The NASC Awards submission deadline is Friday, March 9, at 11:59 PM PT! 

Have you considered submitting your organization for consideration? Enter a submission.

To persuade some of you, I decided to chat with a past winner, Jon Lugbill, Executive Director of Sports Backers, to get some advice.

Jon and his organization have won eight awards: four-time winner of the Large Market Sports Commission of the Year; two-time winner of the Newly Created Event; an award recognizing their marketing and an award for website design.

Jon had the following to say on the added value these types of awards bring to an organization and elements that organizations can highlight in their submissions. 

Firstly, Jon spoke about the importance of knowing your audience. The judges are people within the industry that want to learn or gain some type of insight into another organization’s best practices.  Be sure to consider the ‘why?’ of the information that you are offering. For example, don’t list the facts and figures without discussing why you did something.  Also, dial in on the impact your organization’s actions had and continue to have on the community and how the community is better because of the work your organization did. 

Second, Jon suggested reaching out to community leaders and key stakeholders for letters of support. These letters often offer important information and first-hand perspectives on the impact of your organization’s work, and can be very useful as appendices in annual reports.  To attract a good sample of letters of support, divide up stakeholders and community representatives among members of your organization’s staff so no one person is tasked with securing all the required letters.

Another piece of advice is to seek the services of a development or grant writer. A grant writer is a good story teller that can help share your story while weaving in important facts and figures. If a grant writer is engaged, be sure to review a draft or two to ensure that the industry language is incorporated. That way, other NASC members will understand your message. 

Winning awards gives credibility to an organization and elevates their exposure within a community and can assist with fundraising efforts.  Sports Backers completes a major fundraising campaign every five years.  Jon will time the submissions for Sports Commission of the Year right before he embarks on a fundraising campaign. 

And most importantly, those considering submitting their organizations for consideration should remember that NASC awards are ‘peer awards’. The sports industry is a competitive industry yet having the support and recognition of your peers for the work you do and the impact you have on your community, makes all the hard work worth it. These awards acknowledge your understanding of the industry’s best practices and how to execute to create a winning organization.