Recognizing our community’s volunteers

Volunteers are an important foundation of many nonprofit agencies and bring many skills and resources. United Way provides local organizations an opportunity to recognize their volunteers through our annual Volunteer Awards.

The Process:

The community submits nominations in 6 categories.
The community casts votes to select the award finalists.
UWECI Young Leaders Society steering committee members evaluates finalists and chooses a winner in each category.
UWECI announces the winners at our annual recognition event in April.
Winners in each category receive $500 to donate to a nonprofit of their choice.

Award Descriptions

All awards are judged based upon the outstanding contributions to a nonprofit organization.

Emerging Volunteer Award: Honors individuals in high school, college, or young professionals under the age of 40 who have made significant volunteer contributions to improve the community.

Lifetime of Volunteer Service Award: Recognizes and celebrates an individual who has shared their skills through volunteering and positively impacted the community throughout their lifetime.

Community Family Volunteer Award: Honors a “family,” however you define it, that has made volunteerism a core value and contributes significant time to help community-based organizations.

Civic Business Volunteer Award: Honors a community-minded business that demonstrates sustainable and transformational volunteer efforts to create a culture of community engagement.

Visionary Partnership Volunteerism Award: Honors a bold and innovative individual or group who—through collaborative volunteer efforts—is a visionary in creating solutions to meet the needs of the community.

Hand Raisers Volunteer Award: Honors a volunteer who shows commitment to helping impact a program in one of United Way’s focus areas of Education, Financial Stability, or Health.

Nominate a volunteer today!

Nomination Guidelines

The nominee’s volunteer time must be in United Way of East Central Iowa’s service area (Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Jones, or Linn Counties).
Nominee’s volunteer organization must be a nonprofit 501(c)(3) and serve the community at large. Religious or professional groups providing services only to their members are not eligible.
You may nominate only ONE outstanding volunteer or group per category. You may not enter the same volunteer or group in additional categories.
The volunteer could not have received financial compensation for the volunteer service. Reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses, such as gasoline, is acceptable.
We cannot return submitted materials, and through submission, you give permission for future use in promotions or editorials.
You may submit nominations for each of the six categories. You must complete one form for each category.

2019-2020

Volunteer Nomination Form

Step 1 of 3

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Nomination award category*
Select one category per nomination form. The awards committee reserves the right to reassign a category for any nominee.
Information about the Nominator
Your Information
Nominator name (your name)*
First Last
Nominator's email*
Nominator's address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code
Nominator's daytime phone*
Relationship to nominee*

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Information about the Nominee
Volunteer Nominee*
Individual, group or business name.
Please include names of family members
Nominee's Email*
Birth Month and Year*
Nominee's Address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code
Nominee's Daytime Phone*
Is the nominee a group?
- Yes
- No
Please include number of volunteers
Please include names of volunteers

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Organization(s) where the nominee volunteers*
Is the organization a 501 (c)(3)?*
- Yes
- No
Define the number of hours served by employees within the 2019 calendar year.*
Define the hours served within the 2019 calendar year.*
Define the number of years volunteered and lifetime hours served.*
Describe the volunteer’s service and contribution to the organization.*
Please limit response to 75 words or less.
Describe the impact or value the nominee's service has made to the organization and/or community. To what extent did the nominee’s actions demonstrate hands-on service that met or solved a need or challenge within the community/organization. Be clear and give examples. How many and what types of individuals or groups were worked with?*
Please limit response to 100 words or less.
Describe the impact or value the nominee's service has made to the organization and/or community. To what extent did the nominee’s actions demonstrate hands-on service that met or solved a need or challenge within the community/organization. Be clear and give examples.*
Please limit response to 100 words or less.
Did the nominee begin a new program, solve problems, or initiate creative ways to work within the organization? To what extent has the nominee made a long-lasting sustainable change?*
Please limit response to 75 words or less.
Describe how the company creates a culture of community engagement? Give examples of how the company builds capacity and shares its employees' skills and resources with community partners.*
Please limit response to 100 words or less.
To what extent has the nominee created an innovative approach to solving a community need? Describe how the volunteer efforts involved collaboration with other partners?*
Please limit response to 75 words or less.
Describe the impact the volunteer had in one of United Way's focus areas of Education, Financial Stability or Health? How many and what types of individuals or groups were worked with?*
Please limit response to 75 words or less.
Photo of Group
Drop files here or

Accepted file types: jpg, gif, png, pdf.
Headshot of nominee - This will be required for finalists.
Drop files here or

Accepted file types: jpg, gif, png, pdf.
Additional Photos of nominee volunteering
Drop files here or

Accepted file types: jpg, gif, png, pdf.

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Volunteer Awards

Recognizing our community’s volunteers

Award Descriptions

Nomination Guidelines

2019-2020

Volunteer Nomination Form

Step 1 of 3

Information about the Nominator

Information about the Nominee