Attachment 20_Awards Statement_Professional Certifying Organization

[Insert Organization’s Name Here]

2013 Professional Certifying Organization Partner of the Year Written
Statement Template
Please complete, save, and upload this document to your award application. Compose your written statement
by addressing the evaluation criteria below based only on your activities in 2012, unless otherwise requested.
Your written statement must be no more than six (6) pages in length. Organize and label your statement
using the categories listed below (e.g., “Certification Program Growth”). The point values following each
category indicate the maximum potential value for all activities within that category. Partners should address as
many of the criteria as applicable based on their activities and may also be eligible for an Excellence Award if
they demonstrate outstanding accomplishments in one of the categories.
Remember that Partner of the Year awards are based on activities that increase awareness about the
WaterSense program, labeled products, new homes and services. General education on the importance of
water efficiency is valued, but the focus of your application should be on activities that specifically integrated
WaterSense. If you choose to submit supporting materials that complement your written statement, which is
recommended, clearly reference each supporting material in your written statement (preferably with
annotations).

Evaluation Criteria
1. Certification Program Growth (25 points)
Provide the number and percentage of your organization’s certifications for irrigation professionals that are
WaterSense labeled.
Provide the number of irrigation professionals who earned at least one of your organization’s WaterSense
labeled certifications in 2012 and any goals or targets your organization set in 2012 for increasing that
number in 2012 (and beyond).
Identify how you made your labeled certifications more readily available to irrigation professionals in 2012.
Indicate the number and percentage of irrigation professionals certified by your program(s) who are also
WaterSense irrigation partners.
2. Promoting WaterSense to Irrigation Professionals (30 points)
Describe how you used your WaterSense partnership and the WaterSense label to recruit certification
candidates, promote WaterSense, or demonstrate your organization’s commitment to water-efficient
irrigation practices to irrigation professionals.
Describe any in-person or online (e.g., webinars) events you organized, hosted, or participated in, to
encourage irrigation professionals to earn your WaterSense labeled certification(s). Identify WaterSense’s
materials you used to educate irrigation professionals about the program.
Describe how you promoted or advertised your WaterSense labeled certification(s) through media
outreach, distributing promotional materials, using social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
etc.) or in other ways, and identify your primary audience(s) for the promotions.
Explain how you encouraged professionals certified by your labeled program(s) to join WaterSense as
irrigation partners.
3. Promoting WaterSense and Water-efficient Irrigation Practices (30 points)
Describe WaterSense-related outreach you conducted (including quantity and estimated reach, if
available). For example, this might include developing web content about WaterSense and your
WaterSense labeled program; adding WaterSense promotional marks to websites, newsletters or listservs;
using bill stuffers; producing public signage; giving presentations; using social media outlets (e.g.,
Facebook, Twitter); or developing workshops or trainings for contractors.
Describe how your organization promoted hiring WaterSense irrigation partners to:
o Individual homeowners or home owners’ associations

[Insert Organization’s Name Here]
o Home builders or licensed certification providers
o Water utilities or water districts
Explain how your organization educated end users (homeowners, business owners, etc.) on the
WaterSense program and the importance and value of water-efficient irrigation practices. Discuss any
efforts your organization made to educate end users on detecting or preventing leaks or faulty parts.
Explain how you encouraged or trained certified professionals to present the benefits of water-efficient
irrigation practices to current or potential customers, including tracking water savings data or calculating
return on investment.
4. Strategic Collaboration (15 points)
Describe how you collaborated with other WaterSense partners or stakeholders (e.g., utilities, nonprofits,
trade associations, state and local governments, builders, licensed certification providers, etc.) to promote
WaterSense or further a common goal of increasing water efficiency. Provide any quantifiable results, if
possible.
Describe how and when you collaborated with the WaterSense program, supported WaterSense outreach
campaigns, or contributed to the development or revision of a WaterSense labeled program specification.
Describe research your organization conducted, funded, or reviewed that furthered the development of a
WaterSense labeled product or practice specification. (You may include specification support that began
prior to 2012 but continued into 2012.)