3rd Annual CLASSY Awards Puts National Spotlight On Outstanding Charitable Achievements

SAN DIEGO, May 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- StayClassy announced the opening of nominations for the 3rd Annual CLASSY Awards. The CLASSY Awards has become the largest philanthropic awards ceremony in the country, recognizing the most outstanding philanthropic achievements by charities, businesses and individuals nationwide. In 2010, more than 3,400 nominations were submitted and 275,000 votes were cast for worthy CLASSY Awards participants. This year, more than 1,000,000 people are expected to vote for the their favorite achievement.

From now until June 19, America can visit www.classyawards.org to nominate charities, businesses and individuals for their remarkable achievements in the community and abroad. StayClassy will publish each submitted achievement as an article on their CLASSY Awards Achievements Page (www.stayclassy.org/stories) to put a national spotlight on their amazing stories.

"The stories behind everyday charitable achievements often go untold," said Scot Chisholm, CEO of StayClassy.  "The success of the CLASSY Awards has given us a national platform to let America know about amazing contributions across the country. Whether they win a CLASSY Award or not, our goal is to make sure each charity, business and individual is applauded for their accomplishments."

To qualify for the next round of the competition, each achievement must receive 100 Facebook "Likes" before June 28.  On July 25, StayClassy will announce the Top 25 finalists per category chosen by a panel of judges and America will have the opportunity to vote for the CLASSY Award Winners.

"The CLASSY Awards was a fantastic way to galvanize our volunteers and spread the word about the work of our organization, " said Lindsey Hyde, President and Founder of Strong Women, Strong Girls. "As a result of our experience, we have received national press recognition, connected with a new community of innovative organizations, and created new partnerships. It has been a powerful and positive experience for all of us!"

A Charitable Event to Remember

The 3rd Annual CLASSY Awards competition will culminate at a red-carpet awards ceremony on Saturday, September 17 in San Diego, California.  It will feature a host of celebrity presenters, chart-topping music talent, nonprofit and technology leaders, and thousands of CLASSY Awards supporters.  More than $150,000 in cash and prizes will be donated to support the charitable efforts of the 12 National CLASSY Awards Winners.

This year's CLASSY Awards weekend will also feature the CLASSY Collaborative, a social event where participants will be able to meet, greet, mingle, and share ideas with some of the foremost leaders in philanthropy, technology, innovation, and entertainment.

CLASSY Awards partners include: Qualcomm, Bridgepoint Education, NBC Local Media, Huffington Post Impact, Guidestar.org, Legalzoom, HandsOn Network, Young Nonprofit Professionals Network. For additional information on the competition, event details, and to make your nominations, please visit www.classyawards.org or email [email protected].

About StayClassy.org

StayClassy (http://www.stayclassy.org) is the easiest and most affordable way for organizations to raise funds and manage donor relationships online.  Based in San Diego, CA, the company develops easy-to-use web-based fundraising software for nonprofit organizations. StayClassy launched its new platform in May 2010, and has over 1,400 customers and over 130,000 individual subscribers using its services. It's free to sign up, making it extremely attractive to small and medium sized organizations on a tight budget. StayClassy is also the host of the Annual CLASSY Awards, a national award show that recognizes outstanding philanthropic achievements throughout the world (http://www.stayclassy.org/classy-awards).

SOURCE StayClassy