Jennie Award
2022-2024 GFWC CLUB MANUAL
JENNIE AWARD
AWARDS, CONTESTS, AND GRANTS
JUDGING CRITERIA
Nominations will be evaluated equally on the following criteria:
COMMITMENT TO FAMILY
Recognizing that families come in many different forms, the nominee might be a single parent, a grandparent raising her grandchildren, an adult caring for an elderly relative, or an adult without children. The definition of a family member may include persons who are older or younger than the nominee. It may include immediate as well as extended family members. The nominee should exemplify outstanding concern for the wellbeing, health, and welfare of one or more persons by providing aid and comfort on an on- going basis, separate and apart, from club and community work.
COMMITMENT TO GFWC
The nominee should have an outstanding record of success and achievement, not only in terms of her club’s volunteer programs and projects, but also her role in a leadership position, her effort to build membership and promote the club to others, and her overall spirit of volunteerism. She should be kind, loyal, and positive in her relationships with other clubwomen, and her commitment should be continuous, rather than a one-time occurrence.
COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY
Community service must address real community needs and concerns. This service should go beyond club activities and be carried out through other community organizations (e.g. schools, hospitals, an elected/ appointed position, scouts, etc.) as well as through the workplace. Activities should reflect an innovative or unique approach to volunteer work.
THE GFWC JENNIE AWARD HONORS ONE CLUBWOMAN FROM EACH GFWC REGION FOR OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT TO CLUB, COMMUNITY, AND FAMILY.
The GFWC Jennie Award is the only national honor bestowed by GFWC that recognizes individual members for personal excellence. Club members are nominated by their clubs to compete at state, regional, and national levels for the Federation’s highest honor.
The Jennie Award is named in honor of GFWC’s founder, Jane Cunningham Croly, who wrote for national newspapers under the pseudonym “Jennie June.” The award is an occasion to highlight extraordinary clubwomen who epitomize her spirit of independence, courage, and persistence through their roles as volunteers within their clubs, representatives of their community, and as members of a family or extended family. Although GFWC has many awards for states and clubs, the GFWC Jennie Award is the only national honor that recognizes individual members for personal excellence. Since it is an award for lifetime personal excellence, club presidents should consider utilizing the knowledge of club historians for Jennie Award nominees. Club presidents should be mindful of first impressions and make the nominee’s packet of supporting materials as professional as possible as it may be judged at the different levels by influential community leaders. The GFWC Jennie Award Nomination Form is included on the last page of this section and may be downloaded from the GFWC Member Portal.
AWARD RULES
Clubs may nominate one member who has demonstrated the qualities outlined under the judging criteria for this award.
The nominee must be a member in good standing of a GFWC club for a minimum of five years. Her tenure of service may be with several clubs. Years of service must be consecutive, not concurrent.
GFWC Executive Officers (past or present) are not eligible for nomination.
Nominations should emphasize a member’s entire lifetime of service.
Clubs must complete and submit the official GFWC Jennie Award Nomination Form along with a separate
letter of introduction explaining the reason for the nomination with a maximum 500-word written
narrative.
Narratives should include descriptions of the nominee’s:
ø Commitment to her nuclear or extended family
ø Participation in community groups and organizations, both volunteer and professional
ø Club activities
Clubs must submit no more than 25 pages (printed single-sided) of supportive materials, including:
ø The title-page nomination form and letter of introduction
ø Digital color photograph of nominee (high-resolution/300 dots per inch or pixels per inch)
Note: If the photo does not meet the required specifications, it will not be used.
ø Clips of two-three newspaper (or other media) stories about successful projects to which the member contributed (it is not necessary for such articles to mention the member by name).
ø Letter of endorsement from club president
ø Letter of endorsement from a representative of another organization
Nomination forms and supporting materials, including photographs, will not be returned.
The 16 Region Finalists will be featured in the Spring 2024 issue of GFWC Clubwoman Magazine.
One clubwoman from each of the eight GFWC Regions will be selected for national recognition as a GFWC
Jennie Award honoree (expected to attend the 2024 GFWC Annual Convention in Chicago, IL).
ALL eight national GFWC Jennie Award honorees will be awarded roundtrip transportation to attend the
2024 GFWC Annual Convention in Chicago, IL.
CALENDAR
Dates to Remember:
June 2023 – State Presidents/Region Presidents
Encourage clubs to start looking for candidates to propose.
Announce call for nominations at state meetings and publish reminders in newsletters, magazines, and emails.
June 1, 2023 – Clubs
Submit nomination materials to respective State Presidents, POSTMARKED by this date.
August 1, 2023 – State Presidents
Submit nomination materials (1 per state) to respective GFWC Region President, POSTMARKED by this date.
December 1, 2023 – Region Presidents
Submit nomination materials (2 per Region) to GFWC Headquarters, 1734 N Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036- 2990, POSTMARKED by this date.
March 2024 – 16 Region Finalists
Featured in GFWC Clubwoman Magazine March/April 2024
Selection Committee Meets
June 2024
One clubwoman from each of the 8 Regions (all expected to attend) will be honored at the 2024 GFWC Annual Convention in Chicago, IL. A special remembrance and certificate will be presented to the honorees by the GFWC International President and GFWC Jennie Award Chairman.