We recently had the opportunity to talk with Dawn Matheson, Executive Director of the Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA). Under her guidance, the MCA embraces the ever-changing dynamics of “the family” and celebrates the individuals and companies dedicated to helping each of us grow as individuals and become better sisters, mothers, and mentors. In this second installment of our three-part series, Dawn talks about the history of the Mom’s Choice Awards, and describes her personal journey and aspirations for the Program. In part two of our series, Dawn talks about the “Who” and “How” of the Mom’s Choice Awards® Programs, as well as some of the new programs introduced in 2009. 

Before becoming Executive Director of the Mom’s Choice Awards®, I spent a number of years in the business and technology fields, mostly working for other companies. My first leap as an entrepreneur began when I started Bumble Bee Publishing and Bumble Bee Productions. Together, those experiences created the path that have allowed me to expand the Mom’s Choice Awards® so that it can reach its full potential – not just for Honorees, but for the audience we serve: families, but especially Moms.

The female consumer market (and specifically the mommy-market) is one of the most profitable and sought after consumer segments. Women control 85% of financial decisions, yet 70% of women feel companies are not doing a good job at connecting with them. The Mom’s Choice Awards® aims to change that paradigm.

The mommy-market is $1.7 trillion market. Moms buy everything from diapers to makeup to minivans. Most moms feel marketers either ignore their needs or don’t understand what it’s like to be a mom. Part of the challenge in reaching that market is that it is constantly renewing itself. Approximately 4 million babies are born each year, with roughly 40% born to first-time mothers. Plus, not all moms are created equally. Many demographic factors impact the mommy-market. A 21-year-old mom will have different needs and be attracted to different products than say a 40-year-old mom.

The sheer expanse of the mommy-market had a lot to do with how we structured our program. It is why we have more than 300 categories! On the flip side, though, there are tremendous opportunities to draw on the mommy-market in our judging corps.

We have six associates on our Executive Committee and a staff that fluctuates from 8 to 20 associates depending on the season. Our team strives to provide best-in-class services and support to our entrants, Honorees, Judges, and Sponsors,  as well as the parents and educators who rely on our evaluations.

I will say, though, that we could not be our best without the dedicated work of more than 300 volunteers who serve as judges and advisors. For every product that moves to the judging round, there are five evaluators. Multiply that by 1,500 entrants each year, and you get the idea. We ask a lot of our judges, yet they never waiver in their enthusiasm and dedication to our mission.

As we continue to grow, we’re constantly expanding our panel of judges. Our panel includes education, media, and other related experts; parents, grandparents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical, and business professionals; authors, scientists, and others. Our judges volunteer their time and enjoy the opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of authors, inventors, companies, and others who are striving to create quality family-friendly media products and services.

Our judges come from all walks of life and live just about everywhere you can think of. To ensure the integrity of the process, we have an application process and require judges to adhere to a strict Code of Ethics. In my role as Executive Director, I oversee the judging process. I am not permitted to serve as a judge.  I don’t have to worry about being a “tie-breaker” because each entry is judged on its own merit and not against peer entries. My most important job is to ensure that the integrity of the process and our volunteers are never compromised.

The Mom’s Choice Awards® is most commonly compared to the Parents’ Choice Awards and the iParenting Media Awards. While these are wonderful programs, there are a number of things that set us apart in a number of critical areas.

 Award-Winning Promotion

• Not only do we publish a complimentary press release for our honorees, we also provide banners/widgets for their website. 
• We provide 100 seals at no additional cost to honorees.  We also offer branding and licensing packages at reasonable, one-time cost to help honorees build their platform, whether it is via a website or online store.
• In addition to a checklist for success, we broker participation for more than 35 Trade Show and Conference Promotion opportunities, as well as a library marketing program.
• We offer writing, technical, and educational services to help Honorees build their promotional platform.

Entry Costs and Fees

• Our fee is our fee. We don’t have any surcharges for additional or oversized items. 
• We are also the only awards program to offer multiple entry discounts, including discounts on book or product series.
• We offer financial assistance for nonprofit entries, and entry scholarships for young authors and innovators.
•  Entrants can submit the same product in more than one category.

The key distinction for the Mom’s Choice Awards program is that we offer life-time support to the Honoree. Their recognition – and our continued effort to help promote it – goes beyond a single awards cycle. We call our Award-winners alumni.  It stems from the Latin word alere which means “to nourish or be nourished.” Our Honorees, Judges, and Sponsors part of the MCA family known as the MCA Alumni. We all share a common mission as we are all are working to “nourish” the family and one another.

We also want to be a model for our Honorees. If we expect them to promote themselves , then we need to do the same. By walking ahead of them – whether it’s on Facebook or LinkedIn or Twitter – we can help smooth their own transition to building their platform. We share information freely, and have negotiated discounts for services on their behalf, as well.

As Executive Director, I want to ensure that we exceptional stewards of the Mom’s Choice Awards® brand. Ours is personalized service, with customer service, respect, and attention to detail you would expect from a world-class organization. 

Next up: What’s ahead for the Mom’s Choice Awards. Dawn shares her new programs for 2010!