pinnacle awards program pinnacle award submission package

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2016 SHRM® Pinnacle Awards Program

Pinnacle Award Submission Package



2016 Pinnacle Award Submission Package2

May 1, 2016

One of the things that makes me the most proud of my chosen profession is the lengths that HR professionals go in order to help. Help their employees. Help their colleagues. Help their community. Help anyone who needs it.

For years, SHRM Chapters and State Councils have been willing to step up and help wherever they see a need. From making sure that kids don’t go home hungry, to helping veterans find meaningful employment when their tour is done; from helping their fellow HR professionals maximize their potential through SHRM Certification, to ensuring that high school graduates are prepared to enter the workforce, SHRM members across the country have donated thousands of hours and helped tens of thousands of . . . humans. That is the best thing about SHRM’s Pinnacle Awards, when we celebrate the “H” in the SHRM acronym.

The Pinnacle Awards highlight our best and brightest, our most innovative activities, programs and initiatives that go above and beyond normal Chapter or Council operations.

All SHRM Chapters and State Councils meeting the affiliation requirements are eligible — and encouraged — to submit one application for Pinnacle Award consideration.

While the prestige and adulation of your peers make the Pinnacle Awards unique, we also recognize the winners with monetary awards — up to nine $1,000 grants for Chapters, and up to three $1,000 grants for State Council entries.

Winners of this year’s Pinnacle Awards will be announced at the 2016 Volunteer Leaders’ Summit in November.

The application form for this program is web-based. We hope that your affiliate has plans to apply for this prestigious award and look forward to receiving your entry.

Sincerely,

Elissa O’Brien, SHRM-SCP Vice President, Membership




The 2016 SHRM Pinnacle Awards ProgramThe Pinnacle Awards Program is designed to honor outstanding leadership and reward professional excellence in the field of human resource management. You are invited to enter this year’s competition by submitting one innovative project created and implemented by your SHRM affiliate.

Special consideration is given to successful programs that are readily transferable to other affiliates. Winners are selected by the Pinnacle Awards Selection Committee using the following Standards of Excellence:• An outstanding accomplishment that experts or peers in the human resource field would agree

deserves special recognition.

• Significant technical or professional impact on the human resource profession.

• High level of originality or inventiveness that clearly identifies your affiliate as creating an innovative enhancement or solution to a significant issue or problem.

• Outstanding leadership and coordination of extremely effective activities.

• A program that produced significant results above and beyond expectations and enabled your affiliate to meet key benchmarks and schedules that otherwise would not have been completed.

• Improved program, service and product quality or member satisfaction to a degree that significantly increased membership and revenue and/or reduced costs.

• Cohesive and innovative utilization of social media to engage members and/or increase participation at the chapter or state council level in alignment with short- and long-term goal strategies.

• An important addition or amendment to the SHRM portfolio of programs, products and services.

NOTE: It is unlikely that any one program will satisfy every standard of excellence mentioned.

Your application serves as the sole basis for evaluation and judging.

Please complete the online application form and submit it no later than midnight on Friday, September 9, 2016. Only electronic submissions will be accepted and considered. Applications are limited to one per affiliate. In the event multiple entries are submitted, the earliest complete submission will be used.




EligibilityAll affiliates meeting the minimum qualifications will be eligible for consideration. To meet the minimum qualifications, an affiliate must:• Have submitted the 2015 SHAPE Year-End Report.• Meet the applicable minimum affiliation requirements.

If your affiliate has won a Pinnacle Award for a project since 2011, that award-winning project is ineligible for re-submission in 2016, even if the program is ongoing.

Application ProcessThe web-based application is separated into sections. Each section must be completed before the application is submitted. (To assist you in the process, a completed sample application form is available on the VLRC.)

SECTION 1 – IDENTIFICATIONThis section is about you and your affiliate.

SECTION 2 – AWARD LEVELS & CATEGORIESThe Pinnacle Awards reflect the best that the field of human resources has to offer and recognize SHRM affiliate programs and initiatives of the highest quality in the award levels and categories described below. One winning affiliate’s submission from each of the four award levels will be selected in each category described below, with chapter award levels determined by the chapter’s total membership count as of 12/31/15.

NOTE: SHRM reserves the right to withhold granting an award in a particular award level/category if, upon its sole discretion, submissions fail to meet the required eligibility and program requirements or desired level of excellence.

AWARD LEVELS AWARD CATEGORIES

Small Chapters

(10 to 100 members)

• Serving HR Professionals

• Advancing the HR Profession

• Enhancing the SHRM Community

Medium & Large Chapters

(101 to 500 members)




Mega & SuperMega Chapters

(500+ members)




State Councils • Serving HR Professionals






CATEGORIES• Serving HR Professionals - Excellence in activities that support and promote professionals with

HR responsibility to be successful business leaders. Activities may be related to certification, professional learning, or skills development.

