By Karen Cann, CCVS Development and Communications Worker
Do you know a local voluntary group that deserve special recognition?
Have they made a difference in their community?
Do volunteers lead the group?
Are they just simply fabulous and do outstanding work?
Then why not nominate them for the King’s Award for Voluntary Service!
What is the King’s Award?
The King’s Award for Voluntary service or ‘KAVS’ began in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and was formerly known as The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service or ‘QAVS’. The award puts local voluntary groups in the spotlight and praises their hard work.
I would love to nominate a special local group but how do I know if they are eligible?
Check out these simple criteria.
The group…
- must have three or more people
- need to be based in the UK, Channel Islands, or Isle of Man
- need to have been operating for at least 3 years
- must have over half its volunteers eligible to live in the UK
- must be led by volunteers and not by paid staff; over half the group’s members must be volunteers
- must do work that directly benefits their community
- must be separate to a public service organisation.
What you need to be aware of!
The group must not…
- have been nominated for a QAVS/KAVS in the past three years
- be a national organisation
- have its main focus as fundraising or grant making
- be focused solely on helping animals, unless it can prove that the work also benefits the community, such as ‘pets as therapy’
- already have the award!
That all sounds fine – how do I nominate them?
Firstly, you can’t work or volunteer for the group yourself. This is extremely important as it’s a national Honour. You can’t nominate your own group. You must be a member of the public that is a beneficiary or supporter of the group.
Find two other people who know the group well but don’t work or volunteer for the group themselves and submit two letters of support. No nominees can be involved in the operation of the group!
What do I need to include in the letter?
The letters are very important for the assessment process so think carefully about what you’d like to include. It would be helpful if the writers know the group’s work extremely well and provide factual details.
Ensure the letters state the group’s work, what the volunteers do, the impact on the local community and their beneficiaries – and simply why the group is fantastic!
You should also state what your relationship is to the group and why you are nominating them.
I’m ready – let’s go!
You need to create a nominator account, to complete the nomination form and submit your letters. Don’t worry, you can save your nomination and go back to it. You don’t have to do everything at once.
Head here to nominate.
The KAVS team is available to help. If you feel you don’t have the digital skills to complete the form, please phone: 0207 271 6206.
Find out about the 2023 recipients in this video.
You have the power to make the group feel special and proud, so go ahead and nominate your local group and illuminate their brilliant work.
KAVS is actually the equivalent to an MBE and is the highest award possible for UK voluntary groups – the award is for life!
To find out more please visit: https://kavs.dcms.gov.uk/
Good luck!
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