Reasons to submit an Awards nomination

18/11/2024 | by Katie Docherty, Chief Executive Officer, Chartered Institute of Fundraising

One of my personal highlights from 2024 was the return of the National Fundraising Awards – where we celebrated the amazing achievements of fundraisers from across the UK. I was blown away by the outstanding quality of entrants, everyone who was shortlisted, and our brilliant 2024 winners. And we’re back again for 2025, with nominations now open!  

As an organisation that is committed to supporting and championing professional fundraising so our sector flourishes, we host the Awards to provide a platform for fundraisers to showcase their hard work, dedication, passion and innovation.   

Take a look at our highlights from last year and see what it means to the teams and individuals who had their work recognised. You’ll undoubtedly find their experience inspiring, and in 2025, it could be your turn to shine!   

If you’re still unsure whether to submit your nominations or not, here are three reasons I believe you should submit a nomination:  

  1. This is a chance to showcase outstanding fundraising efforts, allowing fellow fundraisers to gain valuable insights. Sharing our insights enriches us all and drives progress forward.  

  1. Awards are a powerful way to celebrate the dedication and successes of your employees, volunteers and supporters They provide a wonderful chance to show appreciation for their hard work and commitment, and significantly enhance morale and drive motivation.  

  1. Gaining recognition by being shortlisted or winning an award significantly boosts credibility. This type of third-party validation can strengthen connections with both existing and prospective donors and funders for your charity.  

I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to take a look at the 12 awards categories and think about how the work you have done this year might fit in to a category. We want the Awards to be accessible to all charities, so you can enter as many of the categories that your work resonates with, all for free.   

We would love to see a broad spectrum of people and charities within the fundraising community submitting their work, so please do share the message with your networks that the nominations are open.   

Don’t leave it until the last minute, the deadline for entries is 23.59pm on Wednesday 22 January 2025. The shortlist will be announced in February and the winners will be announced at a glittering Awards ceremony in London in June.    

I hope you will feel inspired to enter the Awards, I wish you the best of luck and I hope to see you in June at the Awards ceremony.