Leave A Legacy Award

Nominations for the 2026 Leave A Legacy Award are now open.

Leave a Legacy Award - Call for Nominations
2026 National Philanthropy Day^®Central Ohio Celebration

Honor and celebrate how a donor’s values, goals, and vision transform into reality through the power of gift planning.

Of the nine honorees selected for National Philanthropy Day^® recognition, eight of the award winners are determined by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Central Ohio Chapter. One award, the Leave a Legacy Award, has a unique nomination process and is selected by Charitable Gift Planners of Central Ohio (CGPCO).

Leave a Legacy Award (LAL) - Nominations Process

The LAL Award celebrates donors whose vision is transformed into reality through the power of a planned gift. A planned gift is a contribution that is arranged in the present and allocated at a future date. Bequests, trusts, gift annuities and donations of life insurance are all types of deferred gifts, as are blended gifts which combine a current cash or in-kind outright donation with a future bequest.

Behind each legacy gift commitment is the story of a donor’s motivations and emotional nexus to the cause. Each donor’s story is unique, yet shares the common threads of connecting, enriching, and changing lives via philanthropy. We are encouraging nominations of donors at all levels of giving.

Now is the time to tell that unique story by nominating an individual, couple or family who have made a difference to your organization’s mission or the greater central Ohio community through the power of legacy gift planning.

The nomination process is simple:

- - - - Describe the donor’s motivations and objectives for his/her giving
      - Describe the impact on programs and services or the changes created by the gift
      - Note the gift planning vehicle (current, planned or blended)
      - Limit the nomination to 600 words or less

Nominees must be living at time of nomination and be able to participate in the AFP National Philanthropy Day event on Tuesday, November 24, 2026.

Nominations from previous years may be re-submitted if the nominee was not selected.

2026 LAL Nominations deadline will be announced soon!

Submit the nomination to [email protected] and state “Leave a Legacy Award” in subject line.

Questions? Contact Lori Aiello, LAL Nominations Chair, at [email protected]

Recent Leave a Legacy honorees:

2025 - Dr. Ann E. Teske & Dr. Doug Teske 2016 - Dr. Thomas and Margaret Williams

2024 – Tom & Hope Ashby 2015 - Louise Warner

2023 – Shirley Brooks-Jones 2014 - Peter and Janet Halliday

2022 - Rohini Desai Mulchandani, PhD 2013 – Beth Grimes Flood

2021 - Zoe and Jack Johnstone 2012 – Dorothy “Dotty” T. Henderson

2020 – Gifford Weary, PhD 2011 – Anne Powell Reily

2019 – Joe Chlapaty 2010 – Dr. Jerome J. and Mrs. Margaret Cunningham

2018 – R. Kevin Kerns, Trustee of Karen Kerns Dresser Trust 2009 – Kathryn Sanders Rieder

2017 – J.W. Straker (Bill) 2008 – Joanne McGuire

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