Best Practice Not-for-Profit
The winning organisation needed to:

• Exhibit an ability to deal with significant social problems in tangible ways.
• Deliver thoughtful and practical programs across a range of social dimensions, including awareness raising, network development, solution finding and support provision.
• Demonstrate best practice organisational and financial management.
• Be transparent and accountable with clear financial reporting.
• Have strong fundraising and financing mechanisms providing it with the capacity to deliver to its constituency.

Best Community Project
The project needed to be run by a credible, well-managed and transparent not-for-profit organisation. It needed to address an important issue with a thoughtful, innovative and practical solution that has measurable, attainable outcomes. Previous winners have included projects run by Alice Springs Youth Accommodation and Support Services, RSPCA Queensland and the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation.

Best Communications Program
Successful communication is an essential part of running an effective not-for-profit. Not-for-profit groups are frequently asking people to give time, money or skill, with no immediate personal benefit to the donor. In some cases not-for-profit groups are asking people to listen to a message that many would rather not hear. For example, aged care, disability services or support for people with substance-abuse problems are areas that could give rise to difficult or emotive matters that not-for-profits might need to explain or present to their clients, donors, supporters or the wider community.

Very often the charities are expected to handle these communications on a shoe string budget. Despite these difficulties many not-for-profits have found clever and innovative ways to get their messages across. We wanted to celebrate that creativity by asking for nominations for the very best communications initiatives from not-for-profits around the country.

Nominations were invited for an advertising or awareness-raising campaign in any medium:

• Annual Report.
• Brochure/pamphlet.
• Print/TV/radio campaign.
• An initiative that uses staff or volunteers to deliver a message or explain a program.
• Seminars or conferences.
• Acquisition/fundraising campaign.

The nomination submission needed to include:

• Any relevant printed or recorded material.
• Clearly stated reasons on why the campaign or item should be seen as successful.
• The response to the program and how that response rate was recorded.
• The cost/income ratio where that is relevant.