With the increase in cause-related marketing and corporate-cause alliances growing steadily since the 1980s (when American Express coined the term Cause-Related Marketing during their campaign to restore the Statue of Liberty), it’s no surprise that there has been a surge in the number of social impact awards that recognize these campaigns. If you’re new to cause marketing, check out our guide for great resources to get you started!
If you work at the intersection of purpose and profit, the work that you do is incredibly important. Whether you’re a company expanding your social good footprint or a nonprofit honing your corporate partner strategies, you deserve recognition!
We’d love to take a peek at your campaign and consider recognizing your impact through our annual Halo Awards. Plus, there are many other organizations who’d love to highlight your efforts. Read on to learn what social impact awards are, why you might want to apply, and the top awards to consider applying for.
What Are Social Impact Awards?
Social Impact Awards are hosted by a variety of organizations to recognize and honor companies, nonprofits, and individual employees for the partnerships they develop and the resulting campaigns that contribute to the greater good.
In addition, these awards acknowledge and raise awareness about the positive impact organizations and nonprofits have on society when they partner together. They serve as an example of best practices and provide the inspiration and tools to enable other industry professionals to help make our world a better place from within their own organization.
Who Should Apply For A Social Impact Award?
Social impact awards are open to many different organizations and individuals. For instance, some are open to nonprofits only, others solely to corporations yet some are open to anyone. And, the entrants can be as diverse as the awards themselves.
If you work at the intersection of profit and purpose, we’re confident you’ll find multiple awards to apply for. Keep reading to learn why you should apply, how to do so, and what the top social impact awards are.
Why Apply For A Social Impact Award?
There are a variety of reasons to apply for a social impact award and the benefits of each are far-reaching. Plus, plain and simple – you deserve recognition for the hard work you invest and the positive impact your initiative has on the world!
If you’re not convinced already, here are five reasons why you should apply:
1 Team Morale
You invested significant time and resources to enable your campaign’s execution and success. Why not get recognized for it? In addition to internal recognition (whether from colleagues and/or superiors) there’s something impactful about being recognized on a wider stage. Social impact awards give your team something more to strive for and winning one (or multiple!) gives your team a morale boost that helps them continue to raise their standards, push boundaries, and challenge themselves in new and exciting ways.
2 Benefiting Society
Others in the industry can learn an incredible amount from the campaigns you developed. When you win an award you’re not just helping your own organization, you’re sharing best practices with other organizations, providing lessons learned, pushing the envelope on what’s possible and setting a new bar for creativity. You’re elevating the entire industry. Go you!
3 Recruitment & Retention
Employees are more and more interested in working for companies that benefit the greater good, putting their money where their mouth is and prioritizing doing well by doing good. Creating social impact campaigns and winning awards will help you retain key employees and recruit new talent.
4 PR
Winning an award provides a great opportunity for recognition. The press generated from these awards serves as a visible display of your commitment to social impact. Similarly, winning an award provides social proof of your dedication to making our world a better place! This is something your organization can leverage in a variety of ways in marketing, partnerships, and recruitment.
Plus, you’ll gain lots of exposure from winning (or being on an award’s shortlist) that can be leveraged into awesome promotional material. Share your achievement on social media, notify local/national media, and get some miles out of your award to help boost your authority and engagement.
5 New Clients & Customers
Winning an award (or several!) can go a long way in terms of attracting new clients and customers. With 86% of consumers believing that companies should take a stand for social issues your commitment to more than just profit is paramount. Applying for social impact awards is a great way to drive more business and improve your organization’s image in the eyes of your customers!
How To Apply For A Social Impact Award
Entry requirements for social impact awards (link to post/page) vary from award to award but there are a few things to keep in mind. Depending on the type of award, you may need to include:
- Campaign or individual’s name
- Specifics of the campaign
- Organizations involved in the partnership
- Campaign materials
- Campaign results & impact
- Entry Fee
That said, always check the specific award’s requirements before you apply!
The Definitive List Of Social Impact Awards
Finding social impact awards to apply for can be surprisingly tough. While many organizations host awards, there isn’t a lot of comprehensive information online about who hosts them and which ones you should consider. Let us help you out!
We’ve scoured the internet, spoken with the best in the industry, and reached out to various award hosts to compile the list of top social impact awards:
Looking for a description of each award? Click Here!
Looking for a chronological list of each award? Click Here!
