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 Volume
II• April 2005
Leadership Recognition Programs
Dear Philanthropy Professional,
We all know how great it feels to be recognized and applauded for a job well done. In the nonprofit sector, such recognition takes on even more importance because it shines a spotlight on emerging leaders and key issues, allowing us to acknowledge past progress and sustain future successes.
Before you consider creating a leadership recognition program, it’s a good idea to explore how and why other leadership programs have succeeded:
- Who benefits from leadership recognition programs?
- What group of individuals should be considered for recognition?
- What defines the continuum from recognition to development?
When the San Francisco-based James Irvine Foundation was considering the possibility of creating a statewide leadership recognition in California, they turned to Putnam Community Investment Consulting to conduct a scan of the field.
In this issue of IdeaMail, we bring you some of the key findings that emerged from this scan of the field, with hopes that you can use them to better understand the potential role that a leadership recognition program might play in your own organization. As always, we welcome your comments and ideas, so please let
us know what you think.
The Four Stakeholders: Who Benefits from Leadership Recognition Programs?
1. Your Honorees can gain recognition, legitimacy and access to greater funding while extending their network and increasing their commitment;
2. Your Honoree's Organization can increase its reputation and build capacity while enabling collaboration with similar organizations;
3. Your Field benefits through increased awareness of key issues and the energizing of practitioners;
4. Your Foundation can build brand awareness, leverage fund allocation, and identify expertise for future planning.
See page 3 of Leadership Recognition: A Scan of the Field to see the value of recognition programs to key stakeholders.
The Five Target Markets: What Group of Individuals Should You Consider for Recognition?
1. Age and Stage You can design your award program around a particular age group or those who have achieved a specific stage of development;
2. Ethnicity and Culture Many recognition programs focus on a designated ethnic community or underserved groups;
3. Gender and Sexual Orientation Depending on the goals of your program, you may choose to recognize women leaders or those from the GLBT community;
4. Issue Area Many recognition programs focus on one area, such as the arts, or a specific benchmark, such as quality of care;
5. Sector You may choose to recognize only nonprofit leaders, people outside the sector, or leaders across sectors who have contributed to a designated field of interest.
Learn more about how you can hone your target market for leadership recognition on page 9 of the report.
The Six Building Blocks: What Defines the Continuum from Recognition to Development?
1. Recognition is the act of selecting and honoring the award recipient;
2. Money and/or Time is awarded in the form of funding or a sabbatical;
3. Convening brings together award recipients for networking or learning;
4. Access and Exposure connect award recipients to key decision makers;
5. Training provides skill-building workshops consistent with leaders’ needs
6. Additional Support may include “add-ons” like mentoring or peer networks.
Learn more about these six building blocks on page 5 of the report.
Download
the full report Leadership Recognition Programs: A Scan of the Field to learn more about our research objectives and methodology, and see how some of the nation’s leading foundations and nonprofits are defining their own leadership recognition programs.
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