GUIDE. Deadly Sins. 7of Launching an Awards Program

Transcription

1 GUIDE Deadly Sins 7of Launching an Awards Program

2 A well-run, tightly managed awards program can significantly elevate an association s image (and greatly increase non-dues revenue in the process). But a poorly managed awards program can cause members to lose confidence, and can even damage an association s industry reputation. So if you re considering taking the plunge and launching an awards program, how do you avoid the perils and pitfalls of Awards Season Hell? By avoiding the Seven Deadly Sins of Awards Program Management, of course. Remember the Golden Rule: Your awards program must be fair. Your association s reputation depends upon it. Even the slightest whiff of preferential judging will harm your organization s credibility. Deadly Sin # 1 Let s just wing it. Like most big projects, an awards program requires careful planning to be successful. Figuring it out as you go is not an option. First, figure out what the goals of your program are. Do you want to increase membership? Consider opening the awards to those outside the association. Take advantage of all the public relations and marketing opportunities that arise from the program, such as press releases to announce the call for nominations and announcing the winners. Is increased member engagement the goal? Awards programs provide endless opportunities for social media and blog posts to your association. And they make great annual events to bring membership together in a fun, engaging environment. Frequent communication creates buzz and excitement among members, and also provides opportunity to send practical information about entry deadlines, registration for the presentation ceremony and sponsorship opportunities. Do you want to create a new source of revenue? Successful awards programs can generate significant revenue through entry fees, gala tickets and sponsorships for the awards ceremony. Proper promotion of the awards can also generate revenue by elevating your association s visibility and attracting new members.

3 Deadly Sin #2 We don t need no stinkin budget. Which would you prefer to tell your association s board? A) We met our revenue projections! B) We re in the hole. Deep. Setting a realistic budget is important. It s not easy, but it is a must-have. An awards program budget depends on many factors, but here is a list of things to consider. Estimate the costs of administration by answering these questions. Do you have the staff needed to handle the extra work? Or will you need to hire another employee or temp? Will you be compensating the judges? Do you plan to purchase advertising (print or electronic) to promote the program, and if so, where/how often? How will you communicate regularly with members, entrants and judges? ( and website are the way to go. Costs for printing and postage will kill your budget before you even start.) Perhaps most importantly, do you have the software required to collect submissions, process fees, facilitate judging, and communicate with your association during the collection process? Choosing a software solution that fits your association s needs will cut down on administration time and costs by orders of magnitude over managing the process on paper, or through spreadsheets, binders, s and phone calls. Will you hold a presentation ceremony or gala? Secure a venue and plan for catering on a sliding cost scale. This will require estimating the number of tickets you sell, so getting early registrations is very helpful. Don t forget to plan the audio/visual portion of the presentation. It s very frustrating to audience members if they can t hear, or there are glitches with system that cause delays. Hiring an emcee is also good idea. Many times, local celebrities will host large events for no cost. A seasoned host can turn a good evening into a great one. Determine the cost of producing the actual awards. Here is an area that you will give you some leverage when choosing a vendor. As in most things, the more you buy the lower the cost per item. Pick a reliable vendor that has been in business a long time and has no signs of slowing down. Have them provide a range of awards in different price categories so you can match budget with award quality. Ensure that the design can be reproduced accurately again and again, year in and year out. Sticking with a trusted vendor over the years can save you many headaches and set up fees. There s not much worse than opening a box full of awards engraved with a misspelling the day before the presentation ceremony.

4 Deadly Sin #3 Timing doesn t matter. Make sure the presentation ceremony doesn t conflict with any other major annual association activities, including large industry events or trade shows? Also, take into account holidays that could negatively impact attendance. If you want your awards presentation to coincide with a particular conference or event, begin by looking at the calendar and backing out the time that will be needed for judging, entry acceptance, and call for nominations. Plan each month s activities in advance so that you have a checklist of activities leading to the call for nominations, during entry acceptance, for the judging period and award ceremony. Having the necessary staff and judges in place before the program begins is also crucial to running a successful program. And keep in mind that most entries are received in the last week of the entry period an important consideration when handling staff vacation requests, deciding on the number of judges, and making judging assignments. Deadly Sin #4 Set it and forget it. Don t let all the hard work you did planning your awards go to waste. Nurture the program with a constant stream of promotional activity to ensure maximum participation. Start by building out an editorial calendar of communication for the months leading up to the awards communications that will generate interest, entries and presentation sponsorships and event registrations. marketing is cost-effective, and a well thought-out campaign can net great results. Plan on a series of s leading up to the awards. Many opportunities for online advertising exist, but be sure to understand what you re getting and take a look at click through rates before buying. Mailers and print ads are tending to go the way of all things paper and are lessening in popularity, but knowing what your members respond to the most will help you to choose which communication mediums to use. The most successful awards advertising generally use a blend of tactics to reach the largest audience possible. Taking advantage of technology to help manage your communications is one of the smartest actions you can take. The best awards management systems have built-in features for automatically sending reminders and other s. You ll get the most out of your program by using the features built into a customized automated system. They cut down on the time and staff resources required to manually manage communications that can be automated in advance, ensuring that your program is properly promoted and managed and that nothing falls through the cracks. Get your members talking about the awards by using social media to create conversations in the community. Regularly count down the deadline for submissions. Announce the presentation venue and make a big deal out of the catering and the emcee/entertainment. And don t forget the follow-up after the ceremony! Tell everyone in the association about the winners, and preview the next awards ceremony. And as the next season approaches, get the buzz going ahead of time.

