PNRC - NAHRO
ADVOCACY AWARDS PROGRAM

The advocacy efforts of individual and agency members will be recognized annually by a "Certificate of Appreciation for Advocacy" to be presented at the PNRC-NAHRO Annual Conference.

From among those individuals and agencies receiving Certificates, at least one "Individual Advocate of the Year" and one "Agency Advocate of the Year" Award will be selected in appreciation of outstanding advocacy efforts by that individual(s) and organization(s).

Nominations for these Advocacy Awards may be made by any member of PNRC-NAHRO. Nominees may be member agency employees, commissioners, volunteers, or any other member of a specific community so long as their advocacy efforts have been notable. Elected officials are also eligible for consideration.

The PNRC-NAHRO Advocacy Awards Selection Committee shall be appointed by the President for a two year term corresponding with the term of the Executive Board. There shall be at least four members and no more than five with at least one member coming from each of the Region's four states.

The Committee shall meet by conference call after the first of each year to discuss and select recipients. The Committee shall submit their selections to the President and Executive Director no later than mid-March of each year to allow for time to prepare Certificates and other recognition.

Awards Criteria

• Impact on Legislation or Legislators - Actions that have an effect on advancing affordable housing and community development legislation consistent with NAHRO policies, generating support and/or raising new awareness among legislators. (10 points)

• Raising public awareness - Actions generating support for and raising awareness among the general public and community decision-makers regarding the benefits of and the need for affordable housing and community & economic development programs. (10 points)

• Mobilizing Grassroots Advocacy - Actions that mobilize legislative advocacy by fellow housing and community development professionals and other members of the community. (10 points)

• Within the above three criteria, additional points may be awarded as follows:
  • Overall impact of efforts (10 points)
  • Local innovation (5 points)
  • Consistency of Effort (5 points)
  • Replicability (5 points)

The following activities may be indicative of an individual's or organization's efforts in the above areas of endeavor:

• Contacting elected officials or HUD representatives through phone calls, e-mails, letters, and/or personal visits to encourage them to adopt legislation or regulations that are beneficial to low-income households, affordable housing, and/or strong, viable communities. Efforts may be at the federal, state, and/or local level.

• Encouraging other professionals, residents/participants, and/or other community stakeholders to become active advocates on behalf of affordable housing and/or community development.

• Serving on committees and with other organizations that advocate for and promote affordable housing and community development issues. These may include non-profit boards, committees appointed by elected officials (ending homelessness), and organizations whose vision and mission are parallel to those of PNRC-NAHRO.

• Educating the media and larger community about affordable housing and/or community development issues for the purpose of building a broader, stronger base of support for programs that benefit low-income households and the community. This may include letters to the editor, media appearances, press conferences, public forums, open houses and tours.

The selection jury shall score nominees in accordance with the above criteria and points system. The jury shall select those nominees scoring the highest to receive Certificates of Appreciation for Advocacy. Generally, a minimum of 30 points will be necessary to be selected, but the jury shall, at its sole discretion, make the selections and any exceptions to the minimum score threshold.

From among recipients of Certificates of Appreciation for Advocacy, the Selection Committee shall select at least one outstanding individual and one outstanding agency to receive the Advocate of the Year Awards each calendar year. The Advocate of the Year recipients shall be an individual and an agency whose work and efforts have been particularly effective and apparent from the perspective of their peers. These efforts will normally be reflected by the highest scores given by the selection jury in each category. The selection jury shall, however, have the ability to make more than one award if there is a tie or if it is felt that more than one Advocate of the Year Award is warranted.

 

 

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