Salute to Excellence

Wisconsin has many outstanding volunteers: Here is your opportunity to nominate someone from your county to be considered for the Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer Award or the Volunteer of the Year Award.

Each year, state 4-H programs are invited to nominate two outstanding individual volunteers–one in each of two categories:

The Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer Award is given to an individual who has spent 10 or more years volunteering for 4-H.
The Volunteer of the Year Award is given to an individual who has volunteered for 4-H less than 10 years.

Selection Criteria

Completed nominations include:

1. Application form outlining the applicant’s 4-H experiences and relevant community volunteer contributions.

A fillable PDF application form is below and should be followed in developing the nomination packet
- Brief overview of why the nominee deserves this award (500 words or less)
- Evidence of a positive impact on the lives of 4-H youth:
  - Demonstrated ability to work with young people in a way that promotes youth empowerment, decision-making, meeting challenges, and mastery.
  - Nominee’s dedication to youth/adult partnerships and developing mentor-learner relationships.
- Evidence of a positive impact on the 4-H program:
  - Nominee’s innovative approaches to engaging new youth and increasing diversity among participants.
  - Dedication to providing a safe and inclusive environment for youth.
  - Nominee’s innovative approaches to performing volunteer service, recruitment to additional 4-H volunteers, partnering with other youth-serving agencies, fundraising, providing other resources for 4-H, advocacy for 4-H, etc.
- Personal attributes:
  - Evidence of professional attitude, character, and morals.
  - Personal growth from being a 4-H volunteer.

2. Three (3) Letters of Recommendation written by people who can best describe the nominee’s qualifications.

Consider a 4-H youth participant, another volunteer, or a 4-H staff person.
1-2 pages in length, 12-point font, 1-inch margins.
Nominations/letters of recommendation must address the following selection criteria:
- Demonstrated ability to work with young people in a way that promotes youth empowerment, decision-making, problem-solving, meeting challenges, mastery.
- Nominee’s dedication to youth/adult partnerships and mentor-learner relationships
- Nominee’s innovative approaches to engaging youth and increasing diversity among participants
- Dedication to a safe and inclusive environment
- Nominee’s innovative approaches to performing volunteer service, recruitment of additional volunteers, partnering with other youth-serving agencies, fundraising, providing other resources for 4-H, advocacy for 4-H, etc.
- Evidence of professional attitude, character, and morals
- Personal growth from being a 4-H volunteer (that you have observed)

3. Digital Photo, a high quality, 600 dpi headshot of the nominee. This will be used for media purposes.

Application Guidelines

Application materials must be submitted by a nominator to the nominee’s State 4-H Office. Each State 4-H Office will select one nominee for each category from its pool of nominations, to be submitted for the regional award. Two recipients will be selected from each region; one for each category mentioned above. From the eight regional winners, one person from each category will be named the national award recipient.
Packets missing any of the components will be eliminated (application form, photo and 3 letters).

Award Information

2025-Salute-to-Excellence-Fillable (fillable PDF)

Salute to Excellence 2025 Information from National 4-H Council

Nominations must be received electronically by February 28.

Send completed application materials to dawn.vandevoort@wisc.edu

State Recipients will be recognized at the Hall of Fame ceremony in the Spring 2025, or Fall Forum in November 2025.

Each regional winner will receive a personalized plaque, and a $500 cash award to be donated to a local 4-H program of their choice. National winners will be announced in April 2025. Each national winner will receive a plaque and $2,000 cash award to be donated to a local 4-H program of their choice.

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