Awards, Dec 02, 1999

The following awards have been presented for work in philanthropy, fund raising, volunteerism, and non-profit management:

Associations. The American Society of Association Executives (Washington) has announced the recipients of its 1999 Keystone Awards for Excellence in Membership, which recognize innovative membership development and retention campaigns in several categories. The top winners:

— Best member-get-a-member recruitment campaign: LuAnn Martinson, director of membership and related services, National Association of Elementary School Principals (Alexandria, Va.).

— Best non-dues revenue program: Ellen Davis and David Walker, vice-presidents of marketing and member services, National Association of Manufacturers (Washington).

— Best membership retention and member service: Judy Bohlim, director of membership services, National Association of Music Merchants (Carlsbad, Cal.).

ASAE’s Chapter Relations Section presented the 1999 Chapter Relations Pyramid Awards of Excellence in three categories. The top winners:

— Chapter development: Mark Tyle, director of governance and chapter relations, American Massage Therapy Association (Evanston, Ill.).

— Communications and technology: Tracy Rettie, director of chapter relations, American Staffing Association (Alexandria, Va.).

— Leadership development: Michael P. Wolfe, executive director, Kappa Delta Pi (Indianapolis).

Families. The Annie E. Casey Foundation (Baltimore) has named the first recipients of “Families Count: The National Honors Program,” which salutes non-profit groups that succesfully aid and strengthen families living in tough, low-income neighborhoods nationwide. Each organization will receive $500,000 over three years. The winners: Abriendo Puertas (Miami), Alliance Schools Initiative of the Interfaith Education Fund (Austin, Tex.), the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Community Action Project of Tulsa County (Tulsa, Okla.), Kaleidoscope Inc. (Chicago), Parent Services Project (Fairfax, Cal.), and Project Match (Chicago).

Literacy. Literacy Volunteers of America (Syracuse, N.Y.) has presented its 1999 National Literacy Leadership Award to Cal Turner, Jr., president and chief executive officer of Dollar General Corporation (Nashville), which supports various adult-literacy activities, including the Learn to Earn Literacy Program, which helps adult participants improve their job-readiness, mathematics, and reading skills.

Non-profit management. The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management (New York) has presented its 1999 Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation to California Emergency Foodlink (Sacramento) for its California Transportation Training Institute, which trains unemployed men and women to be licensed truck and bus drivers. California Emergency Foodlink will receive a $25,000 prize, and a professionally produced video documentary about the award-winning program that can be used to support its educational and public-relations efforts. Two additional programs were recognized for their innovative management: Alaska Business Development Center (Anchorage), for its Volunteer Tax and Loan Program, which provides free tax-preparation and other financial services to rural Alaskan fishers who lack the skills needed to prepare their income-tax returns, and Salvation Army Golden Diners (Geneva, Ill.), for its Congregate Restaurant Meals for Seniors Program, which contracts with two local restaurants to provide nutritious meals to senior citizens who are not homebound.

Social benefit. The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation (Arlington, Va.) has presented its 1999 Frank Annunzio Award, which honors a living American whose innovative thinking has had a “significant and beneficial impact on society,” to Charles Hard Townes, a professor in the Graduate School of the U. of California at Berkeley. Mr. Townes was honored for his pioneering work in developing laser technology. The award carries a $100,000 prize.

Social services. The Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (San Francisco) has announced the winners of its annual Privatization Competition, which honors California non-profit groups that better provide services that are usually rendered by state or local governments. The winners and their respective categories: Operation Access (San Francisco), health care; California Waterfowl Association (Sacramento), environment; Harbor House Ministries (Oakland), community development; Puente Learning Center (Los Angeles), education; and Sisters by Choice (San Diego), social services.

The grand-prize winner, Operation Access, was awarded $10,000; the other four organizations will each receive $2,500.