Alumni Award Nomination Newsletter
Alumni award programs serve two functions: they honor graduates who deserve recognition, and they communicate to the broader alumni community the kinds of lives and contributions the school values. A nomination newsletter that is specific and welcoming will generate more nominations, and better ones, than a generic call for candidates.
Describe each award category clearly
If your program has multiple award categories, describe each one separately and specifically. A Distinguished Alumni Award for career achievement means something different from a Community Impact Award for service, which means something different from a Young Alumni Award for emerging leaders. Nominators who understand the distinction submit better-matched candidates.
Tell people who is eligible
State the eligibility requirements plainly. Graduation year range. Whether current employees of the school are eligible. Whether self-nominations are accepted. Whether nominees need to be living. Every unstated ambiguity produces a question that could have been preempted in the newsletter.
Walk through what a nomination requires
Give nominators the complete picture. How many words or pages. What supporting documents. Whether letters of reference are required and from whom. Whether the nominee needs to consent in advance. A potential nominator who sees a manageable process is more likely to follow through than one who assumes it will be burdensome.
Describe past recipients briefly
Two or three sentences about previous recipients from different fields and backgrounds shows nominators the breadth of what the award can recognize. A teacher. An executive. A first-generation college graduate who now runs a nonprofit. Concrete examples are more useful than abstract criteria.
End with the deadline and submission link
State the deadline clearly and include the link to the nomination form in the final paragraph. A newsletter that builds enthusiasm for the nomination process but buries the submission path loses nominations that were ready to happen. Make the last step easy to find and easy to take.
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Frequently asked questions
What should an alumni award nomination newsletter include?
The award categories and what each recognizes, the eligibility criteria, the nomination process including how to submit and what information is required, the selection committee and how decisions are made, the timeline from nomination to announcement, and brief descriptions of past recipients to give nominators a sense of the standard.
How do you write award criteria that produce meaningful nominations?
Be specific about what qualifies. 'Outstanding achievement in their field' is too vague to be useful. 'Alumni who have reached a leadership position in their career, demonstrated community impact, or made a significant contribution to their profession or public life' gives nominators something to assess against.
How do you encourage people to nominate rather than assuming someone else will?
Tell them directly: the right person does not always get nominated because everyone assumes someone else will do it. If you know an alumnus who deserves recognition, you are the right person to nominate them. Specific calls to action in the newsletter increase nomination volume.
Should the newsletter describe past recipients?
Yes, briefly. A one-line description of what the previous three recipients are known for helps nominators calibrate their candidates. Past recipients also motivate nominators by showing that the award goes to real people, not hypothetically impressive ones.
How does Daystage help schools run alumni award nomination campaigns?
Daystage makes it easy to send nomination newsletters to all alumni, follow up with reminders as the deadline approaches, and announce finalists and recipients through the same platform.
Adi Ackerman
Author
Adi Ackerman is a former classroom teacher and curriculum writer with 8 years in K-8 schools. She writes about school communication, parent engagement, and what actually works in real classrooms.
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