The 2026 Unsung Heroes Award

Every gift that reaches a nonprofit crosses over someone’s desk. Operations professionals are the ones making sure each one is processed, recorded, and reconciled correctly, which ensures the whole organization’s day-to-day can run smoothly. They rarely ask for the spotlight, but we believe they’ve more than earned it!

That's why we're thrilled to launch Chariot’s first Unsung Heroes Award, a new recognition for the people who power nonprofit operations. This year, we'll honor operations professionals across three categories, and the winners from each will head to the Association of Advancement Services Professionals (AASP) 2027 Summit on us!

“Gift processing is the absolute backbone of a strong fundraising team, yet too often folks driving this work don’t get enough credit. We want to make sure they feel the love from the sector and their teammates that rely on their critical work!”

Mitch SteinHead of Strategy, Chariot

The Three Awards Categories

Game Changer Award: Recognizes operations professionals who brought an innovative change to how their team processes, manages, or reports on gifts. Think a new system, a smarter workflow, or the fix that made everyone's work easier.

All-Star Mentor Award: Recognizes operations professionals who go above and beyond to train, support, and grow the next generation of operations leaders.

Early Career Standout Award: Recognizes operations professionals in their first three years of their career who have already made an outsized impact on their organization.

Who's Eligible

Nominees must work primarily in a nonprofit operations role, such as gift processing, data and gift operations, advancement services, CRM administration, or gift accounting.

Fundraising, marketing, and program staff aren't eligible, but we want to hear from you. You know better than anyone which operations colleagues you couldn't do your job without, so please nominate them.

What Honorees Receive

We'll recognize honorees in each category across the Chariot community.

In addition, the first place winner from each category will receive a free ticket to the Association of Advancement Services Professionals (AASP) 2027 Summit*, held September 28 to October 1, 2027, at the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, Nevada.

How to Nominate

The nomination form takes just a few minutes. You'll share some basic details about yourself and your nominee, pick a category you think your nominee best falls into, and then answer three short questions about the impact they've made on your team. The more specific your stories, the better.

Nominations close December 14, 2026, and we'll announce honorees on December 17, 2026.

*The prize includes conference registration only. Travel, lodging, and meals are not included. The prize has no cash value. Winners must confirm by February 1, 2027 that they’ll attend. If a winner declines, can’t attend, or doesn’t respond by then, the registration passes to the next honoree in that category. Winners are responsible for any taxes on the prize and for making sure that accepting the prize complies with their employer’s policies. By accepting, winners agree that Chariot may use their name, title, organization, and nomination story in promotional materials. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: Chariot Giving, Inc., 575 8th Ave, Floor 20, New York, NY 10018.