About the Program
The Invest in Others Awards recognizes the charitable work of financial advisors in communities across the country and around the world. There are five award categories: Catalyst, Community Service, Volunteer of the Year, Emerging Impact & Lifetime Achievement.
Submissions are evaluated based on an advisor’s leadership, dedication, contribution, inspiration and impact on a nonprofit and the community it serves. Three finalists are selected in each of the five categories with one winner being chosen for each award.
Award honorees will receive donations from Invest in Others for their designated charities:
- Finalists in all categories will receive $25,000.
- Winners in the Catalyst, Community Service, Emerging Impact and Volunteer of the Year categories will receive $50,000.
- The Lifetime Achievement Award winner will receive $75,000.
- Honorable Mentions in all categories will receive $1,500.
How You Can Help
- Nominate your advisors/advisor clients, and encourage your colleagues to nominate
- Promote IiO’s call for nominations in your firm’s newsletters, emails, intranet, and/or social media
- Share our social media posts on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn with your followers
Dates and Deadlines
- April 1: Nomination deadline
- April 22: Application deadline
- July 11: Finalists announced
- September 29: Winners announced at Invest in Others Awards Gala in Boston
Eligibility
- Nominees must be currently working as:
- registered representatives (for example, Series 7) or
- registered investment advisors or
- financial planners with a professional designation (please refer to FINRA’s list of designations for examples).
- Nominees must be active financial advisors, defined by spending at least 75% of their time providing financial consultation with clients (households or organizations).
- Nominees must have worked in this capacity for at least three years.
- Volunteer involvement with the nonprofit organization must be current and ongoing for at least three years.
- Nonprofits must be U.S.-based organizations and educational institutions with tax-exempt status granted under the Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3). Nonprofits doing work in other countries are eligible as long as they meet these criteria.
- For eligibility regarding advisors who were previously recognized as a finalist or winner, please see our FAQs. There is no limit to the number of times an advisor may be nominated if they have not previously been selected as an award finalist or winner.
Nominations
- Nominations are only accepted online via investinothers/awards
- Nominations are a two-part process. The nomination form (part 1) asks for contact information to help us verify eligibility. If the nominee meets our eligibility criteria, they will be invited to complete part 2 of the application process to be considered as a finalist.
- Anyone can submit a nomination. Advisors may also nominate themselves.
- There is no limit to the number of advisors one person can nominate. However, multiple nominations per advisor will not increase their chances of being selected.
- Nominators will be asked to create an account through the IiO nominations portal. Account creation will allow for proper tracking as well as provide the nominator access to revisit or edit information before submitting. We encourate nominations to be submitted as soon as possible to ensure enough time to complete the application.
- The following information is required to submit a nomination:
- Advisor (Nominee) Contact Information
- First Name and Last Name
- Company Name
- Company Address, City, State & Zip
- Telephone Number
- FINRA or IAPD # (for the individual advisor, not the firm)
- Broker-Dealer or Custodian
- Nominator Information
- First Name and Last Name
- Telephone Number
- Relationship to advisor
- Nonprofit Information – This organization will receive the award donation if the advisor is selected as an award finalist or winner.
- Name of nonprofit organization
- Tax ID Number (can be found at charitynavigator.org)
- Nonprofit Contact Name and Email
- Nominators will also be asked if they plan to complete the detailed application (part 2) or if the advisor will be completing the detailed application.
- Advisor (Nominee) Contact Information
Please click here for our Frequently Asked Questions
Applications
- Once a nomination has been submitted online and eligibility has been verified, Invest in Others will send an email to the nominee, nominator, and nonprofit contacting inviting them to complete a detailed application for the opportunity to become a finalist.
- The application is more in-depth and asks questions relating to the advisor’s service with the nonprofit and requires supporting documentation including a letter of recommendation and photos. This is also when the award category is selected.
- For a preview of application questions, please download this pdf. Note that under no circumstances will we accept a Word document or PDF version of the application; applications and supporting materials must be submitted through the online portal in order to be considered.
Call to Nominate – Suggested Language
SAMPLE #1 – General
Do you know an advisor who has made a remarkable difference through service to a nonprofit? Submit a nomination for the 2022 Invest in Others Awards to give them – and their favorite charity – the recognition they deserve. Winners will receive a charitable donation of up to $75,000. Nominations are accepted at investinothers.org/awards until April 1st.
SAMPLE #2 – Advisor Message
Financial advisors invest in others by giving back to their communities with overwhelming generosity and dedication. Since 2006, the Invest in Others Charitable Foundation has amplified these efforts by providing a platform for advisors to increase awareness and funding for their favorite nonprofits. Share your story by self-nominating for this year’s Invest in Others Awards. If you’re selected as a winner, your charity will receive a donation of up to $75,000. Nominations are accepted at investinothers.org/awards until April 1st.
SAMPLE #3 – Advisor Message
Invest in Others recognizes financial advisors that are making a difference by donating their time and resources to causes that matter to them. Submit a nomination for the 2022 Invest in Others Awards for the chance to help raise awareness and funding for your favorite nonprofit. If you’re selected as a winner, your charity will receive a donation of up to $75,000. Nominations are accepted at investinothers.org/awards until April 1st.
SAMPLE #4 – Advisor Message
Creating a safe place for children to learn and play. Empowering women through financial education. Making sure families don’t go hungry. Raising funds for cancer research. These are just a few examples of the charitable work done by financial advisors who have been recognized by Invest in Others. Does this sound like you? Share your story by submitting a nomination for this year’s Invest in Others Awards. If you’re selected as a winner, your charity will receive a donation of up to $75,000. Nominations are accepted at investinothers.org/awards until April 1st.
Personal Nominations Emails
Send to ADVISORS
This sample email can be used to send to advisors to encourage them to personally submit a nomination.
Send to COLLEAGUES
This sample email can be used to send to colleagues to encourage them to personally submit a nomination.
Social Media
If one (or more!) of the finalists is an advisor or client of your firm, we encourage you to personalize your messages and tag the advisor, their firm, and charity to help bring greater awareness to this honor!
Facebook
Please tag our Facebook page in all posts: Invest in Others
Use our URL: investinothers.org/awards
See sample language here
See instructions on using our logo and/or social graphic below.
Twitter
Please tag our Twitter handle in all posts: @investinothers
Use our URL: investinothers.org/awards
See instructions on using our logo and/or social graphic below.
LinkedIn
Please tag our LinkedIn page in all posts: Invest in Others Charitable Foundation
Use our URL: investinothers.org/awards
See instructions on using our logo and/or social graphic below.
Sample Posts
- Know a financialadvisor making a difference with a nonprofit in their community? Nominate them for the 2022 @investinothers awards! investinothers.org/awards
- @investinothers knows you don’t do your charitable work for recognition, but recognition from IiO could result in up to $75,000 for your nonprofit. Do it for them. Self-nominate today! investinothers.org/awards
- We hope to see several YOUR FIRM nominees this year for the 2022 @investinothers awards. Know an advisor who gives back to their community? Nominate them today! investinothers.org/awards
- Do you know a financialadvisor going above and beyond for a #charity? Nominate them for an @investinothers award for their chance to win up to $75,000 towards that #nonprofit. investinothers.org/awards
- Nominate a financial advisor for an @investinothers award for their commitment & support of a nonprofit investinothers.org/awards
