Eligibility Guidelines:
- To be qualified for consideration, nominees: Must hold a salaried, full-time (minimum 35 hours per week) chief executive position at a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in the Washington metropolitan area. The geographic area is defined as the District of Columbia, Suburban Maryland (Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties) and Virginia.
- Must be an executive director, CEO, president or other chief salaried employee of a Washington-area nonprofit organization with an annual budget under $10 million.
- Must have served as the chief executive at his/her current organization for a minimum of three years as of May 31, 2022. All examples and explanations used in the application must have occurred during the applicant’s tenure at the current organization.

Any individual meeting these requirements may be nominated. There is no fee to participate. Past EXCEL Award winners are ineligible for future EXCEL Award consideration.

2022 EXCEL Award Timetable:
- Monday, July 11: Competition opens
- Friday, August 5: Application Deadline (submitted by midnight)
- Friday, August 27: Semi-finalists notified
- Thursday, September 8: Interviews with semi-finalists
- Friday, September 9: Finalists notified
- September 19 - 30: Site visits at finalists’ organizations
- October 2022: Winners announced at Center’s Annual Celebration
- November 1, 2022, to November 1, 2024: Professional Development Account Expenditure Period

The selection process includes five stages:
1. Nomination: All eligible EXCEL Award candidates must be nominated. Nominations can be made by board members, staff members, volunteers, clients or community members and can be made with or without the candidate’s knowledge.
2. Selection Committee Decision: The selection committee will review nominations and choose up to 6 semi-finalists. Both the nominator and the candidate will be contacted. For candidates not selected to move forward, only the nominator will be contacted.
3. Interview: Nominees advancing to this stage will be given a 40-minute interview by members of the selection committee. This interview will take place on Thursday, September 8. Questions will focus on leadership philosophy, skills and experiences as chief executive. When candidates are invited to attend the interview, they will be asked to submit their organization’s current mission statement and annual report, budgets and audits from the past two years. No more than 3 finalists will be selected once interviews are complete. (If the nominee is not available on September 8, an alternative date will be arranged. However, full selection committee participation cannot be guaranteed at this interview.)
4. Site Visit: A visit by members of the selection committee at each finalist’s organization will be scheduled. The candidate and the nominator will be required to attend this meeting. Up to two others are also welcome to speak on behalf of the candidate. Site Visits will be scheduled with the finalists during the timeframe of September 19-September 30.
5. Selection: One person will be awarded the GRF CPAs & Advisors 2022 EXCEL Award. Up to two honorable mention recipients may also be selected. The decision of the selection committee is final.

To receive the award money, please submit a copy of the PAID invoice for what the money was spent on. Expenses will be covered by reimbursement. Payments will be made within 60 days of submitted paperwork. Any unused dollar amount in the account will be forfeited. If the EXCEL Awardee leaves his/her chief executive position (either by his/her own choosing or as a board decision) during the two-year expenditure period, the remaining amount in the account will be forfeited. The money given to the awardee’s organization for the purpose of staff development will follow the same criteria as above.