Goodies 2022 Goodie Awards User Manual

Goodies 2022 Goodie Awards

2022 Goodie Awards Award Categories, Criteria, Submission Questions & FAQs
The Benevity Corporate Goodness Awards (aka the Goodies) celebrate outstanding companies and people who are pushing the boundaries with their corporate purpose programs to create awe-inspiring impact in their communities. These changemakers energize movements and light the way for others through corporate purpose.

Eligibility Period
We will recognize client achievements from July 31, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2021. For the two NewB Awards, there are two achievement periods: July 1, 2019, to July 30, 2020, and July 31, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2021.

Categories
The Goodies have eight categories to choose from. Review the category descriptions to determine where you, your company, employee or peer might qualify for an award. Please note: Examples listed in the “What makes an award winner” section for each category are meant to illustrate and inspire. You don’t have to be doing all of these things to qualify.

Bestie Award
For best-in-class approach for overall impact
*This award is closed to client nominations. Instead, the Benevity awards committee will select a winner from all award category submissions.
Purpose isn’t just something your company is talking about and thinking about; it’s something you’re actively doing — every day, in a way that’s authentic to your brand. And it’s driving measurable impact for your employees, customers, communities and business. From attracting, retaining and engaging the brightest talent to deeply engaging your customers to using your brand strength to power a positive social movement, you are creating big impact in the world through your corporate purpose.
You are a truly purpose-driven company who is:

• Transforming your workplace culture, communities and customer connections through Goodness
• Delivering on the S in ESG through your programs
• Engaging your stakeholders in defining your company’s areas of impact
• Empowering and engaging your people and/or customers in creative, inclusive ways
• Defining impact in new ways and sharing your impact story internally and out in the world
• Achieving measurable results you’re incredibly proud of (e.g., improvement in employee satisfaction and retention, customer acquisition, site traffic, revenue)
• Leveraging Benevity’s technology and resources to the fullest to create positive change

Moonshot Award

For boldness and creativity This award is open to all clients and types of programs
Just when we think we’ve seen it all, you come along to delight us (and the rest of the world!) with your innovative approach to community and corporate purpose. You’re a bold thinker willing to try new things, and you’ve created programs, products or approaches that truly reflect what your company stands for. You’re doing it in a creative, disruptive and impactful way that’s resulting in impact for your community and company.
What makes a Moonshot Award winner? You:

• Think outside the box, challenging the status quo and removing barriers to creatively solve critical issues
• Collaborate in unique ways with other companies, partners or organizations to take action on societal issues
• Inspire other companies or brands with innovative ideas on how to approach doing good
• Use Benevity’s solutions and features to engage your communities, employees or customers in interesting ways to maximize your social and business impact

People Power Award
For promoting purpose through people’s passions
*This award is open to all clients and types of programs
You create an employee-first culture by engaging everyone — regardless of age, location, income or ability. And you empower your people to co-own your program, whether it’s by recruiting employee ambassadors, engaging ERGs, allowing employee-nominated grants or user-generated opportunities, using Peer Matching or empowering everyone to support causes that matter to them in ways that work for them. Your people love your program because it’s designed for — and with — them, and you have the data to prove it.
What makes a People Power Award winner? You:

• Have best-in-class participation rates and inspiring metrics on employee retention, satisfaction or pride

• Have made a point of using your program as
  an effective way to engage, retain and connect your people throughout the pandemic and Great Resignation

• Use surveys or data to incorporate employee feedback and behavior to inform your
  program strategy

• Empower your people to bring their personal passions and purpose to work, and engage employees and ERGs to drive many of your corporate purpose initiatives

• Work hard to remove barriers from your program and find creative ways to leverage the tools, resources and technology for your distributed, frontline, global and/or retired workers to participate in your programs

• Have special programs dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging

• Have adapted to create more flexibility in your programs (and company), using employee voices to make cultural decisions

