September 29, 2026 | Written by Lindsey Barta

*Magnified Giving CEO, Alison Kaufman, welcomes guests to the 2026 Fall Dinner.*

Each fall, Magnified Giving supporters, staff, alumni, and friends come together for our Fall Dinner. This year's gathering was built entirely around the theme: Giving Is for Everyone. By the end of the evening, that phrase wasn't just a slogan on a slide. It was the thread that ran through every story told from the stage.

CEO Alison Kaufman opened the night at Cooper Creek in Blue Ash by welcoming her first Fall Dinner as CEO, reflecting on nine years watching young people discover, again and again, that they have something real to offer the world. As she put it, "every person, regardless of age or ability, has time, talent, and treasure to give, and our communities need those gifts if we're all going to thrive." She introduced the team behind Magnified Giving's work and thanked the sponsors, board members, and donors whose generosity carries this mission forward every day.

*Kelly Collison shares her gratitude for the opportunity to lead the organization for 12 years.*

The evening then turned to a heartfelt tribute. Director of Communications Lindsey Barta honored retired CEO Kelly Collison's twelve years of leadership, from her first days working out of the back room of a tax office to growing Youth Philanthropy Programs from 55 to nearly 200. Reflecting on Kelly's legacy, Lindsey shared that "she has always genuinely believed that we're all better off if youth have a seat at the table, and she built the team, the partnerships, and the programs to prove it." Kelly received a standing ovation and a handmade Rookwood Pottery vase before taking the stage herself to offer her own thanks, especially to founder Roger Grein and the Board of Directors, for trusting her to lead the organization for over a decade.

*Shubhangi Srishti and Becca Freyhof, Program Manager, during the event cocktail hour.*

We believe young people should have a seat at the table, and the podium. Our emcee for the evening was Shubhangi Srishti, a senior at Lakota East High School, Youth Philanthropy Program alumna, and last year's recipient of the Roger Grein Legacy Scholarship. Shubhangi shared her own journey with Magnified Giving, including how her time in the program shaped her passion for mentorship and closing the digital divide and contributed to her founding TechElevate, a nonprofit now reaching thousands of students with free coding education.

Shubhangi then introduced a powerful video spotlighting young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities participating in Magnified Giving's Youth Philanthropy Program at the University of Cincinnati's IDD Education Center, proof that this theme extends to every age and every ability.

The night also celebrated two remarkable young philanthropists. The first honor, the Roger Grein Legacy Scholarship, was presented by David Hummel, Vice Chair of the Magnified Giving Board of Directors, to Savannah Wallingford. David honored Savannah for turning her personal experience with type one diabetes into advocacy for Camp Ho Mita Koda, the summer camp that had once supported her own journey with the disease, sharing that her teacher called her pitch to nominate the camp for a grant "one of the most sincere and persuasive I've witnessed in the 14 years we've been implementing Magnified Giving." The evening's second honor, the Bill Keating Jr. Next Gen Award, was presented by Liz Keating, daughter of the late Bill Keating Jr., a friend and early board member of Magnified Giving. Liz shared a beautiful introduction of this year's recipient, Allison Riley, tracing Allison's journey through the program as she grew into a leader and a philanthropist in her own right, and even sharing that Allison is currently training her dog, Baxter, to become a certified therapy dog so the two can visit nursing homes together. Allison, a Magnified Giving alumna who recently became the third alumna to join our Board of Directors, accepted the award and shared that Magnified Giving helped her discern her personal mission statement, "to combine data and personable service to make an impact in my community and on every individual I meet."

As the evening drew to a close, Shubhangi left the room with a simple truth: "giving really is for everyone, but sometimes someone has to help you see what you have to give." That's exactly what Magnified Giving has done for over 59,000 young people and counting, and it's what we hope to keep doing for many more.

If the evening’s stories moved you the way they moved all of us in the room, we'd love for you to be part of what comes next. Your gift to Magnified Giving gives a young person the chance to discover what they care about, have their voice taken seriously, and experience what happens when someone trusts them with the opportunity to make a difference. Give today and help us prove, once again, that giving really is for everyone.