Do you know a friend, neighbor, business or nonprofit community group who makes their moments matter through volunteerism?

Show how their commitment makes a difference by nominating them for a Be the Difference Award!  

The Annual Be the Difference Awards, hosted by the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County, honors the Top 50 individuals, organizations & businesses who do the most to transform Santa Cruz County through volunteerism. A panel of community leaders reviews nominations with consideration for the amount of volunteer effort, overall impact on the community, and how the nominee inspires others to be the difference.

Submit your nominees using this form, then plan to join us May 8, 2024, at the Cocoanut Grove Ballroom to celebrate the changemakers who strive to Be the Difference in our community!

Nominating is easy! You will need to collect your nominee's contact information and prepare a short essay describing their service. Once you've gathered the info, the nomination form will take less then 5 minutes to complete.

If you prefer, you can also  download the the nomination form as a PDF / Word Doc and return it via email or postal mail.

PLEASE NOTE: We can only accept up to 3 nominations from the same nominator - you will need to individually submit each nomination.