Nominations are now being accepted for the 2025 Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for Greene County Volunteers. This prestigious award recognizes the outstanding contributions of volunteers in various categories, including Individual, Group, National Service, and Director of Volunteers (Paid). Areas of volunteer service include Veteran/Military, Youth, Seniors, Historically Underserved Populations, Disaster, Animals, Cultural, Environment, Health & Human Services, Lifetime Achievement, and more. Detailed information on each category can be found in the nomination form.

The awards program, established by the Office of the Governor in 1979, honors North Carolina’s most dedicated volunteers. Over the years, thousands of North Carolinians have been recognized for their selfless service and commitment to their communities.

Each county can select up to ten individuals, businesses, groups/teams, and one paid Director of Volunteers to be honored for their exceptional volunteer efforts. One of these nominees will be chosen for the Governor’s Medallion Award for Volunteer Service, which is awarded to the top 20 volunteers in the state. A local committee will evaluate the nominations and verify references as part of the selection process.

2025 Nomination Form Information:

• Deadline: Friday, Feb. 14th, 2025

• Nomination Form: Available on the NC Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service website under the Nomination Forms Section. Greene County prefers that forms be completed in PDF or MS Word Format for review before submission to the state. Email completed forms to sharon.harrison@greenecountync.gov.

• Online Form: Accessible via the NC Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service website. Fill out the form online, and the Commission will send it back to the Award Coordinator for Greene County. Ensure all information is accurate before submission.

• Paper Copy: To request a paper copy of the nomination form, contact Sharon Harrison at the details below. Note that handwritten forms will not be accepted. If you use the online form, a paper application is not required. Link to Paper Copy: 2025 GMA-GVSA Nomination Form VolunteerNC.pdf Finalization

• Application Details: The application includes information on eligibility, submission requirements, and award selection. Read these sections carefully. The contact information of the nominee is required in Section 2 under Nominee Information. Tips for writing an effective award nomination are available on the website and upon request.

For more information, contact: Sharon Harrison, Greene County Senior Center 104 Greenridge Road Snow Hill, NC 28580 252-747-5436 Email: sharon.harrison@greenecountync.gov

Tips for Writing an Effective Award Nomination

Nominators play a crucial role in the nominating process. Nominations that are well-written and thorough may be more likely to result in the volunteer receiving an award.

Carefully review the eligibility requirements to ensure the nominee is eligible to receive the award. Nominations are disqualified if the volunteer doesn’t meet the eligibility requirements.
Select the nominee type and service category that best describe the person you are nominating. If the volunteer meets the criteria for multiple categories, please select all categories that apply to their service.
Adequately complete the nomination form, especially sections that include a “Completion Required” statement. Nominations are eliminated if required and critical information has not been submitted.
Remember, all nominations are evaluated and scored by multiple reviewers – at the local and state level. Reviewers may not know anything about the nominee, other than what is on the nomination form, so the more thorough and well-written the nomination is – the better.
Reviewers rely on the nominator’s descriptive words and examples to assist them in determining and understanding the volunteer’s attributes and contributions.
Be concise and direct. Write the nomination from the heart, but provide information that is clear, concise and easy to read. Reinforce what you are saying with observations, facts and concrete examples. Too much information can be as harmful as too little information.
Include numbers. How many hours has the volunteer donated? How much money did they raise? How many students were helped? How many meals were delivered? Statistics can help reinforce the accomplishments of the nominee.
All volunteers are worthy of recognition, but your nominee is being nominated because they are outstanding and their exemplary service distinguishes their efforts from the efforts of other volunteers. The information provided on the nomination should reflect this and help the reviewers understand what stands out about your nominee that makes them outstanding.
All volunteers are nice and wonderful people who give of their time to help others. Recipients of this award should possess unique characteristics that elevate their stature as a volunteer. Words that create a unique picture of your nominee and their characteristics are helpful.
Be sure to describe why your nominee’s commitment, accomplishments and special skills/qualities are distinguishable over other volunteers. Share what stands out and what truly makes this volunteer outstanding and worthy of the award.
Be sure to proofread your statements. Grammatical errors and misspelled words detract from the quality of the nomination.
Be sure the nomination has all required signatures (nominator and one additional reference).
Be sure the completed nomination form is submitted by the deadline that has been determined by the county coordinator of the Awards program.