2023 Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence draft

2023 Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence

Initial Application
Application Instructions
Thank you for your interest in the 2023 Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence. This award is a celebration of managerial excellence, not a grant application. The focus of the application is on management, infrastructure and system best practices, not programmatic needs and services. For this reason, we suggest that your organization leadership have a role in the preparation of this application. We recognize that no organization is perfect–we are all on a journey to excellence. The selection committee considers to what extent each organization embodies a range of managerial excellence. Please read through the Axelson Center's Hallmarks of Nonprofit Managerial ExcellenceSM for more information about the essential elements of a successful nonprofit organization.

Before completing this application, please make sure that your organization meets the eligibility requirements. You may find those requirements and other details about the awards process on our website. If you applied for the 2022 Alford-Axelson Award, you must have sought feedback on your application in order to apply for 2023. Once you're ready to begin the application (you've determined what information you need), allow at least 30 minutes to complete. Also, you may save your work and complete the application at a later time.

If you have questions about eligibility or the application, please contact Lynn Stevenson at 773-244-5219 or axelson@northpark.edu. Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. CST on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.
Are you ready to begin? You will need to attach the following:*

A copy of your organization's 501 (c)3 letterA list of board members (including their affiliation and years of service).A copy of the last two years of your organization's filed 990s.
Please be ready to answer the following (use the Axelson Center's Hallmarks of Nonprofit Managerial Excellence for guidance and note the word limits for each question):*

What is your organization doing that indicates extraordinary management? (750 word limit)Describe a managerial practice that is unique to your organization. It may not be perfect--you may still be refining this practice. (500 word limit)Tell a brief story of one of your program participants and how your program made a difference to that individual. (400 word limit)
Application
1. Organization Name*
2. Zip Code*

City

Zip Code
3. Website*

Executive Director/CEO
4. Executive Director/CEO Name*

First NameLast Name
5. Title*
6. Email Address*
example@example.com
7. Number of Years at Organization*
8. Number of Years in Current Role*

Person to receive communication regarding this application
9. Name*

First NameLast Name
10. Title*
11. Email Address*
example@example.com
12. Phone Number*

Area CodePhone Number

Organization
13. Year founded: *
14. What is your organization's mission statement?*
15. Please select the subsector that best describes your organization.*

Arts & HumanitiesCommunity DevelopmentEducationEnvironment/AnimalsFaith-basedHealthHuman ServicesInternational/Refugee Services
16a. Number of full-time employees (current fiscal year): *
16b. Number of part-time employees (current fiscal year): *
17. Please specify current fiscal year dates:*

18. Budget Size*

	Current Fiscal Year	Previous Fiscal Year
Size of annual operating budget:
Endowment:
Cash reserves*:

*"Cash reserves" refers to the money an organization has readily available to meet short-term and emergency funding needs.

19. Percentage of total budget, largest single grant/donation and total number of grants by source (use the most recent fiscal year for which complete data are available.):*

	% of total budget (this column must total 100%)	Largest single grant/donation	Total number of grants from each source
Foundation grants
Corporate donations
Individual donors
Government grants
Earned income
Other (specify source below)

Please specify other source(s) here:

Narrative
The following questions give you an opportunity to tell us why your organization should be considered for the Alford-Axelson award. Remember, this is an award for excellence in nonprofit management--not a grant application. In the questions that follow, focus primarily on management, not programming. For example, you may want to write about how your organization pivoted due to the crises of 2020 or how your organization handled some other organizational challenge or opportunity. Use the Axelson Center's Hallmarks of Nonprofit Managerial ExcellenceSM for guidance and more information about the essential elements of a successful nonprofit organization.
20. What is your organization doing that indicates extraordinary management? Please consider this question carefully using the Axelson Center's Hallmark's of Nonprofit Managerial Excellence (link above). Use the Hallmarks as a guide to illustrate 2 - 3 examples of extraordinary management.*

0/750
21. The previous question was about excellence in management. This question is about innovation. Describe a managerial practice that has been developed as an innovation within your organization. It may not be perfect--you may still be refining this practice. Use the Hallmark's of Nonprofit Managerial Excellence for guidance.*

0/500
22. Tell the brief story of one of your program participants and how your program made a difference to that individual.*

0/400

Service and Impact

Use the most recent fiscal year for which complete data are available. If your organization serves communities outside of the Chicagoland area, please report data for Chicago only.
23a. Total Individuals served (specify dates)*
23b. Total number of organizations served (specify dates)*
24. Please include the most important metrics (internal and/or external) used by your organization to measure your impact (specify dates). These metrics should be for results completed, not just what is projected. Include specific results for most recently completed fiscal year and compare with previous year (e.g., 75% of all students experienced an improvement of x amount in 2021 which represented an increase of 20% over 2020.) You should include a point of comparison for all metrics as indicated in the example. You may list up to five. The metrics you share should tie to the organization's mission.*

0/300

25. In the most recently completed fiscal year, what percentage of your board of directors made a financial contribution (for any purpose) to your organization? *
26. Is there a stated giving policy for your board of directors?*

YesNo
Briefly describe your organization's giving policy for board members below. If there is no giving policy, please explain below.*

0/200
27. Is there a term limit policy in place for board members?*

YesNo
Briefly describe your organization's term limit policy for board members below. If there are no term limits, please explain below.*

0/200
28. Did your organization apply for this award in 2022?*

YesNo
29. If you answered "Yes" to Question 28 did you already receive the required feedback on that application from Axelson Center staff?

YesNo

Attachments
Please include a copy of your 501 (c)3 letter.*

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Please include a copy of the last two years of your organization's filed Form 990s.*

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Finally, please include a list of board members including their affiliation and years of service. *

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After you have completed the entire application and have uploaded the required documents, please sign below and click submit. Thank you for your application!
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2023 Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence

Application Instructions

Application

Executive Director/CEO

Person to receive communication regarding this application

Organization

Narrative

Service and Impact

Attachments