BeCause Award
For dedication to causes This award is open to all clients and types of programs
You’re a true partner to nonprofits in your community (or around the world), working closely with them to find out what they really need to achieve — and advance — their social missions. Whether you’re using your reach and resources to give grassroots organizations a bigger voice, removing funding restrictions or using your knowledge and strengths to help nonprofits improve efficiencies, you’re deeply invested in bettering the cause landscape.
What makes a BeCause Award winner? You:

• Have removed barriers for nonprofits through your granting or employee engagement programs so they can operate with more autonomy, flexibility and speed
• Take a cause-focused approach to your partnerships and use your resources and business knowledge to support them in meaningful ways (e.g., skills-based volunteering)
• Offer causes pro bono expertise or products to help them improve their operations and make a bigger impact
• Work with causes to increase the use of the Benevity Causes Portal to maximize their reach, autonomy and impact

NewB Award
For most transformative approach This award is open to clients who have launched with Benevity between July 1, 2019, and Dec. 31, 2021
You’re a new (or newish) kid on the Benevity block who launched between mid-2019 and 2021. Even as a NewB, you’ve got big things planned — and you’re already on your way to achieving your corporate purpose goals! You understand the value of having a progressive approach, and by implementing a few Benevity best practices, you’ve begun to create impressive impact since launching with us! (Two NewB Awards will be presented in 2022.)
What makes a NewB Award winner? You:

• Launched with Benevity between July 1, 2019, and July 30, 2020, or between July 31, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2021 (one award will be given for each timeframe)
• Have already seen a measurable impact and are on track to meet or exceed your goals
• Adopted new approaches with your launch/relaunch (e.g., shifted from traditional fundraising to a more grassroots approach; embraced unrestricted granting from the start; added new ways for employees to do good, like Missions and Peer Matching; or engaged customers for the first time)
• Had a creative, impactful launch process, leveraging features that might include payroll giving, charitable gift cards, account seeding, skills-based volunteering, matching, Peer Matching or Friendraising
• Implemented best practices to engage your stakeholders (e.g., employee ambassadors, special matching or seeding, innovative communications plan, use of Benevity’s API or Community Impact Portal to engage customers)

Buzz Award
For catalyzing purpose through communications and storytelling This award is open to all clients and types of programs When it comes to corporate purpose, you have a story to tell! Using data, impact stories and various communications tactics, you’ve mastered storytelling both inside and outside your company, while using your voice to create a network effect of good. Ultimately, you’re bringing your corporate purpose to life and using storytelling to catalyze a bigger impact and a better world for us all.
What makes a Buzz Award winner? You:

• Use multiple communication channels to share your stories with all your stakeholders
• Encourage and collect personal impact stories from your people and share them to inspire others
• Promote your program with new hires from day one, through onboarding presentations, seeding campaigns, etc., and leverage your leadership team to help boost awareness
• Promote year-round initiatives with your employees and/or customers and engage employees and/or ERGs to help with promotion, too
• Run multi-audience initiatives or cause marketing campaigns to amplify impact on your cause pillars, leveraging Benevity’s API or Community Impact Portal
• Openly share your granting strategies and results internally, engaging employees in the process
• Measure and share your program best practices and impact to inspire other companies to leverage their brand reach and resources to create more positive change
• Work closely with other departments, such as communications or marketing, to de-silo your programs, leverage each other’s strengths and communicate corporate purpose as a benefit to your entire company

Community Hero Award
For a best-in-class approach to community investment This award is open to all clients with a community investment/granting program You may not wear a cape, but your people, customers and neighbors see you as a hero who’s helping communities transform for the better. You have a progressive approach to community investment, building closer relationships with nonprofit partners (big and small), engaging employees in strategic decision-making, and measuring and communicating impact in non-traditional ways that lead to good things for your community and your business.
What makes a Community Hero Award winner? You:

