Be Our Guest 2020

Nonprofit Impact Awards

Every year, Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits recognizes leaders and organizations in the nonprofit community who make a positive impact on the community, as well as the efforts of those who support local nonprofits.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, we have created several new categories of awards to recognize those who have worked valiantly throughout this uniquely challenging year to contribute to building safe, healthy, resilient, informed, and equitable community.

The award recipients were honored at SVCN’s Be Our Guest event on October 23, 2020. Learn more about our awardees.

Here are the award categories and the awardees!

Patricia A. Gardner Changemaker Award

This year, we are pleased to rename our Changemaker Award to the "Patricia A. Gardner Changemaker Award" to honor SVCN’s long-time CEO, Patricia Gardner, who was instrumental in nourishing the policy and advocacy voice of nonprofits in Santa Clara County. Patricia’s vision of nonprofit power in unity strengthened many community-based nonprofits and their work throughout the County.

The criteria are:

This leader, organization, or collaborative questioned the status quo and was not afraid to work to change policies or practices for the betterment of the community
This nominee’s or nominees’ work created positive, lasting change that contributed to building thriving and equitable communities

Awardee

Milan Balinton

Nonprofit Impact Awards Media Advisory

Nonprofit of the Year

This award reflects SVCN’s value of collaboration. The awardees will have worked across boundaries to develop a common vision and shared values; the awardees will have generated outcomes improved by their collaboration. Awardees can be nonprofits and partners working together, or leaders who inspired or led such a collaboration.

The criteria are:

This leader, organization, or collaborative has created and nurtured an impactful collaboration or partnership that inspired action, especially if the collaboration worked together to address this year’s challenging circumstances
The collaboration has resulted in tangible benefits to the community

Awardee

COVID-19 Financial Assistance Program, led by Destination: Home, Sacred Heart Community Service, and 68 CBOs

Nonprofit of the Year

This award honors a nonprofit organization that has:

Improved the well-being of the communities it serves in creative ways, despite the challenges we have all faced in 2020
Extended the benefit of existing services and programs to people who have previously lacked access to those services, supports, or experiences, especially to the BIPOC community or other disadvantaged groups
Demonstrated a commitment to share insights and new processes with other nonprofits to enhance the quality of programs and services in the sector as a whole
Displayed values and practice of racial equity
Engaged and centered constituents beyond providing services
Maintained or implemented programming and outcomes that are influenced and improved through connection and partnership with community
Lived out meaningful practices of inclusion and empowerment in governance, staffing and staff development, volunteer engagement, Board recruitment, program implementation.

Awardee

Second Harvestof Silicon Valley

Nonprofit Leadership Award

The future of the nonprofit community is in the hands of emerging leaders who are shaping the future of our sector through their energy, creativity, and exceptional leadership. This award is for individuals working in the nonprofit sector who are early to midway in their careers.

The criteria are:

This leader is committed to building an equitable and thriving community
This leader has already shown creativity and made significant contributions to our community and to their nonprofit organization
This leader has demonstrated the potential for continued leadership in the nonprofit sector

Awardees

Rachel Carlos-Colston+Melissa Johns

Nonprofit Ally Award

This award will be given to a government, private partner, Board member, or volunteer who has demonstrated an extraordinary level of commitment to the goals and work priorities of Santa Clara County nonprofits during 2020.

The criteria are:

This nonprofit ally worked to strengthen nonprofits to carry out their work
The nonprofit ally went above and beyond the call of duty to support a nonprofit organization or coalition

Awardee

SHIP Kits and Numerous Businesses Donating PPE to Nonprofits

Zoombie Room hosts

Aka

"Trick or Trivia" Team Captains

Our former celebrity servers have been transformed into Zoombie Room Hosts a.k.a. “Trick-or-Trivia” Team Captains!

They each led a team of nonprofit staff in online competitive games against other nonprofit teams led by other very competitive luminaries. Some were also costumed!