Connect for a Cause Nominations

The Corridor Business Journal is taking the next step in recognizing the critical work nonprofits do in our communities. The CBJ is now opening nominations for our Connect for a Cause Awards. There are four separate categories where the CBJ will recognize people and organizations for their vital work.

The award winners, which identify outstanding companies and leaders who have supported nonprofit organizations and nonprofits and nonprofit executives who have significantly impacted the community over the last year, will be selected by an independent panel of judges.

Corporate Citizen of the Year
Awarded to a for-profit organization in recognition of its impact on a single nonprofit organization or multiple organizations through financial contributions and collective efforts to promote, encourage and organize fundraising efforts and company-sponsored programs.

Partnership Award – Small Business (1-99 Employees)
Given to a for-profit organization(s) that can best articulate a successful, measurable business outcome from their community service efforts, exemplifying the principle that doing good is also good business.

Partnership Award – Large Business (100+ Employees)
Given to a for-profit organization(s) that can best articulate a successful, measurable business outcome from their community service efforts, exemplifying the principle that doing good is also good business.

Nonprofit Collaboration of the Year
Recognizing a collaborative project that engages relationships with multiple nonprofit organizations and multiple shareholders within the community and that helps solve a community problem or issue.

Please nominate a person or organization in one or more of these categories. Include a summary of their work and examples of why they are deserving. The deadline to nominate someone is March 24

An independent selection committee will decide the winners, and the CBJ will announce via social media, corridorbusiness.com, and in an upcoming issue of the Corridor Business Journal. The award winners will also be recognized in the CBJ’s Annual Giving Guide.

Connect for a Cause Submission Requirements
Entries should highlight achievements from January 2022 through December 2022. Organizations or individuals may submit entries on behalf of themselves or others and may enter any number of categories. The organizers reserve the right to retain entries for subsequent publication.

Summary Basics

Within each entry, you will be asked to answer the following series of questions:

PARTNERSHIP AWARD

GOAL ACHIEVEMENT BY NOMINATED COMPANY: Please describe in detail the goals that were set for the company’s effort by your non-profit, or what goals the nominated company set for themselves.  Describe how well the nominated company did in achieving those goals. 

EFFORT THE NOMINATED COMPANY PROVIDED: Please describe in detail the effort and resources committed to achieve goals for this specific project or effort. (ie; number of employees, overall hours committed, overall dollars or volunteers raised. What in-kind value was provided?)

OVERALL COMMITMENT: Please describe in detail the length of time this effort spanned. Was it a one-day project? A month or a week? An annual effort?

NONPROFIT COLLABORATION

COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITY, ISSUE OR PROBLEM & OUTCOMES: Please describe in detail the community issue, opportunity or problem that your organizations were trying to explore or solve when you decided it was best to collaborate with other organizations. How many (and which ones) organizations were brought together and what outcomes were achieved?

WORKING TOGETHER: Please describe in detail how well these organizations worked together along with the resources invested by each organization that was involved. 

CORPORATE CITIZEN OF THE YEAR

FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE NOMINATED COMPANY: Please describe the financial support you have received from the corporation you are nominating (not from their employees or internal fundraising efforts, but their philanthropic gift or sponsorship paid by the company).  The more details you can provide the better job the selection committee can do in rating the company.

EFFORT THE NOMINATED COMPANY PROVIDED IN HELPING YOUR ORGANIZATION ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS: Please describe in detail how the nominated company helped in achieving the goals you set in general, or for a specific project or effort. Include things like expertise provided, the opening of doors, overall leadership, etc. Was it a financial effort or a volunteer raising effort? What were your goals and how well did the nominee achieve them?

WORKPLACE COMMITMENT: Please describe in detail the work/effort done by the nominated company’s employees. What internal efforts were implemented and how many employees were involved? 

OVERALL IMPACT/SUCCESS: Please describe in detail the overall outcomes, impact and success achieved by the nominated company’s efforts.

• What was the initiative and its objectives?
• What has been achieved and how was success measured? What benefits has the partnership brought to society, the charity and the company?
• 200-word executive summary

The word limit for your written submission is 1,000 words plus a 200-word executive summary. It is strongly advised that you do not exceed the word limit.