Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence
2013 Finalists for Alford-Axelson Award
Twelve Chicago-area organizations are finalists for the 2013 Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence. This year’s awards will be presented to two organizations: one with an annual budget of more than $3 million and one with an annual budget of less than $3 million.
The recipient organizations will receive a $7,500 unrestricted grant, sponsored by Fifth Third Bank, and a commemorative award symbolizing the organization’s dedication to modeling managerial excellence. The recipient organizations are recognized at the annual Symposium on June 4, 2013, along with the winner of the Excellent Emerging Organization Award.
Large Nonprofit Award Finalists
Small Nonprofit Award Finalists
The Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management at North Park University is proud to present the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence. The purpose of this award program is to honor and continue the legacy of Nils G. Axelson, a devoted community healthcare leader and visionary, and Jimmie R. Alford, a recognized thought leader in the nonprofit arena, by recognizing and celebrating Chicago area nonprofit organizations that exemplify extraordinary managerial excellence.
A Portrait of an Excellent Organization
In reviewing the nonprofit organizations that were nominated for this year’s awards, the selection committee considered to what extent each organization embodies the full range of managerial excellence criteria:
- Clear, compelling, and well-communicated, mission and vision
- Coherent organizational strategy that aligns programs and services to mission and goals
- Strong and effective leadership by staff and board
- Solid financial management
- Diversified funding model
- Well-developed fundraising and external relations program
- Strong sense of integrity throughout organization’s culture
- Shared sense of purpose and values within organization and among key external constituents
- Process in place for evaluating organizational performance
The Award
Each year, since the award was established in 2001, nonprofit and community leaders in the Chicago community award two unrestricted grants. One grant is reserved for a nonprofit organization with an annual budget under 3 million dollars and the other is for a nonprofit organization with a budget exceeding that amount. Organizations are selected on an annual basis by a nomination committee comprised of Chicago-area nonprofit and community leaders. The recipient organizations are recognized at the annual Symposium sponsored by the Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management at North Park University in Chicago.
Eligibility
In order to be considered for the award, an applicant must be a 501(c)3 organization and its primary mission focus must benefit Chicago and/or its surrounding communities. Staff, board members, and volunteers may nominate their own organizations. Organizations that have received the honorable mention designation in previous year award programs are eligible to apply. In addition, we have also added an eligibility checklist as the first page of this application. In an effort to save time for the applicant, we ask that if you cannot check every item on the list that you not complete the application at this time.
If you are a small 501(c)3 organization that has been in existence 10 years or less, has a budget of under $750,000, and has less than 10 full-time staff, you might consider applying instead for the Excellent Emerging Organization Award.
Archives: 2013 Call for Nominations
(The information provided below is for historical purposes, to help applicants better understand the process.)
Contact the Axelson Center by email or by phone at (773) 244-5747 to nominate an organization for this award. Organizations do not need to be nominated in order to apply, but members of the community are welcome to nominate organizations that they know. If you would like to nominate an organization, please provide contact information for the individual who should be contacted to complete the application process. An organization can self-nominate simply by completing the application, in this case you do not need to notify the Center prior to your application submission.
Registration to Apply and Updated Process
If you meet the eligibility requirements, we invite you to apply for this award. Download the application and instructions.
We have made revisions to the application process to reduce the amount of time required to apply, and have included an eligibility checklist at the beginning of the application in order for you to decide if you meet the requirements for managerial excellence.
- Complete and mail the initial application (electronic files are preferred, postmarked no later than February 1, 2013). Include a copy of your 501(c)3 letter.
- The initial applications will be reviewed and 10-12 organizations will be chosen to complete a more detailed application. The qualifying organizations will be notified no later than February 22, 2013, and will be sent the final application.
- These organizations will have until April 1, 2013, to postmark the final application.
- The finalists will be chosen during a review committee meeting in mid-April. The finalist organizations will be notified of the date and time, and are asked to have one contact person available via phone for clarification on questions that arise during the review.
- All qualifying organizations will receive special recognition at the Symposium luncheon on June 4, 2013. The two winning organizations (one small organization, and one large organization) will each receive a $7,500 unrestricted grant.