• Nominees must have had a significant impact on their community, region, and/or the State of California through the act of volunteerism.
• All nominees must carry out the majority of their volunteer service in California. Individual nominees must reside in California. Businesses and Foundations must be based in or have a significant presence in California. Nonprofit leaders’ organizations must be based in California.
• Nominees must have exhibited creative leadership, and consistent commitment to one or more cause.
• Nominees should be seen as innovators in the field of volunteerism, not solely “good at” implementing traditional best practices.
• Nominees should support or create opportunities for other Californians to serve.
• Nominations may be submitted by the nominees themselves or by a third party.
• Winners must attend the presentation of the awards in person at the Governor’s Volunteering and Service Awards presentation event in Sacramento.

Rules and Guidelines

1. All nominations must be completed, on time, in their entirety. Partial and/or late nominations and late letters of support and additional materials will not be accepted.
2. Online nominations are strongly encouraged and should be submitted via the CaliforniaVolunteers.org website. Mail-in nominations are acceptable and can be mailed to: CaliforniaVolunteers, Governor’s Volunteering and Service Award Nominations, 1400 10th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.
3. Open only to residents of California. Void where prohibited by law. Employees of CaliforniaVolunteers, their respective subgrantees, subcontractors, jurisdictions, affiliates, advertising/promotional agencies, vendors, and the members of the immediate family or those living in the same household of such individuals are ineligible. Limit one award per person, family, household, business, or organization. Award winners must provide proof of legal California residency.
4. Nominees must have had a significant, measurable impact on their community, region and/or the State of California through the act of volunteerism. All nominees must carry out the majority of their volunteer service in California. Individual nominees must reside in California. Businesses, service groups, foundations, and nonprofits must be based in or have a significant presence in California.
5. Nominees must have exhibited creativity, compassion, leadership, and consistent commitment to one or more cause. Nominees should be seen as innovators in the field of volunteerism, not solely “good at” implementing traditional best practices. Nominees should support or create opportunities for other Californians to serve.
6. Nominations may be submitted by the nominees themselves or by a third party.
7. Separate nomination packets may be submitted for as many nominees as desired. Nominating multiple volunteers in the same role, in the same organization will not increase the likelihood of an award. Nominating the same nominee multiple times and/or in multiple categories will not increase the likelihood of an award.
8. All nominations must include a letter of support from someone other than the nominator or the nominee. This letter should be attached as a Word or PDF document, if submitting the nomination online. If submitting a mail-in nomination, this letter should be mailed with the nomination form and not sent separately.
9. Additional materials are optional. They can include additional relevant information about the nominee, additional letters of support, photos, testimonials, news clippings, pamphlets, etc. PDF documents are preferred; Word documents are acceptable. If submitting the nomination online, additional materials should be sent to: gvsa@cv.ca.gov. The subject line of the email should read: “Additional Materials: (Nominee Name)”.
10. Electronic additional materials (video, CD, etc.) are acceptable and should be included as part of a mail-in nomination. Electronic materials should be no longer than 5 minutes in length.
11. Please tell the nominee that they have been nominated for a Governor’s Volunteering and Service Award.
12. Nominations will be reviewed and winners selected by a committee comprised of the Governor’s staff, community members, and CaliforniaVolunteers staff. Decisions of the selection committee are final. Award recipients will be notified in early August.
13. Winners will receive an award to be presented in at the Governor’s Volunteering and Service Awards Presentation Event. Winners are required to attend the presentation event in order to receive their award in-person.
14. By submitting nomination, participants agree to all rules as set forth in the Official Rules and Guidelines. Participants agree that all nominations become the sole property of CaliforniaVolunteers and may be reproduced in whole or in part (i.e. modified and/or edited in any form whatsoever) by CaliforniaVolunteers without further compensation or notification. By submitting a nomination, participants attest that they are eligible according to the Official Rules and Guidelines and that their nomination is truthful and authentic. Failure to comply with requirements will result in forfeiture of the award. Awards will then be given to the next highest judged nomination. Nominators may have access to their entry at any time via CaliforniaVolunteers by emailing gvsa@cv.ca.gov as provided by the Information Practices Act.