Not-for-profit Organisation of the Year Award

Tier ❶ Project Organisations

Open to all not-for-profit organisations across the globe committed to excellence in project delivery and outcomes. This category is aimed at charity organisations or commonly referred to as ‘third sector’. Public sector organisations please refer to our Public Sector Organisation of the Year Award category.

There are four organisational award categories, representing different types of organisations. The Not-for-profit Organisation category is for organisations that have a project and/or programme portfolio and are operating on a not-for-profit basis (such as charities, associations, governing bodies and social enterprises). Judges are looking for organisations who stand out by delivering project excellence in delivery and outcomes.

We require entrants to all organisational award categories to produce a submission of 1,500–2,500 words (in English) based on the judging criteria. Entrants may also submit up to four pieces of supporting evidence - images or graphics only (no text apart from captions). Evidence must support information already included in the submission and must not introduce additional elements. Please see further details on the ‘Supporting evidence’ tab of the Awards platform. Video and audio is not accepted as part of the submission.

The Not-for-Profit Organisation of the Year category is a written stage only judging category and is open to organisations across all sectors globally.

Submit an entry           Entries close 10 June.

Tier ❶ Project Organisations category criteria

This applies to Company or Consultancy, Small to Medium Enterprise, Not-for-profit, or Public Sector Organisation categories.

Please read the category description and the below criteria carefully before submitting your entry.

Project Environment | Weighting: 10%

Describe the environment your project or projects were delivered within, for example organisational maturity relating to project management, project complexity and any other features of the environment which added additional challenges.

People | Weighting: 40%

Training and development:
Tell us about the training and development opportunities in your organisation's project staff and the enhancement of good project delivery practice. Explain how development needs are identified and how the impact is measured. Include both formal and less formal approaches to learning and development.

Career development and professionalism:
Describe the career paths for project professionals within your organisation. How do you attract, develop and retain project professionals who have the right skills, competencies and expertise to build sustainable and professional project management practice? How do you then ensure projects are appropriately resourced, with a diverse range of people to encourage diversity of thought, perspectives, and experience, and maximise inclusivity?

Encouraging innovation and building good practice:
How do you support your project professionals to achieve their best and encourage innovation within these teams? Please provide examples of this from within the last 12 months. What does your organisation do to enable its project professionals to share good practice and improve capability?

Cultural and change management:
How does your organisation assess the internal impact of a project? Provide case study evidence of projects that have required behavioural/cultural change and tell us how you ensured that this change was managed effectively.

Processes | Weighting: 30%

Project assurance and performance management: 
Describe your processes for project assurance. Explain who carries out your assurance reviews and explain how assurance fits into overall project governance and reporting.

Project tools and methodologies:
Outline your approach to project management. What specific tools, techniques and methodologies do you use and why? How do you achieve innovation in these? Please provide case study examples of ways in which the adoption of these tools has supported effective delivery and improved project outcomes.

Information and knowledge management:
How is project information captured and shared within your organisation's project community? How do you ensure project data is managed safely and shared securely and compliantly? Describe the process by which you capture learning within projects and explain how this is used to improve project delivery going forward. Tell us about how you are sharing your knowledge and expertise within the wider project profession.

Effective transition and benefits realisation:
Describe your processes for the final stages of the project life cycle, providing evidence of a project or projects completed in the last 12 months that have successfully transitioned into operational use. How did you measure the success of these project(s) and how did benefits are identified, tracked and realised?

Organisational design | Weighting: 20%

Vision and strategy:
Summarise your organisation’s vision, strategy and structure, showing how project management is integrated. Describe the role of projects and programmes in contributing to your organisation’s strategic goals.

Organisational development and transformation:
How does your organisation ensure it remains ‘fit for purpose’ to both deliver on its current strategy and meet the challenges of the future? Describe how your organisation identifies the need for change and its approach to organisational development and transformation. Has the application of project management techniques and approaches supported the organisation in this area?

Leadership and project sponsorship:
Describe the role of senior responsible project “owner” within your organisation. How are project leaders and sponsors chosen and developed and who are they accountable to? Tell us what makes project leadership in your organisation outstanding.

Sustainability:
How does your organisation embed environmental, social, economic and administrative sustainability into your project-based work to meet the current needs of stakeholders without compromising or over-burdening future generations?

Submit an entry           Entries close 10 June.