2026 National Philanthropy Day Awardees

Lifetime Achievement in Fundraising
Robert C. Reifsnyder

Full Movers & Makers article HERE.

Robert C. Reifsnyder retired in 2018 after 43 years in United Way, including 18 years as President and CEO of United Way of Greater Cincinnati, the 5th largest United Way in the United States upon his retirement. After receiving his degree from Princeton University, he served several United Ways before becoming President of Metro United Way in Louisville in 1987 and President of United Way of Greater Cincinnati in 2001.

Under his leadership United Way of Greater Cincinnati initiated United Way 211, the Volunteer Connection, Success By 6®, Place Matters, Partners for a Competitive Workforce, The State of the Community Report, the Agenda for Community Impact, Child Poverty Collaborative and the Bold Goals for Our Region, and served as the Trusted Entity executing the Cincinnati Preschool Promise. During this time United Way also raised more than $1 Billion for community services.

Reifsnyder served on more than a dozen Boards during his time as President, including Every Child Succeeds, Health Improvement Collaborative, Xavier Williams College of Business, GRAD Cincinnati, Downtown Cincinnati Inc., Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, Strive Education Partnership, Executive Service Corps and 3CDC. Nationally, he held several leadership positions in United Way Worldwide. In retirement he worked as a consultant for United Way Worldwide and serves or has served on the Boards of OneSource Center(Currently Board Chair), Playhouse in the Park, CancerFree KIDS, Boy Scouts and United Way NEXT. He co-chaired the Playhouse’s recent $50 Million Capital Campaign to build a new theater.

In Louisville and Cincinnati he has received awards including the NCCJ Humanitarian Award, IABC/PRSA Communicator of the Year Award, YMCA Strong Communities Award, Northern Kentucky University’s Lincoln Award, Boy Scouts Silver Beaver Award, Ohio United Way’s 100 Heroes Award, LEAD Magazine’s C-Suite Award, Business Courier’s CEO of the Year Award, GRAD Cincinnati’s Outstanding Community Engagement Award and the Leadership Center’s
Nelson Schwab, Jr. Distinguished Alumni Award.

Rob and his wife Gretchen have been married for 50 years. They have two sons and two grandchildren

Philanthropist of the Year
Brad Lindner

Full Movers & Makers article HERE.

Alan “Brad” Lindner is the retired President and CEO of United Dairy Farmers, one of the most influential companies in Cincinnati, a brand synonymous with community. In 1980, Clean Cincinnati (soon to become Keep Cincinnati Beautiful), approached the Lindner family to discuss litter and UDF stores. As Brad recalls it, UDF malt cups constituted a disproportionate amount of litter. Rather than deflect the blame, UDF decided to get involved in solutions on the ground floor, becoming KCB’s first corporate partner in the Great American Cleanup.

Now, almost fifty years later, UDF is still one of KCB’s most valuable corporate partners, being the primary sponsor of Cincinnati’s Great American Cleanup, tackling litter, blight, and enhancing neighborhoods twice per year. Not being satisfied in providing financial and brand support, Brad joined the Keep Cincinnati Beautiful Board and was Board President for fifteen years. During that time Brad has steered Keep Cincinnati Beautiful through unprecedented growth in programs, impact, and community goodwill.

Brad retired from the Board in 2020, but jumped back in as the Co-Chair for the Imagine the Impacts Campaign, KCB’s first comprehensive campaign in its forty-eight year history, leading to KCB’s first ever home in the iconic and historic Harry Hake Building in Walnut Hills. Brad has provided amazing leadership to this campaign with an amazing lead gift and matching gifts from United Dairy Farmers. The KCB will campus will be named in honor of his and UDF’s generosity and stewardship of the environment.

Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy
Shubhangi Srishti

Full Movers & Makers article HERE.

Shubhangi Srishti is a community-focused leader dedicated to expanding civic engagement and tech education. As the co-founder and Board President of TechElevate, she coordinates volunteer initiatives to deliver free computer science and digital literacy classes across the nation. Through her work building collaborative partnerships with regional community centers and library managers, she actively helps bridge the digital divide for local youth and senior citizens. TechElevate has served almost 3,500 students, has over 100 volunteers, and provides over 10 different programs.

Beyond her advocacy for technical education, Shubhangi brings her organizational expertise to structural community spaces. She serves as the Board Secretary and Youth Council Leader for a prominent North Indian non-profit organization, where she helps organize large-scale regional outreach and major cultural programming.

