Whidbey Community Foundation (WCF) has established the Nancy Nordhoff Philanthropy Award, a new annual honor celebrating individuals who embody philanthropy as Nancy Nordhoff did: through generosity, service, leadership, connection, mentorship, and a deep love of humanity put into action.
The award was announced at WCF’s 10th Anniversary Celebration of Philanthropy on September 11, where Nordhoff was posthumously named its inaugural recipient. Her wife, Lynn Hays, accepted the award on her behalf.
Nordhoff, who died in January at age 93, was a philanthropist, activist, mentor, community builder, and co-founder of Hedgebrook, the internationally renowned Whidbey Island writing residency founded in 1988 to support and amplify women’s voices.
But in creating an award in Nordhoff’s name, WCF hopes to honor not only what she accomplished or how much she gave, but how she practiced philanthropy.
“The word philanthropy comes from the Ancient Greek for ‘love of humanity,’ and Nancy embodied that meaning so completely,” said Jessie Gunn, Executive Director of the Whidbey Community Foundation. “Nancy was extraordinarily generous, but she also showed us that being a philanthropist is about much more than writing a check. She asked. She listened. She volunteered. She mentored. She connected people. She helped build organizations. She saw possibility and invited other people into it.”
Nordhoff was known not only for making substantial and sometimes transformational gifts, but also for encouraging others to give. She understood the power of matching gifts and collaborative efforts to leverage generosity and was deeply invested in mentoring nonprofit leaders and development professionals in the art of fundraising.
Central to that mentorship was an idea Nordhoff championed throughout her life: the joy of asking, giving, and receiving.
For Nordhoff, philanthropy was a relationship. There could be joy in asking someone to participate in something meaningful, joy in giving toward something one believes in, and joy in receiving and putting those resources to work for the community.
That philosophy will become part of the enduring purpose of the Nancy Nordhoff Philanthropy Award.
Redefining “Philanthropist”
Beginning in 2027, WCF will invite community nominations for future recipients of the award. Rather than recognizing financial giving alone, the Nancy Nordhoff Philanthropy Award will celebrate people whose generosity of spirit moves them to act and inspires others to do the same.
A future recipient might be a donor whose transformational gift makes an ambitious idea possible. It might be a volunteer who devotes years to a cause, a fundraiser who helps others discover the joy of giving, a mentor who strengthens the next generation of nonprofit leaders, or a connector who brings people together to address a community challenge.
“There is no level of wealth required to be a philanthropist,” Gunn said. “Philanthropy begins with love of humanity and the decision to do something with it. Nancy gave us an extraordinary example of what that looks like. We hope this award helps more people on Whidbey recognize themselves—and each other—as philanthropists.”
Future recipients will be honored annually at the Whidbey Community Foundation’s Celebration of Philanthropy.
The award was established with the blessing of Nordhoff’s wife, Lynn Hays, who joined WCF for its inaugural presentation.
Through the Nancy Nordhoff Philanthropy Award, WCF hopes Nordhoff’s legacy will not simply be remembered, but practiced: in acts of generosity, courageous asks, meaningful connections, service to others, and the many ways Whidbey residents demonstrate their love for community.