Nominations for 2020 Community Awards now open
Nominations for the 2020 Community Awards have officially opened (on Friday 14 August) and charities, voluntary organisations, individuals and businesses have a four-week window to submit their forms.

This year’s Awards, hosted by the Guernsey Community Foundation, return to St James on Tuesday 17 November, 2020 to celebrate local charities, individuals and businesses who, over the last 12 months, have raised money, delivered services and undertaken community projects for the benefit of others across the Bailiwick.
The awards have a new principal sponsor with Ravenscroft committing to a three-year sponsorship.
Wayne Bulpitt, Chair of the Guernsey Community Foundation said that 2020 is a particularly special year for the organisation.
“This year’s Awards coincides with the Foundation’s 10th anniversary and will be a great celebration of third sector achievements during 2020, and of the island’s resilience and community spirit in the face of COVID-19.
“Whilst it will have been a challenging year for some, as a community, we have much to celebrate,” he said.
The Foundation is hoping to receive a record number of entries this year making it the biggest Awards to date.
“For some, completing a nomination form can sometimes appear a little daunting. We don’t want this to put you off. If you need any help or guidance our team will be more than happy to help you,” said Mr Bulpitt.
As in previous years, self-nominations are welcomed as well as third-party nominations. The Foundation is also able to offer advice regarding the type of information the judges are looking for.
To help the nomination process, bespoke online forms with different questions for each category have been introduced for the first time this year. This will remove the need to print and then scan the completed forms, and the questions are tailored to each category providing more guidance on the sort of information the judges are looking for.
Last year, the prestigious Charity of the Year Award was won by Paws for Support. The charity was shortlisted alongside Bowel Cancer Guernsey and Guernsey Society for Cancer Relief, and received the award in recognition of its pioneering work with therapeutic aid animals.
Prize money of £3,000 will be awarded to the Charity of the Year and all other categories will receive £2,000 to be donated to a local charity of the winner’s choice.

Mark Bousfield, group managing director of Ravenscroft, said there was much to celebrate this year.

“Ravenscroft has links with many charities, voluntary organisations and community events and initiatives and it is a privilege for us to work and support the committees and volunteers who give so much for the benefit of others. It has been an incredibly difficult year for the third sector and the 2020 Community Awards will be a celebration of the energy and enthusiasm of so many.”

If any businesses or individuals are interested sponsoring this year’s Awards, one remains available: Fundraising Team of the Year. For more information email Anna Le Page at Anna@foundation.gg or by telephone on 723442.

Award categories are:

Charity Of The Year sponsored by Ravenscroft
Awarded to the charity that the Judges believe has consistently delivered outstanding service to its beneficiaries; promoted and raised its cause; been clear in its goals and strategy and demonstrated excellence all round.

Organising Committee Of The Year sponsored by Julius Baer
Awarded to the organisers of an annual event, one-off project or campaign which has been particularly successful in engaging with the local community and whose participants have demonstrated great teamwork.

Outstanding Individual Achievement sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers Channel Islands LLP Awarded to a person who has demonstrated innovation, teamwork, passion and integrity throughout their involvement, and who has produced an identifiably profound effect on a charity or voluntary organisation through their work and/or leadership.

Fundraising Team Of The Year
Awarded to a locally based fundraising team on the basis of its innovation and results that achieve or exceed the aims of a campaign, or campaigns, during the previous 12 months.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Award sponsored by Credit-Suisse
The CSR Award recognises the active involvement of a commercial company and its team directly with charitable, voluntary or community projects in its locality, or through its partnership with a local charitable, voluntary or community organisation that has had a quantifiably positive effect on the local community over the last year/s.

Innovation Award Sponsored by Resolution IT
The Innovation Award recognises creative ways of working that will benefit the voluntary sector or our wider community. This could include partnership working between charities and the private or public sectors, and could be awarded to an individual or team. Recognition could extend to new projects; new or inventive ways of working or approaching problems that enable more effective delivery of services; filling gaps in provision; or operate outside of the normal remit of a charitable or community organisation. The Award can extend to include innovation outside of the Bailiwick but the work must have a Guernsey link/involvement.

Youth Award sponsored by Royal Bank of Canada.
Awarded to a young person or a group of young people who has made a positive difference to the community. They may have done this – for example – by caring, by volunteering, by overcoming adversity, by raising awareness of a particular issue, or by organising an event that has improved Islanders’ quality of life. NB: A young person for the purpose of this award will be 11-25. All individuals within a group of young people must fit this age criteria.
The closing date for nominations is Friday 11 September at 5 p.m.

The Awards will be held at St James on 17 November and tickets will go on sale in October. Details about last year’s winners can be found at https://foundation.gg/community-awards
Nomination forms, together with full guidelines and criteria can be found on the Foundation’s website https://foundation.gg/community-awards. Forms can also be requested by email – anna@foundation.gg – or by telephone on 723442.

ENDS

Issued by and for further enquiries contact Di Stenner: Diana@stennerpr.com 07781 113708

NOTES

About Guernsey Community Foundation

The Guernsey Community Foundation exists to promote effective philanthropy: the well-directed giving of money, time and ideas within the Bailiwick of Guernsey.
The Foundation’s vision is a vibrant and caring community, in which a strong and committed charitable sector works effectively with government and business. We work towards that vision by supporting voluntary organisations to develop, to help meet unmet local needs; and by partnering with government and business to help shape relevant policy.
We provide insight on local needs by conducting research, working with our extensive networks, and acting as a trusted partner, adviser and critical friend to government. We promote leadership in the voluntary sector and the development of strong organisations. We build capacity and capability by making strategic decisions about resource allocation. We support charities with well-defined goals to plan, grow and develop their work – at all times aiming to achieve the best possible results for our island community.