• Advancing the HR Profession - Excellence in advancing the HR profession by creating awareness with or supporting key constituents including workplace, government and regulatory representatives, employers, schools, media and the community at large. Activities may be outreach and awareness programs, government or public affairs programs, or programs focused on key issues such as inclusion, diversity, or workforce readiness.

• Enhancing the SHRM Community - Excellence in providing programs and services that support SHRM, meet members’ needs, or further the Chapter or State Council efforts. Activities may include efforts to foster member engagement, retention and acquisition, volunteer development and recognition, or supporting the SHRM Foundation.

In this section, you will be asked to select the category your submission reflects, as well as your award level, and explain why your submission meets the description provided for that category. Your response in this section is limited to 200 words. A word count feature has been added to the application form to assist you in creating your response.

Here are some examples of possible Pinnacle Award entries; however, keep in mind that your choices are not limited to this list. • A program that focuses on advancing the profession, improving community relations, education,

diversity, and work and family issues.

• A program that focuses on high-impact areas such as health care or corporate sustainability.

• A program designed to assist in the transition from welfare/workfare to productive, full-time employment or workforce readiness.

• A creative program designed to meet the professional development needs of individual members.

• A program designed to facilitate the advancement of entry-level practitioners into the profession.

• A program to meet the needs of senior-level HR professionals or another member segment.

• A professional analysis, input and impact on state and federal legislation.

• A new program to foster the quality process or competitiveness of your affiliate.

• An effort to provide innovative support and guidance to a local SHRM student chapter.

• An outstanding contribution to the strategic direction and programs of SHRM.




SECTION 3 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThe Executive Summary will serve as an introduction to the application itself and will be used in Pinnacle Award compendium. Your response in this section is limited to a total of 300 words.

Your summary should provide concise information about your chapter or state council’s initiative clearly noting what you set out to do, what you did and how you measured success. Remember during the judging process, the judge only knows what is provided in the submission and has no additional knowledge. Compare this to reviewing a candidates’ resume for a position open in your organization – you make a decision to consider the individual further based on what you see (or don’t see) on the resume.

A word count feature has been added to the submission form to assist you in creating your response.

SECTION 4 – QUESTIONSIn addition to the Executive Summary, each applicant is expected to respond to a series of seven questions. Your responses in this section are limited to a total of 300 words per question. You must address each question. (Helpful hint: You may wish to type your entry in MS Word to have an accurate word count and then copy and paste the text into the online application and save. Exceeding the word count could impact your submission.)1. Why was the program created?

2. Who participated in the implementation of your program?

3. How was the program implemented?

4. What were the program’s goals? Were they met?

5. Was the program effective? Based upon what measureable criteria?

6. Who benefited from your program? How so?

7. What makes your program deserving of a Pinnacle Award?

SECTION 5 – STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCEThe Pinnacle Awards reflect the best that the field of human resources has to offer and recognize programs and initiatives of the highest quality. In this section, you will be asked to select the standard that your submission best reflects and explain why it meets that standard. Your response in this section is limited to 200 words.

Standards of Excellence include:• An outstanding accomplishment that experts or peers in the human resource

field would agree deserves special recognition.

• Significant technical or professional impact on the human resource profession.

• High levels of originality or inventiveness that clearly identify your affiliate as creating an innovative enhancement or solution to a significant issue or problem.

• Outstanding leadership and coordination of extremely effective activities.




• A program that produced significant results above and beyond expectations and enabled your affiliate to meet key benchmarks and schedules that otherwise would not have been completed.

• Improved program, service and product quality or member satisfaction to a degree that significantly increased membership and revenue and/or reduced costs.

• Cohesive and innovative utilization of social media to engage members and/or increase participation at the chapter or state council level in alignment with short- and long-term goal strategies.

• An important addition or amendment to the SHRM portfolio of programs, products and services.

NOTE: It is unlikely that any one program will satisfy every standard of excellence mentioned.

TimelineAll applications are due no later than midnight on Friday, September 9, 2016. You will receive a confirmation of your submission. If you do not receive this copy, please contact a member of your regional team immediately.

Finalists will be notified by October 1. All winners will be announced at the Awards celebration event during the 2016 SHRM Volunteer Leaders’ Summit.

QuestionsQuestions about the program may be directed to any member of your regional team.

CLICK HERE TO BEGIN YOUR APPLICATION.

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pinnacle awards program pinnacle award submission package

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