• Outstanding Collegiate Chapter Award

  • PURPOSE

    The Chapter Award is designed to recognize Collegiate Farm Bureau chapters that actively implement the mission and goals of Illinois Collegiate Farm Bureau as they set and execute their chapter specific goals each year. 

     

    ELIGIBILTY

    Any Collegiate Farm Bureau chapter within Illinois who properly submit the application and the required materials on time.

     

    AWARD

    The top chapter selected will be formally recognized for their outstanding efforts at their last meeting of the spring semester with food being provided by Illinois Farm Bureau as well as recognition at the 2026 IAA Annual Meeting. A complimentary registration and hotel room will be provided.

     

    TIMELINE

    Award application information will be made available in January of each year and must be submitted by no later than 11:59 p.m. on March 1st. 

     

    EVALUATION

    Applications will be evaluated based on the following:
    • Chapter Goals – 50%
    • Chapter Program of Work – 5%
    • Communication & Outreach – 3%
    • Statewide Farm Bureau Involvement – 17%*
    • Harvest for All Involvement – 5%
    • Membership Growth – 5%
    • Engagement with Local County Farm Bureau(s) – 5%
    • Short Answer Responses – 10%

    *For Young Leader Conference, IAA Annual Meeting, and GALC Conference, this is done based on the % of active members on your roster. This keeps everything fair and ensures no comparison between smaller and larger chapters. Leadership Training is done based on how many of your elected officers were in attendance.

    Note: Since this is due in March, chapters are welcome to include all activities that have occured or are ready to excute and will occur during this academic year in the application.   

     

    EVALUATION COMMITTEE

    The evaluation committee will consist of Illinois Farm Bureau staff and highly involved volunteers. Chapters will be notified of their award ranking within two weeks following the application deadline.

     

    Deadline to apply is 11:59pm on March 1st!

     

     Questions? Contact Illinois Farm Bureau at collegiate@ilfb.org

  • Section I: General Information

  • Section II: Chapter Goals

    This section is based off of the goals submitted as of the Oct. 1 deadline with your annual requirements. Please update us on what you've done to succeed or not.
  • Did you fully achieve Goal #1?
  • Did you fully achieve Goal #2?
  • Did you fully achieve Goal #3?
  • Did you fully achieve Goal #4?
  • Did you fully achieve Goal #5?

  • Section III: Chapter Program of Work

    The Program of Work should reflect a comprehensive, well-rounded year of high-quality activities aligned with Collegiate Farm Bureau priorities. The POW should include strong representation across multiple areas (professional development, industry experience, uniting voices, and community support) with clear evidence of broad student involvement and intentional outreach. Activities demonstrate consistency, meaningful engagement, and depth rather than one-time participation.
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  • Section IV: Chapter Communication & Outreach

    This section evaluates how intentionally and effectively your chapter communicated with members, peers, school staff, County Farm Bureaus, and the community throughout the year.
  • Which communication platforms did your chapter actively use throughout this year?

  • Which statement best describes your chapter’s communication approach?
  • For each platform selected above, estimate the total number of posts or communications your chapter shared during the academic year. (Add As Needed)
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  • Section V: Statewide Farm Bureau Events

    Members of my chapter participated in the following statewide Farm Bureau events. The numbers entered will be confirmed by Illinois Farm Bureau staff and points earned by a % of membership in attendance for statewide events.
  • Leadership Training*
  • Collegiate Discussion Meet*
  • IFB Annual Meeting*
  • IFB Young Leader Conference*
  • Consumer Engagement Training*
  • Governmental Affairs Leadership Conference*

  • Section VI: Harvest for All Efforts

    Chapters should strive to showcase significant contributions to their community in more than one of the areas. They should explain their efforts fully including who participated and the overall outcomes. Judges should feel like they grasped everything the chapter did and why they did it.
  • My chapter contributed to the Harvest for All campaign (dollars donated, pounds donated, hours volunteered)*

  • Section VII: Membership Growth

    Chapters should articulate their positive or negative outcome well identifying clearly what the change observed was and what attributed to it. If a chapter has numbers to back up the efforts, that is encouraged. The chapter should explain how they went above and beyond in their efforts to increase membership and engagement through existing and new efforts.
  • Based on last year's chapter membership, my chapter experienced a(n) _______________.*
  • My chapter has experienced a _______________ in member engagement with chapter and/or state Farm Bureau events.*

  • Section VIII: Engagement with County Farm Bureau(s)

    Chapters should fully articulate a strong collaboration between the chapter and local County Farm Bureau and/or Young Leaders. Events should show a clear, ongoing effort to engage both groups, with measurable impact on community involvement and support for the chapter’s goals. Points are also provided for efforts made even if not they were not taken up on by County Farm Bureaus.

  • Section IX: Short Answer

    To receive full points, responses should be clear, compelling, and aligned with the award criteria. They should explain why the chapter deserves recognition by highlighting what makes it unique on campus, supported by specific examples of achievements, activities, and impact. Strong responses also include a realistic vision for growth, outlining actionable steps to improve the chapter or member experience and demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement.
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