Announcing the Winners of the 2025 Workhorse Fake Awards
- Taia Pandolfi
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
While our award might be fake, the inspiring work these organizations are doing is 100% real.
Our work supporting nonprofits with organizational strategy and marketing means that we see hundreds of unique campaigns, community-backed programs, and insightful use of limited resources. Each year, we roll out the (imaginary) red carpet to spotlight the most creative, strategic, and forward-thinking work in arts, culture, and nonprofits.
There is no formal process or official trophy (though we do accept nominations!). The Workhorse Awards are our way of recognizing some of the work that moves us and uplifting the people behind it.
Join us in celebrating the creative entrepreneurs and nonprofit workers of all stripes who are spinning gold out of straw. We think you’re incredible, and you genuinely inspire us to keep on keepin’ on.
Pittsburgh Center for Creative ReUse
Award: Turning “Trash” into Social Media Treasure
In Pittsburgh’s East End, there’s a building known to nearly every thrifter, DIY-er, and artist in the region. It’s the Center for Creative ReUse, a nonprofit that takes everything from fabric scraps and rescued art supplies to vintage photo albums and toy figurines and finds them a new home. This award recognizes the Center’s stellar social media presence, which manages to do one of the hardest things in marketing: create on-brand, mission-aligned content that (28K!) people actually want to watch. Seriously, hats off to the person who created their “shop highlights of the week” reels—we simply love them.
Casa San José
Award: Unforgettable & User-Friendly Website
Casa San José is a crucial resource for Pittsburgh’s Latino community, hosting everything from youth programming to community health resources to rapid-response support for families targeted by ICE. This organization deserves to be celebrated in more ways than one, but we’re drawing attention to an aspect of their work that may fly under the radar: their website. Warm, colorful, and super easy to navigate, the Casa San José website uses clear language, meaningful headers, and friendly photos. A stellar site is essential to their effectiveness; when folks are looking for immediate support, we know they’ll be able to find what they need. What could be more on-mission?
Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
Award: Gorgeous Storybook Annual Report
We can see your raised eyebrow from here—an annual report getting an award? But take a look before you scoff. The Children’s Museum’s 2023–2024 annual report is not the dry PDF you might expect. Using the format of a social story, the report follows Johanna and her family on a visit to the museum, weaving key programs and achievements into a narrative complete with colorful graphics and eye-catching photos. Members received a printed book in the mail, which doubled as an organizational update and a book they can read to their littles (really!). It’s an annual report we’ll be keeping on our reference shelf for years.
White Whale Bookstore
Award: Nostalgic Brand Partnership for a Cause
Millennials of all persuasions will remember the feeling of total euphoria that came with reading enough chapter books to earn a personal pan pizza from the ultimate 90s nostalgia factory: Pizza Hut. We’ll admit it, we’re the prime demographic for White Whale’s genius brand partnership with Driftwood Oven. Through SUMMER BOOK’D, anyone who read at least eight books from July–August will be invited to attend a community pizza party catered by Driftwood in September. We’re not only awarding this program for nostalgia points–it’s also a perfect example of how programming and marketing can work together to earn superb press coverage that showcases your mission.
Porter Loves
Award: Straightforward, Ethical Biz Model
While we love the work they do, we’re shouting out this design and photography firm not for their services, but their business model. We’ve seen lots of sliding scales in practice, and though we’re here for an economic model that is truly accessible to people, they don’t always work effectively. We love the Porter Loves model because it is so dang straightforward, taking all the potential discomfort or awkwardness out of the business relationship by meeting any questions head-on. Their website has a clear, direct landing page that explains how the sliding scale works. Our fave: “There is no pressure or judgment from us; people who pay more don't get better service.” And as folks who have used their services, we can attest: excellent work, welcoming process. What more can we say?
Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts
Award: Stellar Content Moderation
Jackie is staunchly against April Fools’ Day social media posts, a fact Emily has been valiantly trying to change for five years. That’s why we surprised even ourselves with this award, given to the Rozsa Center for their “we’re only serving hot dogs now” April Fools post. This award recognizes their quick, witty, and warm content moderation after it was published. Not only did the Center’s playful back-and-forth boost the posts’ reach, but it also demonstrated the brand’s commitment to its audience. When we talk about using social media to deepen engagement, this is what we mean.
Fine Print: Public submissions are always accepted and appreciated (email Emily at emily@workhorsecollaborative.com), but we reserve the right to ignore them entirely and choose whatever we want for whatever reasons we like. So, nominate at your own risk (of glory or heartbreak).
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