• Take a strategic (yet creative) approach to community investment
• Include your people by using their feedback and insights to help inform your strategy, inviting them to nominate causes or even involving them in the decision-making process
• Have mastered the art of communicating the impact of your community investment program both internally and externally
• Strive to build relationships with nonprofit partners through initiatives like offering unrestricted funds on grants, decreasing bureaucracy on approval processes or creating volunteer or skills-based initiatives
• Tie your community investment program to the overall company strategy and broader purpose and ESG goals
• Demonstrate a deep understanding of how to leverage your existing technology, tools and resources to help make strategic decisions

BUFFY Award

For individual leadership, innovation and impact This is awarded to an individual, not a company We’re on the lookout for a CSR star with the Benevity Unicorn Factor (BUF-FY)! Do you know someone (it can be you or a peer) who demonstrates a progressive approach, leadership, creativity and innovation — all in the name of corporate purpose?

What makes a BUFFY Award winner? You (or your peer)

• Suggest new (and creative) approaches to CSR and corporate purpose and share best practices with the Benevity community
• Think outside the box and find unique ways to maximize reach and impact, despite limited time and resources
• Amaze those around you/them, year after year, with an inspired approach that drives big impact
• Are a master of using Benevity solutions creatively and effectively within your/their organization

Employee Catalyst Award
For an employee whose passion creates movements This award is open to employees of Benevity clients
You know that superstar employee who is the first to put up their hand when you put out the call? We want to celebrate them! This employee could be a program ambassador, volunteer champion, ERG leader or super-user who’s engaging with your program to the fullest and inspiring others to do the same. While CSR isn’t their day job, their incredible passion is creating a movement — in your company and out in your community. What makes an Employee Catalyst Award winner? They:

• Are a program ambassador or champion who helps you run and promote your program
• Are a content creator with a knack for getting others excited to participate
• Think creatively and strategically, offering suggestions for ways to elevate your program or initiatives
• Build strong relationships with local nonprofits
• Exemplify your program and company values

Guidelines

Deadline for submissions is Feb. 25, 2022, 5 p.m. MST Eligibility period: We will recognize client achievements from July 31, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2021. For the two NewB Awards, there are two achievement periods: July 1, 2019, to July 30, 2020, and July 31, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2021.

• Nominations are open to (and can only be submitted by) Benevity clients.
• There is no cost to submit a nomination.
• Per application, you may apply for one company category and one or both of the individual awards (BUFFY or Employee Catalyst). You can apply for multiple company categories, but must submit a new nomination form for each category.
• You can win only one award in 2022.
• Past Goodie winners are welcome to apply.
• All nominations will be judged by an awards committee elected by Benevity.
• Nominations will be evaluated based on the information you provide and how it aligns with the award criteria.
• All assets provided with your nomination form may be used for Benevity’s external marketing purposes. Please ensure the proper photo rights and waivers have been obtained prior to submitting.
• To make an educated decision on finalists and winners, the Benevity awards committee may contact you with questions or requests for more information, metrics and content.
• Submitting an application for an award may result in follow-up by Benevity’s Marketing team for inclusion in future case studies or marketing material. As media coverage during the awards ceremony is possible, information about your program may be published in news stories.
  Note : You’ll be asked to provide videos, photos or screenshots of your program by uploading them to an FTP site of your choice and providing the link.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to submit. We can’t wait to learn more about how you’re making an impact in your local and global community. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony at Goodness Matters 2022.

Nomination Questions

General information

• Your first name
• Your last name
• Your email
• Your job title
• Company name
• Name of the department/group you work in
• Up to 100-word description of your company

