Alford Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence
Download the 2012 Alford Axelson Award application.
If you would like to request a Word version of the application, please contact us.
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 contemporary leading thinker and practitioner in the nonprofit arena, by recognizing and celebrating Chicago area nonprofit organizations that exemplify extraordinary managerial excellence.
A Portrait of an Excellent Organization
We are seeking nominations of organizations that embody exemplary organizational management qualities such as those espoused by the award’s namesakes. Through practice and performance, these organizations exhibit such hallmarks of effective and excellent management as:
- 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 $5,000 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. The 2012 symposium is scheduled for June 5, 2012.
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, the audited financial statements which are included with the application should demonstrate balanced budgets for two recent consecutive years.
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.
A Call for Nominations
Contact Tracey Starkovich by email or by phone at (773) 244-5799 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. You may download the application and instructions at the top of this page. We have made revisions to the application process to reduce the amount of time required to apply.
Registration Process
- Complete and mail the initial application (postmarked no later than January 31, 2012). Include a copy of your 501(c)(3) letter.
- The initial applications will be reviewed and 10 organizations will be chosen to complete a more detailed application. The qualifying organizations will be notified no later than February 15, 2012. These organizations will be sent a second application, requesting more specific information.
- These organizations will have until March 19, 2012, to postmark the final application.
- All qualifying organizations will receive special recognition at the Symposium luncheon on June 5, 2012. The two winning organizations will each receive a $5,000 unrestricted grant.