The Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Awards are Middle Tennessee’s largest celebration of volunteerism. Each May, Hands On powered by United Way of Greater Nashville honors the legacy of Mary Catherine Strobel, a Nashvillian best remembered for her tireless, joyful commitment to those in need.
The Strobel Awards recognize volunteers for their deep commitment to service and celebrate the giving spirit of Middle Tennesseans. By nominating a friend, co-worker, or fellow volunteer, you acknowledge their dedication to our community and could help them receive $1,000 that they can donate to their favorite cause.
Click here for information about this year’s award categories.
Check out these five tips for writing a nomination:
1. Ensure Accuracy
Please double check the spelling of your nominee’s name, their age (if applicable to the award category), the organization they volunteer with, and that they are an unpaid volunteer.
2. Quantify the Impact
Beyond sharing heartwarming stories of the volunteer, set your nomination apart by including data and a few facts! Knowing a volunteer served 20 hours per week for a year (1,040 hours!) is more compelling than “they volunteered weekly.”
Demonstrating the volunteer’s collective impact also illustrates the importance of your nominee’s service. For example, if a volunteer packed 300 meals a shift once a week for a whole year, cumulatively, that’s 15,600 meals for community members in need. This pulls much more on heartstrings than simply stating, “they packed
3. Define the Details
Don’t forget to include all the information! Does your volunteer serve at multiple organizations? Do they have a history of volunteerism? By sharing your nominee’s background, this tells a captivating story and provides the panel of judges (community leaders who choose the award finalists) a comprehensive picture of your nominee’s service.
4. Check for Spelling and Grammar
Don’t forget to review your nomination before submitting! Do the sentences make sense? Are there multiple misspelled words? Keep your nomination clear and easy to read.
5. Length and Clarity
There’s a lot of freedom with the nomination form. Keep in mind that two to three paragraphs usually capture the heart of a volunteer’s story. Make sure that your story doesn’t get lost in the details, but also that it accurately depicts the nominee.
Submit a nomination!