Zach McGinty

NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY DAY 2025: Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy

Things have been a little full-circle in the life of Zach McGinty. 

As a teenager, McGinty participated in Magnified Giving, an educational organization whose multi-tiered mission includes the goal to “educate, inspire and engage students in philanthropy.” Through Magnified Giving, McGinty, then a student at Lebanon High School, learned more about the nonprofit world, took part in a service project and completed a capstone, where he and his peers were tasked with choosing an organization to allocate funds from Magnified Giving donors. 

Now, the 25-year-old is this year’s recipient of the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy award, less than a decade after discovering a path in the philanthropic sphere. 

But philanthropy is also something McGinty acknowledges as running in the family.

“Both my parents have been very involved with nonprofits my entire life,” McGinty explained. “And then I also would credit my brother, who started out his career with nonprofits as well, so that was kind of a good guide.”

Following his experiences with Magnified Giving, McGinty spent a summer as program logistics coordinator for Camp Joy while in college. The organization’s varied programming follows the mission of “helping people grow and succeed through life-long experience based learning.”

Creating positive experiences

After McGinty graduated from Ohio University with a major in outdoor recreation management and a minor in business administration, his first job was with Flying Horse Farms as a year-round program coordinator. The medical specialty camp is designed for children with serious illnesses. During his time there, McGinty found a niche in facilitating the best experience possible for individuals from all walks of life. 

“We relied on hundreds of volunteers and seasonal staff every year,” McGinty said. “So working with them and finding out, well, why are you working here? Why are you volunteering here? And also the campers – why are you here? What do you wanna get out of this?

“And then morphing everything, all the programming to, first of all, achieve what the campers need and want out of it, and two, the staff and volunteers are there for a reason, as well – to serve the campers and maybe a personal reason as well. So just providing the support, enabling all those things to happen was kind of where I thrived and what I loved to do there.”

Connecting community

Today, McGinty is the development outreach coordinator for Ronald McDonald House Charities Dayton. As with his roles at camp, McGinty continues to facilitate connections that ensure the best – even life-changing – experiences for everyone involved.

“ I get to connect the community with our mission,” McGinty said. “So, whether it’s school groups, whether it’s businesses or community organizations, I work with them and bring them in to learn about our mission, learn about what they are passionate about, how they may want to support in building that bridge, building that connection.”

McGinty also works on the fundraising side of operations. The “Kids and Clays” fundraiser he helped plan in June of this year, which involved clay shooting instead of the more ubiquitous golf outing, raised over $25,000.

And another full-circle moment for McGinty? Accepting a donation from his alma mater of Lebanon High School via Magnified Giving to Ronald McDonald House Charities Dayton.  

Kelly Collison, Magnified Giving’s CEO, nominated McGinty for this year’s award, and first met him through his participation in the program. 

“He just stood out to me,” Collison said. “He’s a fabulous young man, and he has been raised in a very philanthropic family. But he understands more than an average young person his age because he’s actually now working in the field. It’s more than just volunteering for him. He wanted to be in the philanthropic space and support a nonprofit with his talents.”

For younger folks interested in getting a start in philanthropy as a career, alongside taking advantage of volunteer opportunities, McGinty emphasized the value of being both mindful and open-minded when charting one’s educational and professional path. 

“It’s not super common where you can major in nonprofit management, so find something to study that can relate to that,” McGinty said. “And the nonprofit world is a broad industry. So keep your mind open. And your first job, you might not be working for the exact place you want to be, but use that as a stepping stone, and appreciate each one of those stepping stones, as well.”

Collison also stressed the need for continued recognition of youths who excel in the philanthropic sphere. 

“ I think the award from AFP for the young philanthropist is important for the older philanthropists to recognize that young people matter,” Collison said. “Their thoughts, and their service, and their time, and their talent is treasure, and it matters, and they need to be embraced.”

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Association of Fundraising Professionals Cincinnati presents its annual National Philanthropy Day Luncheon, honoring Dianne and David Rosenberg, Barbara Weyand, Scripps Howard Fund, Impact 100, Zach McGinty and Jim Yunker. 

Thursday, Nov. 20, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Music Hall Ballroom

Movers & Makers is media sponsor.