Volunteer of the Year award guidelines

In Canada, Sun Life Financial encourages our employees and Sun Life Financial Distribution advisors to apply for the Volunteer of the Year award. Employees and advisors can also be nominated by an outside source. Please follow the guidelines below.

To enter or be nominated, the candidate must have:

• volunteered significant hours from January 1 to December 31, and
• contributed talents, energy and skills to help charitable organizations in the community.

This program recognizes up to 4 people for their extraordinary involvement in their community each year. Deadline for submission is April 30 and award recipients are announced in July.

Awards available:

• 1 National Volunteer of the Year award
• Up to 3 runner-up awards

The recipient of the National Volunteer of the Year award receives $10,000 to donate to a Canadian registered charity of their choice.* The runners-up each receive $3,000 to donate to their chosen Canadian registered charities.*

* The recipients must choose registered charities that meet the guidelines of the volunteer program to receive the donation.

Awards eligibility:

• Employees of Sun Life Financial who are full time, or reduced hours, and those on maternity/paternity leave.
• Sun Life Financial Distribution advisors (excluding staff of advisors and associate advisors)
• To apply for the Volunteer of the Year award, the employee or advisor must have personally volunteered at least 50 hours from January 1 to December 31, with a minimum of 1 registered charity.
• Volunteering must have taken place on personal time.
• Volunteer hours will only be accepted if they occurred at a registered charitable organization. Search Canada Revenue Agency to confirm that the organization(s) is/are registered with the federal government.
• Volunteer hours completed at service clubs have additional restrictions for program eligibility. Volunteer hours served only at service clubs do not qualify for the Volunteer of the Year awards program. Service club volunteer hours must be in conjunction with other hours at another/other charitable organization(s). As well, the award recipient cannot direct the donation to the service club; instead he or she must choose another registered charity.
• Recipients of the Volunteer of the Year award cannot specify how the charity uses the financial gift. The donation is made in the name of the charity and it is entirely up to the registered charity to decide how the money should be used.
• Previous National Volunteer of the Year award recipients are ineligible to enter or be nominated for the same award they received for 2 consecutive years after the year they receive the award. Runners-up are eligible the following year.

Awards selection process:

Sun Life Financial’s Philanthropy team will verify all information and shortlist the candidates. The Volunteer of the Year award recipients will be selected by committee based on established criteria.

How to apply:

Send entry forms or nominations, along with supporting documents, to Philanthropy no later than March 15.

Complete the  Volunteer of the Year application form and email or mail it to:

Philanthropy
Sun Life Financial
1 York Street
Toronto, ON M5J 0B6