/Live Your Dream Awards/ Promotion FAQ
Are you planning to give a Live Your Dream Award? Reference these frequently asked questions and tips for advice, materials, and requirements! Access the most up-to-date Club Toolkit and other resources on our website - these are updated each year. Reach out to lydawards@soroptimist.org for further information or questions.
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Learn more about each part of the process:
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For a complete list of recruiting resources, visit the Recruiting Applicants page.
Work with Local Schools
Many community colleges, universities, and vocational/trade schools offer information about local scholarships and awards, or have women’s centers. Contact the financial aid offices of nearby institutions to ask if the Live Your Dream Awards can be included, or a link to the application can be sent to eligible women they know.
Make a Personal Contact
Clubs have reported they have the most success receiving completed applications when they have a personal contact with the organizations where they are recruiting. Talk to someone within the organization and explain the benefits of the program. To assist with these efforts, please refer to thesample recruiting letter and outreach script when introducing yourself to a local community organization.
Assist Women with Their Applications
The women targeted by this award are usually going to school, raising children, and working. They may be very busy and may need reminders about deadlines. Helping applicants understand the award process can dispel confusion, intimidation, and esteem.
Conducting a Soroptimist Live Your Dream Awards application workshop is an excellent way for your club to identify eligible women in your community and provide them with the support they need to complete the application process. Review the Application Workshop section in the Live Your Dream Awards club toolkit for tips.
Expand the Search to Surrounding Areas
If you live in a particularly small area and are having difficulty finding applicants, expand your search to surrounding communities that do not have Soroptimist clubs. Contacting organizations, distributing applications, and receiving completed applications can all be handled by email, mail, or telephone.
Applications from SIA Headquarters
If your club has not received any eligible applications, contact SIA Headquarters to ask for complete and eligible applications that can be forwarded to your club.
Request applications by submitting aNon-local Application Request form.
Working with Other Local Soroptimist Clubs
Some Soroptimist clubs share their excess completed applications to honor as many eligible women as possible. Contact your region chair, who can help facilitate this.
Work with Previous Award Recipients
Previous Live Your Dream Award recipients have expressed a desire to promote the award by speaking to other local organizations, at schools, community centers, media, and health centers.
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Now that you have applications (yay!), how do you judge them? Visit our page on Selecting Recipients for a complete list of resources and requirements for judging and eligibility checks.
Confirm the Applicant is Eligible
Process applications with the help of what to confirm with the Eligibility Processing Guidelines sheet! Key requirements (but not limited to) include no graduate degree, must have one dependent, etc.
Are you finding discrepancies or errors? Did they forget a part of the application? Utilize our prompts for incomplete applications to navigate the issue!
Judge Materials
Regardless of whether judging is online or in person, all judges must sign a confidentiality agreement.
Need to recruit judges? Reference the sample judge invitation! Provide them with the evaluation sheet to help guide the selection of recipients.
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Congratulations, you have empowered women to live their dreams! Now, how do you tell them? Visit our page on Selecting Recipients & Honoring Recipients for a complete list of resources to honor them.
Contacting Recipients
Notify recipients and non-recipients appropriately. Please make sure all applicants receive communication regarding their application status. We don’t want to leave any of these women wondering! Use the templates to help get you started.
Application system users can send recipients the optional automated email. All applicants marked for no award will receive an automated email letting them know that they were not selected this year, but encouraging them to apply again next year if still eligible.
Honoring Recipients
Honoring your recipient is one of the most important aspects of the Live Your Dream Awards program, as well as the most fun! Visit the resources page to get the Live Your Dream Award certificate and news release!
IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE YOU ARE HONORING THEIR MEDIA CONSENT AND HAVE IT ON FILE. If the recipient wishes to not be publicized, do not publish their image or information. If they would only like their first name featured, do not post photos with their full name in the photo, etc.
Review the How To: Honor Your Recipient section in the Live Your Dream Awards club toolkit for tips on how to make a plan to celebrate your recipient(s) in a way that makes them feel honored and special.
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