Awards

Honoring Association Excellence

Application Guide

Power of Associations Awards Application Guide

This document is intended to help applicants understand the information required on the Power of Associations Awards application. Please make use of it to familiarize yourself with the required information, as well as to help prepare your responses prior to beginning an application.

The first two sections of the application ask for contact information, along with general information about the association. The third section is for general information about the program, plus a set of longer-form questions that will explain the problem or issue being addressed, the reach of the program, how it embodies The Power of Associations and objectives and measurable outcomes. The final section is an attestation/permission statement.

Please note the fee is $50 per application.

NOTE: PR Programs will no longer be accepted as part of the Power of Associations awards program. If you wish to submit a PR program for consideration, please apply for the ASAE Gold Circle Awards.

NOTE: Previous winners of any Power of Associations award (Summit, Gold, Silver) are not eligible to resubmit the same program for consideration.

View the application portal. For questions about the application or this guide, please contact ASAE Public Policy at publicpolicy@asaecenter.org.

Notes on Application Specifics

Power of Association applications represent small and large associations, trade and professional, global and local. To make your application as good as it can be, the judging committee recommends you:

• Think through the story of your program and association as you begin your application and how you can tell that story.

• Consider how to explain how this program and work go above and beyond your association’s work.

• List measurable outcomes. Understanding impact can be more of a challenge without measurable outcomes.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

Application Guide

  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Title
  • Organization
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Address
    • Street Address
    • Line 2
    • City
    • Country
    • State / Province
    • Zip / Postal Code

Association Name: List the name of the primary association leading the program. If you are a consultant submitting on behalf of an organization, please list the association’s name. If multiple associations were involved, there is a place later in the application to list all partners.

Consultant Information (if applicable): If you are a consultant submitting on behalf of an association, please provide your information here.

Association Mission Statement: Sharing your board-approved mission statement allow us to determine if and how the submitted program fits within your organization’s mission.

Total Association Membership

Association Budget Size: Overall budget for your association.

Association Staff Size

Association Website

Name of Program: This is the name of the program and the title by which the entry shall be known throughout the judging process.

Category: Programs will be entered into one of five categories:

  • The Power of Advocacy: This category recognizes associations that have addressed advocacy in any of the following four areas: promoting civil discourse and collaboration between government and the private sector; mobilizing members and volunteers in grassroots advocacy with demonstrable results; organizing coalitions to address a shared federal, state or local legislative or regulatory issue; and enhancing an industry or profession’s reputation as a trusted resource for effective policymaking.
  • The Power of Community Support and Engagement: This category recognizes associations that have provided community support and engagement in any of the following four areas: marshalling industry or profession-specific expertise and resources in response to an immediate or long-term crisis or societal problem; enhancing public awareness of the impact of an immediate or long-term crisis or societal problem; developing solutions to benefit underserved populations; and promoting volunteerism and civic engagement.
  • The Power of Conscious Inclusion: This category recognizes associations that have addressed Conscious Inclusion in any of the following four areas: workplace/workforce; operational excellence; governance, volunteer and member recruitment, retention and engagement; and cultural competence programming and resource development.
  • The Power of Global Development: All U.S.-based societies or globally based societies that work globally or partner globally, at the programmatic or strategic level, are eligible to apply in this category. This category recognizes associations that have addressed global development in any of the following four areas: advancing an industry or profession’s global standing; collaborating to effect positive change in global systems and/or policies; improving the world economy; and addressing critical societal needs globally.
  • The Power of Industry/Professional Advancement: This category recognizes associations that have addressed industry/professional advancement in any of the following four areas: advancing industry standards; developing innovative educational/professional development opportunities; engaging in public relations/communications campaigns to further an industry or profession’s reputation; and conducting research to enhance the collective body of knowledge for an industry or profession.

It is possible that a program could fit in more than one category. Take time to read the category descriptions thoroughly before selecting a category to enter. Select the one category that you believe best fits the overall goals and/or problem the program was designed to address. If you have questions about the categories, please contact ASAE Public Policy at publicpolicy@asaecenter.org.