Your program overview

• The name of your corporate purpose program
• Year your program started with Benevity
• Year your program started (prior to Benevity, if applicable)
• Do you have a Goodness program motto (e.g., “Power to our people” or “Giving where we live”)?(max. 50 words)
• Describe your corporate purpose goals and how they tie to your organizational values or business outcomes.(max. 300 words)
• What business outcomes has your program helped achieve? (max. 300 words)
• Describe how your company’s purpose program is transforming workplace culture, communities and customer connections. (max. 300 words)
• What program initiative are you most proud of, and why? (max. 300 words)
• Tell us about any program initiatives that foster diversity and inclusion and how they’re managed. (max. 300 words)
• Which product features are you actively using? (select all that apply)
  • Peer Matching
  • Benevity OneWorld™
  • Community Impact (CI)
  • Portal Payroll giving
• Which program elements are you actively using?(select all that apply)
  • Open-choice (fairly open and unrestrictive Giving
  • Matching
  • Volunteer rewards
  • Volunteer rewards
  • Skills-based volunteering
  • Year-round program
  • Global program
  • Incentive program
  • User-generated/employee-created content
  • DEIB/ERG programs
  • Unrestricted grants funding
  • Employees involved in granting process
  • Employee ambassador program
  • Benevity App
• Enter the first name, last name and title of each person you would like to receive the award
• Each of the questions below has a maximum word count of 250 words.

Moonshot Award

• What innovative approaches have you taken to your program?
• How have you used your budget in creative ways to maximize your social impact?
• How have you creatively removed barriers to solve critical issues?
• Have you collaborated in unique ways with other companies, partners or organizations to take action on social issues? Tell us how.
• Have you inspired other companies or brands with your creative ideas for doing good? Tell us how.

People Power Award

• How has your program driven employee engagement? Share your impressive eNPS, employee retention and satisfaction rates.
• How did you use your program to engage and connect with your employees throughout the pandemic and Great Resignation?
• How have you empowered your people to bring their personal passions and purpose to work?
• How have you engaged employee ambassadors and/or ERGs to drive your corporate purpose initiatives?
• How do you ensure your program resonates with all your people, whoever and wherever they are?
• What programs do you have in place to foster diversity and inclusion? Tell us about them.

BeCause Award

• How does your community investment program elevate the work of the causes your company and people support?
• Have you removed barriers for nonprofits through your granting or employee engagement programs? Tell us how.
• How have you taken a cause-focused approach to your partnerships? Explain how you have used your resources and business knowledge to support causes in meaningful ways (e.g., skills-based or pro bono volunteering, product design and/or product donations).

NewB Award

• When did your new Benevity program launch?One award will be given for each timeframe so please only submit information based on the timeframe you launched in.
  • between July 1, 2019, and July 30, 2020
  • between July 31, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2021
• What made your program launch creative and impactful? If you launched with user-generated content, unrestricted grants funding or other incentives, tell us about it.
• Since launching with Benevity, what measurable results have you achieved? Are you on track to meet (or exceed) your goals?
• How has your program evolved since you launched? Describe any new approaches or best practices you adopted to engage stakeholders.

Buzz Award

• How have you leveraged storytelling to drive awareness and engagement for your grants or employee engagement program? What internal and external communication channels did you use?
• How are you promoting your program to your new hires, leadership team, employees and/or customers?
• How are you engaging employees and/or ERGs to help promote your program?
• How do you use Benevity Reporting to measure (and share!) your impact?
• How do you work with other departments to promote corporate purpose as a benefit to your entire company?
• Have you inspired other companies to leverage their own brand reach and resources to create more positive change? Tell us about it.

Community Hero Award

• How does your community investment program elevate the work of the causes your company and people support?
• How have you included your people in your program strategy and/or decision-making process?
• How do you communicate the impact of your community investment program both internally and externally?

BUFFY Award

• Who are you nominating? (It can be you or someone you admire.)
• Nominee’s job title, team and company
• What are some examples of the nominee’s new, creative approaches to CSR and corporate purpose?
• Why is this nominee a role model for others in the Benevity client community?
• How has the nominee thought outside the box to maximize program reach and impact despite challenges, which could include limited time/resources and/or the global pandemic?

Employee Catalyst Award

• Who are you nominating?
• Their job title, team and company
• How has this employee gone above and beyond their typical role?
• How have they created impact for your company and community?
• How did they rally and inspire others to participate in one or more movements in your workplace?

Please provide supporting data, assets and videos. This additional information gives us a better glimpse into your programs and the opportunity to learn more about your culture and the amazing things your company is doing. Plus, it helps us create the award winners’ video that’s unveiled at the award ceremony. Need some inspiration? Check out past Goodie winner Levi Strauss & Co as an example of the kind of assets we’re looking for.

