Governor's Volunteer Awards

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. Examples: a school should submit nominations through the Iowa Department of Education, while a local Scout troop would submit their nominations through the Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center. A City Parks Department would submit their selection through the Iowa League of Cities. Each agency may set additional guidelines and restrictions, so please contact your organization's designated coordinator to request appropriate nomination materials.

List of 2009 Award Recipients[PDF: 401k]

Sample Press Release [MS Word: 31k]

Program Overview

The devotion of volunteers helps Iowa consistently remain in the top 10 states in the nation for its volunteerism rate. According to the latest "Volunteering in America" report, Iowa volunteers contribute an estimated 89.3 million hours of time and have an economic impact of $1.7 billion each year.

The Governor’s Volunteer Awards (GVA) program provides Iowa nonprofit and government organizations with an easy, cost-effective way to honor their volunteers with a prestigious state-level recognition award. Each June, regional award presentation ceremonies are held across the state to recognize hundreds of volunteers for their commitment, service, and time.

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. Volunteers may be selected for an award in one of three categories: Individual; Group; or Length of Service. Except for Length of Service Awards, people or groups that previously received a Governor’s Volunteer Award should not be nominated again.

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

Even though these awards are “non-competitive”, to ensure the handling fee is charged to the appropriate agency, ALL nomination forms 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 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?