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Harold J. (Si) Seymour Award

"Leaders are the ones who keep faith with the past, keep step with the present, and keep the promise to posterity." – Harold J. Seymour

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About the Award

From 1970 to 2024, AHP's Si Seymour Award recognized distinguished leadership in association affairs and the healthcare philanthropy community. The award was given in the name of Harold J. (Si) Seymour, one of the trailblazers in the world of philanthropy. He fostered and promoted exemplary standards of excellence for volunteerism and philanthropic support. His career spanned a half-century of fundraising on behalf of many worthy causes, from the National War Fund during World War II and Harvard University to youth groups, educational institutions, health organizations, and numerous community service projects. Seymour’s book, Designs for Fundraising, published in 1966, is regarded as the dogma of philanthropic fundraising to this day.

The 54 winners of the Si Seymour Award are development professionals whose careers reflect excellence and outstanding leadership in healthcare philanthropy.


Meet the 2024 Si Seymour Award Winner

 
 

Randy Varju

2024 Winner

Randy Varju, FAHP, CFRE, most recently served as president of the Advocate Aurora Health Foundations and chief development officer for Advocate Aurora Health.  In this capacity, Varju had executive responsibility for the vision, planning, implementation and management of charitable giving and fundraising for all 27 Advocate and Aurora hospitals, and system-wide development initiatives.

Advocate Aurora Health is the 10th largest health system in nation with 3 million patients annually. It has been named one of the nation’s top health systems based on clinical performance according to Thomson Reuters.

Varju has served the nonprofit sector in development roles for 3 decades, initially in the human services sector with Easter Seals and United Way and later in higher education with institutional advancement for Lewis University. In 1999, he moved to the health care sector, joining Advocate Charitable Foundation as vice president for development for South Suburban Hospital. In 2002, he transitioned to Advocate Christ Medical Center and Hope Children’s Hospital as vice president of development.

Prior to his most recent role with the Advocate Aurora Health Foundations, Varju served as President for the Advocate Charitable Foundation, leading the development efforts for the Advocate Health Care system of 12 hospitals.

Varju currently serves on the Board of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, which he chaired from 2018-2020.  He has previously served as a member of the AHP Strategic Leadership Knowledge Advisory Group.  Most recently, he authored a chapter for the AHP book, “Redefining Healthcare Philanthropy”.  He also has served as President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Chicago Chapter.

Varju has an MBA from Lewis University, a BS in marketing from Illinois State University, and received his Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential in 1990.  He became a Fellow of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (FAHP) in 2011.

Award Criteria

The Award Committee uses six criteria in determining the winner. The candidate should:

  • Be a member in good standing, or a representative of a member firm in good standing, who has maintained development professional membership for a minimum of 10 years during their career
  • Be a successful fundraiser, demonstrated by documented dollars raised
  • Embody the recognized traits of leadership in our profession
  • Represent the profession well to other professionals and to the candidate’s community
  • Have made continuing contributions to the association by holding office, publishing articles, teaching at conferences, etc.
  • Have improved in some way the level of professionalism in the association 

Nomination Contents

  • Three letters of endorsement from those who can speak to one or more aspects of the candidate's qualifications for this award.
  • A 400-word statement describing why the nominee merits consideration for the Si Seymour Award, including how the candidate demonstrates leadership traits, how they represent the profession to other professionals and their community, and how they have helped improve the level of professionalism within AHP.
  • Information that illustrates the nominee's service to AHP, the profession, community, and their institution

Tips for a Strong Nomination 

Your nominee's professional success and volunteer experience are the greatest factors in the Si Seymour Award selection. However, there are a few tips that can help strengthen your nomination:

  • Follow the instructions on the submission form, including thoroughly addressing the detail requested in each section. Feel free to contact AHP staff at education@ahp.org if you have any questions as you review the form.
  • Request the letters of support early in the process. The recommendation letters often take a while to be written and submitted, so identify the letter-writers and request their involvement at least a month prior to the submission deadline.
  • Write as if the selection committee is being introduced to the nominee for the first time. Don't assume that committee members know the details of the nominee's career accomplishments and service to AHP.
  • Go to more sources than you think might be necessary. The more people who can share details about their experience working with the nominee, the more likely it is that the nomination will provide a full picture of the nominee's accomplishments. Consider talking to both current and past supervisors and colleagues, board members, and others who know the nominee well.
  • Upon request, AHP would be happy to provide details about the nominee's volunteer history with the association, as listed in the AHP database.
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Previous Si Seymour Award Winners

  • 1970

  • 1974

  • 1975

  • 1976

  • 1977

  • 1978

  • 1979

  • 1980

  • 1981

  • 1982

  • 1983

  • 1984

  • 1985

  • 1986

  • 1987

  • 1988

  • 1989

  • 1990

  • 1991

  • 1992

  • 1993

  • 1994

  • 1995

  • 1996

  • 1997

  • 1998

  • 1999

  • 2000

  • 2000 - Second Recepient

  • 2001

  • 2002

  • 2003

  • 2004

  • 2005

  • 2006

  • 2007

  • 2008

  • 2009

  • 2010

  • 2011

  • 2011 - Second Recipient

  • 2012

  • 2013

  • 2014

  • 2015

  • 2016

  • 2017

  • 2018

  • 2019

  • 2020

  • 2021

  • 2022

  • 2023