Governor's Volunteer Awards

Awards presented February 26, 2025, during the
SC Nonprofit Summit.

Nominations are open until Nov 29, 2024

Nominate Now

Click here to read about the

2024 Award Winners
About the Awards

The Governor's Volunteer Awards are issued every year to celebrate the dedicated people who make South Carolina a better place to live and work. Everyone who volunteers in South Carolina is a hero and deserving of recognition. For many of our dedicated volunteers the simple act of being nominated for such a significant award is an honor in itself.

Please take the time today to make the difference in the life of a volunteer. All nominees will receive a recognition letter on behalf of the Governor, Together SC, and United Way Association of South Carolina.

Individual Award Categories:
  • Disaster Response Volunteer of the Year: An individual who, in the wake of Hurricane Helene, rose up in a profound way to help their fellow South Carolinians respond, regroup, and recover.
  • Community Leader of the Year: An individual who has provided broad and exceptional leadership to causes, programs and/or projects that address human needs.
  • Direct Service Volunteer of the Year: An individual who has excelled in providing direct one-on-one volunteer service to an individual, organization, or the community, demonstrating and performing with commitment and initiative.
  • Youth Volunteer of the Year: An individual age 19 or younger, who has excelled in service to an individual, organization, or the community, demonstrating and performing with commitment and initiative. The voluntary nature of the service is a critical factor. 
  • Legacy Volunteer of the Year: An individual who has been involved as a volunteer with ten (10) years or longer of continual voluntary service and has excelled in service to an individual, organization or the community, demonstrating and performing with commitment and initiative.  
  • Robin Burns Volunteer Administrator of the Year: An individual who is involved in volunteer administration and demonstrates exemplary service to their community, the profession of volunteer administration, and their agency or organization.
  • AmeriCorps SC Member of the Year: A currently serving AmeriCorps national service member who has gone above and beyond to demonstrate how AmeriCorps improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement and volunteerism. Nominee to be selected by the SC Service Commission.
Group Award Categories: 
  • Disaster Response Volunteer Group of the Year: An group (business, civic group, family, network) who, in the wake of Hurricane Helene, rose up in a profound way to help their fellow South Carolinians respond, regroup, and recover. 
  • Business Volunteer Group of the Year: A corporation, business or trade association that has demonstrated commitment to the community by supporting volunteer activities.  
  • Community Volunteer Group of the Year: (could include a neighborhood group, civic club, or family) A group that has been instrumental in designing or sponsoring a program or project to benefit an individual, organization, or the community, demonstrating and performing with commitment and initiative.

Award winners will be recognized February 26, 2025 in Columbia.

Eligibility Criteria
  • Must be a South Carolina resident; and
  • Must be performing volunteer services in South Carolina; and
  • All nominees must have served without financial gain, except for nominees in the category of Workplace Agency and Volunteer Administrator of the Year; and
  • Nominees must have been actively involved within the past twelve months in the category of service for which they are nominated; and
  • Previous winners are not eligible for the same award category
Nomination Instructions
  • There is no limit to the number of individuals you nominate for each category; however, an individual may be nominated in only one category.
  • The nomination may include only two files of pertinent supplementary material such as news articles, brochures, or letters of recommendation. This must be in an electronic format and attached to this form.
  • Nominations become the property of Governor's Awards Committee and will not be returned.
  • Nomination forms will only be accepted through this website. All nominations are due by November 30, 2024 at midnight.
  • The Governor's Awards Committee reserves the ability not to name an award winner for any single category if sufficient nominations are not made in that category.
  • Nomination Form will be available October 30, 2024.

Selection Process

Professional volunteer administrators representing various areas of volunteerism from across our state will take part in the selection process. If a selection committee member works at the agency at which a nominee serves, he/she will be excluded from voting in that category. The selection committee may choose not to give an award in every category.