FAQS

• Q: Who is eligible to enter?
  A: All Benevity clients who are involved in their corporate volunteering, giving, matching or community investment programs are eligible to apply.

• Q: When is the deadline to enter?
  A: Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, 5 p.m. MST

• Q: How do I submit my nomination?
  A: Complete this nomination form.

• Q: Can I save my nomination to submit later?
  A: Yes. Once you’ve started a nomination, your progress will save automatically in the browser so you can come back later to complete it. Be sure to review your answers thoroughly before you submit your form as you can’t edit once it’s been submitted.

• Q: Do I need to fill out every question on the nomination form?
  A: Yes. Please answer all questions to the best of your ability. The more information we have, the better your chances of being selected as a finalist and/or winner.

• Q: Do I have to apply for a specific award category?
  A: Yes. Please review the award categories and apply for the category (or categories) that you feel most closely aligns with your accomplishments. When you select a category, its related questions will appear.

• Q: How many award categories can I apply for?
  A: You can apply for as many award categories as you like (eight categories to choose from); however, a company can win only one award in 2022.

• Q: I think my program is an ideal candidate for the Bestie Award. How do I submit to win this award?
  A: This award is closed to client nominations. Instead, the Benevity awards committee will select a winner from all award category submissions.

• Q: How long does my entry need to be?
  A: Most questions specify a maximum character count, but there is no minimum. Generally, aim for concise and precise answers, but be sure they include key details about your program, goals and successes.

• Q: Why do I have to provide photos and videos with my nomination?
  A: Photos, videos and other assets associated with your program allow us to better understand your program as a whole and provide us with rich content to use in the award video should you win. Need inspiration? Check out last year’s award winner videos.

• Q: When and where is the awards ceremony?
  A: The awards ceremony will take place on June 2, 2022, during Goodness Matters in San Diego. There will be in-person and virtual options to attend.

• Q: Will I be notified if my company or I win an award?
  A: Finalists in each category will be notified in advance. If we have follow- up questions or require more information, we may reach out in advance to some nominees. But because we want the winners to be top-secret, with everyone finding out together at the awards ceremony, we don’t notify winners in advance.

• Q: If I’m selected as a finalist, do I have to pay to attend the conference?
  A: Yes. While the awards are a highlight of the conference, there are three action-packed days of inspiring mainstage presentations, keynotes and breakout sessions well worth attending.

• Q: Do I have to attend the awards ceremony to win an award?
  A: No, you don’t need to attend the awards ceremony or Goodness Matters 2022 to receive an award. In fact, we’ll be hosting a virtual watch party for those who are unable to be there in person.

• Q: How are the nominations judged?
  A: Benevity will elect an awards committee comprising Benevity leaders and executives from the Client Success and Marketing teams, which will review nominations based on the information that’s been submitted and how it aligns with the award criteria. Follow-up meetings may be requested to help the team learn more about your program and initiatives.

• Q: Is there an eligibility period that my nomination achievements must fall into?
  A: Yes, we will recognize client achievements only from July 31, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2021. For the two NewB Awards, there are two achievement periods: July 1, 2019, to July 30, 2020, and July 31, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2021

• Q: Is there publicity?
  A: Yes, we love to share our clients’ successes! We’ll announce the finalists in advance of the awards ceremony via social media and PR initiatives. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony June 2, 2022, and promoted the following day on social media and via a press release. We’ll also have media coverage for the event.

• Q: More questions?
  A: Your Benevity Client Success Manager is happy to help, or contact us at goodnessmatters@benevity.com.

What You Can Expect at the Goodies
The Goodies awards ceremony is dedicated to making people feel good about the Goodness they spread. It’s a night that recognizes their hard work, validates their accomplishments and amplifies their stories.

Read User Manual Online (PDF format)

Read User Manual Online (PDF format)  >>

Download This Manual (PDF format)

Download this manual  >>