The Wilmer Shields Rich Awards program has a long and distinguished history. Created in 1984 and named in honor of the first executive director of the National Council on Community Foundations (now the Council on Foundations), the awards program has encouraged foundations and corporate giving programs to produce communications products—annual reports, newsletters, and more recently, websites—to highlight the importance of their work and provide models of excellence to the field of philanthropy.

The Council and The Communications Network, a colleague and partner of the awards program, have recently redesigned the Wilmer Shields Rich Awards to spotlight foundation and corporate giving programs that effectively use communications strategies to achieve goals and further organizational missions. The awards program seeks to educate the philanthropic field about the importance of integrating communications into programs and mission. The Communications Network provides resources, guidance and leadership to advance the strategic practice of communications in philanthropy.

The Council on Foundations and The Communications Network are now seeking entries for the new Wilmer Shields Rich Awards program. 

Although your communications efforts may have included the production of publications, websites, or videos, or involved events and activities such as media outreach or presentations, the selection of the winning foundations will not be based on those elements alone. Rather, the judges want to know how the deployment of those tactics as part of a larger strategy helped your foundation or organization achieve specific program or organizational goals.

View previous award recipients.

Criteria

Judges will evaluate entries based on the following criteria, which are detailed in the submission form:

• Message and design effectiveness
• Organization of content
• Implementation and challenges
• Intended audience(s)
• Outreach/distribution strategies
• Overall outcomes/impact of program
• Strategic communication results

Eligibility

• The awards program is open only to members of the Council on Foundations or The Communications Network.
• Up to three organizations will be awarded, based on quality and number of entries.
• All entries must be for work produced between January 2010 and the day of submission.
• No works in progress will be considered.
• Previously submitted entry materials are not eligible.
• Entries must have CEO endorsement.
• The foundation or corporate giving program must be in operation for five years or more.
• Awardees must be willing to share details of their program with the sector through Council and Communications Network learning opportunities.