Has this program been submitted for a Power of Associations award in the past? (Y/N/Don’t Know) (NOTE: Previous winners of any Power of Associations award (Summit, Gold, Silver) are not eligible to resubmit the same program for consideration.)

What is the program status? (Ongoing/Concluded/Open): This information is used to determine how to judge the objectives and outcomes of the program. An ongoing program is one that has formally launched and continues to be executed, such as a public education campaign or community engagement effort. A concluded program is one that had a limited time period of execution and has now ended, such as an event or the adoption of a particular policy. An open program is one that is still in progress and/or has not yet achieved its intended goals. Regardless of status, all submissions will need to clearly indicate all measurable objectives and specific outcomes that demonstrate the program’s reach and success. NOTE: Details on measurable outcomes should be included in the Objectives and Outcomes section below.

Number of association volunteers involved: The number of association members involved in the program.

Program Budget Size: Budget for the program being submitted.

Is this program the result of a partnership or coalition with other organizations? Y/N

If this program is a result of a partnership or coalition, please list the other organizations here:

Are all coalition members aware of this award application? Y/N/ NA

Essay Section

This part of the application is where you will share appropriate background about how the program came together, what steps were taken to implement the initiative, and what outcomes resulted from your activity. Your program tells a story and your application should reflect this. In particular, your application should have well-defined and measurable objectives that have significant data and information substantiating the impact of the program on members and/or society. The judging committee relies heavily on your mission-focused, specific answers to these questions when scoring the application.

Overview of Activity: Briefly describe your program. The description should provide information about the assessed need for the program, how the program was implemented, and who was involved.

Impact: (600 word count limit; Weighted 50%) Describe how the program offers original or effective solutions to important societal or business problems. As a program can receive an award only once, ongoing programs should carefully consider if sufficient data is available to convey demonstrable impact. Also explain in this section:

  • What is the importance of the issue/problem to association members or society, and why was it chosen?
  • What are the program’s measurable objectives, and include significant data and information substantiating the impact of the program on members and/or society?
  • What were the impactful outcomes (not just the outputs) and effectiveness of the program?
  • How does the program illustrate the association’s vision for success, or protects the interests of their members, or elevates their profession/industry’s image as a change agent?

Reach: (300 word count limit; Weighted 25%) Provide a description of the audience that benefited (or will benefit) from this program (audience type, size, etc.) which may be local, state, national, or international in scope. If the program expands your existing community reach, be sure to explain this. Also describe in this section:

  • How does the target audience benefit from this program?
  • If addressed by the program, how does it help diverse communities (examples may include how the program supports low income communities or diverse communities due to geographics, race, gender or sexuality)?
  • Could this program be duplicated or modeled at the local, state, national or international level for other organizations and/or showcase the important work of associations

The Power of Associations: (300 word count limit; Weighted 25%) Use this section to share how your program showcases The Power of Associations by leveraging your association’s available resources to address an identified need, or show agility in responding, to an identified need, issue or problem. Award-winning entries effectively showcase how associations were able to go above and beyond their everyday, core mission to achieve extraordinary, measurable results. Also describe in this section:

  • How has the program involved the association’s members, staff or helped to coalesce other organizations?
  • Given the association’s mission, why is this program extraordinary? Does it go beyond members to include the industry or society?

If there us anything else you would like to share with us about this program that we haven’t already asked, please do so here:

Supporting Data (Attachment)
If you have any data reports, articles, or other materials in support of information you have provided above, please attach them here as a single file.

Supporting Data (Description)
If you attached a document above, please briefly describe its contents here.

☐ You warrant and represent that you have the authority to submit the application and attached materials, and that the information contained in the application and attached materials are true and complete; and

☐ You grant to ASAE a worldwide, nonexclusive, transferable, royalty-free, and perpetual license to use in any way and in any medium the application and such materials that are incorporated into the application.

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