5 Deadly Sin #5 Awards categories don t really matter. Your award categories should support the mission and purpose of the parent organization, reflect the values of your organization, and recognize achievement that corresponds with the goals of the association. If you have too many categories, it diminishes the value of each award like giving every kid on every soccer team a participation trophy. Give too few awards, and you may not be able to recognize outstanding entries that really don t fit into a particular category. Also important is deciding who will qualify. Will you open the awards to those who are not members of your association? Are entrants allowed to enter in more than one category? Will there be future eligibility restrictions for winners? Will there be timeline restrictions meaning entries are judged only on the previous calendar year or other specific timeframe? Deadly Sin #6 An awards program isn t part of our association s brand. An awards program, at heart, is a promotional vehicle for your association. And as a promotional vehicle, it is a significant part of your association s brand and messaging. Consistent messaging, design and branding are essential to getting the most potential benefit from your awards program. Consistent messaging means carrying over your association s goals and mission into not only the awards, but also into the advertising and marketing communications. This reinforces your organization s purpose and gives credibility to your awards program, creating a more prestigious image than an awards program that isn t properly designed to recognize achievements that support the association goals. The look and feel of the entry forms or entry website should blend seamlessly with your association website. Every communication should follow your association s brand guidelines so that your organization benefits from the high visibility an awards program creates. And don t forget to trademark your awards program. Otherwise, you run the risk of having copycats steal all the prestige and credibility you ve worked so hard to create. Your awards program should be protected in the same way that you protect your association s image. Lastly, remember that the quality of your awards program will reflect on the quality of your association. Awards draw their value from the achievements they honor and the people who win them. For many, the actual award itself is not as important as the prestige that comes with winning. Think of the Oscars. A golden statue is great, but the phrase Academy Award-Winning in front of an actor or director s name is by far more valuable. Investing in the program itself and making sure that is polished and professional at every step will go miles toward making your entries increase year over year.

6 Deadly Sin #7 We can create our own system to manage the awards program. Remember the late 80s TV show MacGyver? He could do anything with a paperclip, a wad of gum and a Swiss Army Knife. But let s face it MacGyver wasn t real. Piecing together a system using spreadsheets, paper, binders, and a survey tool not designed for awards just doesn t cut it. The do-it-yourself approach is a recipe for disaster blown budgets, overworked staff, lost entries, poor communication and loss of credibility. So don t even attempt to run an awards program without an awards management system. In the age of doing more with less, you need the right tools to get the job done right. An awards management system is essential to establishing and maintaining a successful awards program. Launching an awards program is a big undertaking. Using a software solution to manage the program is the best way to manage payments, submissions, judging and scoring. Everything is contained in one place, and blends seamlessly with your association s website. Awards management software enables you to manage your entire program from an intuitive dashboard, designed specifically for your association. So instead of trying to keep tabs on entries in a spreadsheet, for example, all you have to do is run an automated report. Instead of sending reminders from your account, the automated system will notify submitters and judges when they need to take an action, removing the worry of forgetting a crucial communication. Using a centralized system that contains everything needed to collect submissions and payments, make judging assignments, judge, score and generate reports, as well as send out necessary communications is the best way to ensure that your program will achieve what you want it to do, whether its increasing member engagement, attracting new members, increasing revenue or all three. Your program will run smoothly and present the polished, credible image successful awards programs have. About OpenWater Based in Washington D.C., OpenWater creates and deploys holistic, cloud-based solutions that streamline awards, abstract and conference management for associations of all sizes. We pride ourselves on offering clients more than software. We guide them every step of the way, from planning and initial system buildout to the industry s only Truly Unlimited Customer Support pledge. The result? Customized online solutions that allow staff to focus on core competencies, increase non-dues revenue and improve membership value.

7 OpenWater Awards Does It All. (So You Don t Have To.) If you re in the market for an integrated online awards solution that will thrill your members, delight your judges and make your life a whole lot easier, look no further than OpenWater Awards. It s not just an awards submission platform. It s one rock-solid solution for everything entries, judging, scoring, reporting and more. With OpenWater Awards, all tasks are completed in one system. We handle all the setup, from creating custom submission forms to branding a portal to match your existing website. There s never a cap on number of entries or bandwidth usage. TUCS Truly Unlimited Customer Support means someone always has your back. CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED TODAY!