Each year, The Halo Awards recognize the best corporate–nonprofit partnerships driving real, measurable social impact. With hundreds of submissions across industries, what separates a great campaign from a Halo Award–winning one often comes down to how well you tell your story backed by facts and proof points. And with most responses capped at 1,000 characters, that means being intentional: every sentence must earn its place.
Whether you’re applying for the first time or returning to build on past success, we’ve outlined 6 tips to help your application rise above the rest.
Tip #1: Storytelling Is Everything (But Keep It Tight)
Every great campaign tells a story, but you don’t have room for an epic.
Use your first two sentences to set the scene: the problem, your solution, and your unique spark. Then, and this is key, show what changed.
Pro tip: Focus on transformation, not activity. Applications don’t get points for being busy, they get points for changing lives.
Instead of: “We held a series of volunteer events across the country,”
Try: “We united 2,000 employees and partners to rebuild 150 homes after the hurricane — restoring stability for 600 families.”
Keep in mind: Judges are people. They respond to stories with heart and clarity. Cut the jargon, skip the slogans, and write like a human. How does your marketing team talk about your work? Queue them into your review process.
“The best campaigns read like a story of change. The most powerful entries take me inside the experience: what you heard from the community, how you adapted when things didn’t go as planned, and what you learned along the way. That honesty and reflection make the story real. Authenticity is far more compelling than perfection.”
— Ryan Pitts, Halo Awards Judge and Director of Social Impact, Discovery Education
Tip #2: Use AI to Streamline and Strengthen, Not Replace Your Voice
AI can be an incredible writing partner when used strategically. It helps structure your ideas, summarize long descriptions, or refine tone, but your human perspective must drive the story.
How to use AI effectively:
- Draft your campaign summary in bullet form, then prompt AI to turn it into a concise 1000-character narrative.
- Ask it to “tighten” text to fit character limits while keeping the emotional impact intact.
- Use AI to check clarity: “Rewrite this for someone unfamiliar with CSR.”
💡 Advanced insight: Use AI to cross-check inclusivity and accessibility. It can flag unintentional jargon, overused corporate phrases, or exclusive terms that might alienate a reader from a different sector.
Tip #3: Ask an Outsider to Read Your Application
When you’ve lived and breathed a campaign, it’s easy to forget what’s obvious only to you. Before submitting, ask someone outside your department (or even outside your organization) to read your answers.
Ask them:
- “Does this make sense if you’ve never heard of our campaign?”
- “What’s the one thing you remember most?”
- “How did our responses make you feel?”
Why it matters: Judges come from different sectors and backgrounds. If your story resonates with someone unfamiliar, it has a stronger chance of resonating with the judging panel too.
Tip #4: Show Outcomes, Not Just Outputs
Impact data turns your story from inspiring to undeniable. But “impact” isn’t one-size-fits-all, it’s about scale relative to your organization’s size and resources. Take into consideration the “outputs” and “outcomes.”
Outputs are the activities you did (e.g., number of events, people reached, funds raised).
Outcomes show the change that resulted (e.g., improved access, behavior shifts, policy wins). Winning applications show both.
Example:
“We distributed 50,000 meals to families (output), resulting in a 40% reduction in food insecurity across our service area (outcome).”
So how does this work in practice?:
- Include measurable outcomes (e.g., dollars raised, hours volunteered, audiences reached).
- Pair metrics with meaning: What do these numbers represent? Why do they matter?
- When possible, show year-over-year progress or unexpected secondary outcomes.
Advanced insight: Judges are drawn to metrics that show both breadth (scale) and depth (quality of impact). For example: “We trained 1,200 volunteers” (breadth) + “90% reported increased understanding of food insecurity” (depth).
Remember, smaller organizations win because their results are proportionate and sustainable. Judges consider scale through that lens.
Tip #5: Highlight Innovation and Bold Thinking
Many campaigns are great, but few are unique. Winning entries tend to have a memorable “spark” that sets them apart: a new audience, an unexpected partnership, or a creative strategy that breaks through internal silos.
Ask yourself:
- What would make a journalist stop scrolling?
- How did this campaign fundamentally change how your organization approaches impact?
- What risks did you take and what did you learn from the outcome?
Advanced insight: “Innovation” doesn’t always mean high-budget tech. Sometimes, it’s a fresh framing of an old issue, a reimagined partnership, or a creative way of bringing authentic employee voices into the work. Judges love campaigns that evolve the playbook.
“We often equate innovation with flashy tech, but in The Halo Awards context, it’s really about mindset. Innovation might mean rethinking a traditional approach to storytelling, forging an unexpected partnership, or engaging a new audience in a cause that felt out of reach. It’s the creative leap that makes others say, ‘I wish we’d thought of that.’”
— Ryan Pitts, Halo Awards Judge and Director of Social Impact, Discovery Education
Tip #6: Don’t Skip the Supporting Materials
That “optional” upload section? Consider it your secret weapon. Supporting materials provide judges with the opportunity to see and hear your work, rather than just reading about it. You want them to feel the impact.
Examples that resonate:
- 30–60 second campaign videos that gets to the emotional core
- Social posts that show audience engagement and reaction
- Press clips or photos that capture on-the-ground activation
Advanced insight: Judges often remember visuals long after they’ve read the text. A short, emotional video or powerful photo can be the single factor that tips a finalist into “winner” territory.
“While the data provided the context, our visuals told the real story. We realized our data told the ‘what,’ but our visuals drove home the ‘why’ and the ‘who.’ We used in-store posters and social media posts to highlight the impact of our work.”
— Jen Renton, 2025 Halo Award Winner and Senior Manager: Communications, National 4-H Council
As you craft your application, focus on clarity, evidence, and heart. Judges are looking for authenticity, alignment, and innovation—the critical ingredients that make your story Halo-worthy.
Ready to share yours? Submit your campaign by November 21 for the lower submission fee of $499 or December 15 for our late deadline fee of 599. For nonprofits with an annual revenue under $5M, the entry fee is $199 before November 21. Join us in celebrating the partnerships proving that doing good is good business!
Have more questions? Drop into The Halo Awards Application Office Hours on November 12 from 2:30 – 3:30 EST to talk through your questions live, or email Meredith Lakis at meredith@engageforgood.com.
