit their Top 5 Corporate Citizens: DuPage, Northwest, North Shore, North Suburban, Oak Park/River Forest/Forest Park, South-Southwest Suburban and West Suburban. Awards are based on information obtained from organization campaign final reports. No application necessary.
Honor Roll (Corporate & Employee)
The United Way Corporate and Employee Honor Rolls recognize the impact of corporate, employee, special events and loaned executive support in the community. Awards are based on information obtained from organization campaign final reports. No application necessary.
