Governor's Volunteer Awards

ALL nomination must be submitted through and approved by a state agency, the Iowa League of Cities, or the Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center at The University of Iowa. Forms not submitted through the appropriate agency coordinator will not be honored.

Download a list of all 2010 Governor's Volunteer Award Recipients [PDF: 466k]

Sample Release — VOLUNTEER AWARDS PRESENTED Local Volunteer(s) Recognized [MS Word: 35k]

Program Overview

The Governor’s Volunteer Awards (GVA) program was created in 1982, with inaugural awards presented in 1983. The program has grown from a small program only available to state agencies to its present function of providing all Iowa nonprofit, charitable, and government organizations with an easy, low-cost and effective way to honor their volunteers with a prestigious state-level recognition award.

Each year, regional award presentation ceremonies are held across the state to recognize hundreds of volunteers for their commitment, service, and time. Volunteers may be selected for an award in one of several categories: Individual; Group; Disaster Volunteer; or Length of Service. Except for Disaster or Length of Service Awards, people or groups that previously received a Governor’s Volunteer Award should not be nominated again.

There is a small handling fee for each nomination form submitted, which helps cover the cost of printing certificates, invitations, and ceremony materials, as well as memento photos, pins, and postage.

Recipients do not necessarily need to live in Iowa, but their service must have benefited Iowans or an Iowa organization. Award recipient criteria include an individual or group who has:

demonstrated exceptional commitment to volunteerism by helping with a special project or ongoing activities
demonstrated exemplary leadership, creativity, cooperation and hard work in their service to others
made an outstanding contribution to state or community through volunteer service

To help select your “Super Star” volunteer(s) for a Governor’s Volunteer Award, think about their contribution to the agency/organization. What were the benefits of the nominee’s efforts? What makes the accomplishments of this nominee more significant than those of other volunteers? How many hours were contributed by the volunteer to the agency/organization?

SPECIAL NOTES:

Even though Governor’s Volunteer Awards are “non-competitive, to ensure the handling fee is charged to the appropriate agency, ALL nominations must be submitted through and approved by a state agency, the Iowa League of Cities, or the Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center at The University of Iowa. Forms not submitted through the appropriate agency coordinator will not be honored. Each agency may set additional guidelines and restrictions, so please contact your organization's designated coordinator to request appropriate nomination materials.
To ensure you get periodic announcements about the Governor’s Volunteer Awards program (including when nomination forms are available and when recognition ceremonies will be held) we invite you join our electronic news list. Simply click on the “Register” link in the top right corner at www.iowalifechanging.com, fill in the blanks, and make sure to subscribe to the “Volunteer Iowa” list. If you have trouble registering, contact the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service at icvs@iowa.gov or 1.800.308.5987.