20th Annual WSPN Philanthropy Awards Nomination Information

The nomination period is now closed. Please click here to see the 2022 Honorees & Finalists and to register to attend the 20th Annual Philanthropy Awards. 

The West Suburban Philanthropic Network (WSPN), an organization dedicated to supporting development professionals and advancing philanthropy in the western suburbs of Chicago, calls for nominations for its 20th Annual Philanthropy Awards Ceremony to be held on Tuesday, August 30th, 2022 from 9:00am to 11:00 am.

The purpose of the awards program is to recognize and celebrate those individuals, businesses, foundations, and organizations that provide so much to sustain and enhance the rich philanthropic environment that is fundamental to the quality of life in the western suburbs.

Nominating Procedures:
Nominees must reside and/or support philanthropic organizations in the western suburbs of Chicago. There is no requirement to be a member of WSPN to nominate or to be nominated. All nominations must include at least one and up to three photos of the nominee. Nominations are due by midnight (CST) on Friday, June 3, 2021. All nominators will be contacted at the end of June to notify them of their application status. There will be a maximum of three finalists that are selected for the categories of Nonprofit Rising Star of the Year, Nonprofit Executive of the Year, and Nonprofit Volunteer of the Year. For these categories, the WSPN Membership will vote on who will be the final Honoree recognized at the 2022 Philanthropy Awards Ceremony. Please note, to ensure all organizations and finalists can prepare for the event, the results from the membership vote will be privately shared with the nominator immediate after the voting concludes and will be announced publicly at the ceremony.

Membership Voting:
WSPN Members with a current membership will be invited to cast one (1) vote for the following categories: Nonprofit Rising Star of the Year, Nonprofit Executive of the Year,  and Nonprofit Volunteer of the Year during the period of July 11 through July 17, 2022.

Awards Nomination Committee:
The WSPN Awards Nomination Committee comprises of active members from WSPN. If you are interested in helping with the Awards program, please contact Sarah O'Donnell. All applications will be fairly reviewed by the Awards Nomination Committee in late June. There will be three categories that will be determined by WSPN Member vote and announced live the awards ceremony. All other categories will be decided by the Awards Nomination Committee and are considered final. Please note, the selection committee may add additional subcategories as it sees fit. For example: in the Philanthropic Business of the Year, WSPN may elect to add a small business and a corporate subcategory to ensure an equitable level of opportunity.

Nomination Categories:

• Grantmaker of the Year: A corporate or foundation philanthropic officer who has represented the donor organization with professional leadership while providing exceptional assistance to the west suburban nonprofit community.
• Philanthropic Foundation of the Year: A foundation that has demonstrated a commitment to nonprofits in the western suburbs through financial support, leadership, and/or volunteerism. A family or business foundation may qualify for this category.
• Philanthropic Service Club of the Year: A foundation or service club that has demonstrated a commitment to nonprofits in the western suburbs through financial support, leadership, and/or volunteerism.
• Philanthropic Business of the Year: A business that has demonstrated a commitment to nonprofits in the western suburbs through financial support, leadership, and/or volunteerism.
• Young Philanthropist of the Year: An individual or a group of youths under the age of 25 years old that has demonstrated emerging philanthropic leadership that encourages philanthropy and volunteerism in the western suburbs.
• Humanitarian of the Year: An individual who has demonstrated an extraordinary humanitarian effort and leadership to significantly impact the quality of life and the broader philanthropic culture in the western suburbs.
• Philanthropist of the Year: An individual or family that has demonstrated an exemplary model of financial support to nonprofits in the western suburbs and has served in nonprofit board/committee leadership capacities.
• Rising Star of the Year: An individual who has been employed in a development-related position for five or less years with a nonprofit and has a proven track of advancing the philanthropy in the community. A total of up to three finalists will be considered in this category and the WSPN Member voting period will be held from July 11 through July 17, 2022. The winning nominee for this category will be announced at the 2022 WSPN Philanthropy Awards.
• Nonprofit Executive of the Year: An individual who has taken a leadership role in advancing the philanthropic programs of the local charity. A total of up to three finalists will be considered in this category and the WSPN Member voting period will be held from July 11 through July 17, 2022. The winning nominee for this category will be announced at the 2022 WSPN Philanthropy Awards.
• Nonprofit Volunteer of the Year: An individual who has taken a leadership role in advancing the philanthropic programs of the local charity with which the individual serves as a volunteer. A total of up to three finalists will be considered in this category and the WSPN Member voting period will be held from July 11 through July 17, 2022. The winning nominee for this category will be announced at the 2022 WSPN Philanthropy Awards.