Volunteer of the Year
Mike Hirschfeld

Full Movers & Makers article HERE.

Michael Hirschfeld is a Senior Counselor with the law firm of Bricker Graydon Wyatt LLP, founded in 1871. A native of New Bremen, Ohio, Mike received an A.B. from Kenyon College, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, as well as an M.B.A. and J.D. from the University of Virginia. During his 49+ years practicing law Mike has been consistently named on the “Best Lawyer”, “Leading Lawyer”, and “Super Lawyer” lists, including as the Cincinnati “Lawyer of the Year” in both the corporate and the mergers & acquisitions categories, and served as Chair of the law firm’s Executive Committee.

He has counseled hundreds of entrepreneurs, families and closely held businesses, emphasizing business issues, succession planning, and mergers and acquisitions. He has been a Certified Advisor in Philanthropy in the American College of Financial Services, and the recipient of the Bridge Builder Award from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, the Friend of the Goering Center Award, and the Rock of Ages Award from Maple Knoll Village. He has served on a variety of civic, charitable and professional boards, including as Vice Chair and Emeritus Trustee of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He has served as the President/Chair of various organizations, including: The Children’s Hospital, Hamilton County Community Mental Health Board, Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation, Maple Knoll Village, Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati, Bankers Club, Commonwealth Club, and Queen City Optimists Club; as well as on the Boards of the Cincinnati Nature Center, LADD, Wesley Hall and the Greater Cincinnati Hospital Commission. He currently serves as President of the Cincinnati Southeast Camp of Gideons International, Trustee and Secretary of The Thomas J. Emery Memorial, Co-Chair of the Meals on Wheels of Southwest Ohio & Northern Kentucky Capital Campaign, and is a member of the American, Ohio and Cincinnati Bar Associations, Queen City Club, Association for Corporate Growth, Leadership Cincinnati Alumni Association, Ascent Group of the Queen City Angels, Tocqueville Society of the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, the Krippendorf Society of the Cincinnati Nature Center, the Directors Circle of ArtsWave, and Anderson Hills Church.

Mike and his high-school sweetheart wife Linda live in Union Township, Ohio, have been married for 53 years, and have three adult daughters with five grandchildren.

Outstanding Foundation
First Financial Bank – Archie Brown

Full Movers & Makers article HERE.

First Financial Bank was established in Hamilton, Ohio, in 1863, and now serves five states from its headquarters in downtown Cincinnati, providing consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, and specialty banking services. The bank has earned two consecutive Outstanding ratings from the Federal Reserve Board for its performance under the Community Reinvestment Act.

First Financial also has made significant progress into its five-year Community Benefits Agreement, with more than $1.4 billion invested for low- and moderate-income communities, more than halfway to its $2.4 billion goal. In 2025, First Financial Bank and associates teamed up to donate a total of $4.6 million to local organizations, while logging a total of 16,307 hours of volunteer time. First Financial has also been recognized as a Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award winner.

Revisit 2025 National Philanthropy Day Events – CLICK HERE

Loyal Donors… Celebrating Our Supporters

As part of National Philanthropy Day (NPD), the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) invites nonprofit organizations to recognize and celebrate additional individuals: loyal donors who support and further the mission of their organization.

How to Select Loyal Donors: During the NPD registration process, nonprofit organizations may submit the names of their Loyal Donors. AFP requests that nonprofits submit only the names of people who will be attending the in-person event. When guest names are sent, Loyal Donor designations can be noted at that time.

If you need assistance in submitting guest names or designating your guests as Loyal Donors, email us at Admin@AFPCincinnati.org.

For questions or more information, contact:
Sydney Kavish, NPD Co-Chair, at kavishsy@foundation.uc.edu or

Phillip James at jamespp@foundation.uc.edu

Ken Coggeshall, AFP Executive Director, at Kcoggeshall@afpcincinnati.org

Admin Team at admin@AFPCincinnati.org

Award Winners… Recognizing Love Poured Out

Our Community Award Winners are local, every day people who do the extraordinary to help others. It’s their selfless giving that has spurred the birth and momentum of National Philanthropy Day. We are honored to be able to celebrate their acts of love. Review a full list of our past award winners here.

Submit your nominations for Philanthropist of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy, Outstanding Foundation or Corporation in Philanthropy, and Lifetime Achievement in Fundraising!  The nomination cycle for this year’s event has been completed.