Meet 2023 DYA Award recipient John Grice '12
Philanthropy is about much more than the number written on a check or the amount charged
to a credit card through an online giving portal.
Giving is a selfless act of caring and compassion, a moment of reaching beyond ourselves
and thinking of others’ needs. It’s a chance to reflect on our own blessings, and
the hope we have that kindness truly can make the world a better place.
K-State graduate John Grice '12 has dedicated his life and career to promoting the
power of philanthropy, currently serving as the annual giving manager for the Barack Obama Foundation.
“I aspire to redefine how we think about philanthropy,” he said. “I want to change
how my industry and our communities fundamentally think about the role of philanthropy
in our lives and the value proposition nonprofits provide to their donors.”
In honor of his contributions to K-State, his community and the field of philanthropy,
Grice is being recognized with the K-State Alumni Association Student Alumni Board's
2023 Distinguished Young Alumni Award.
Every year, the award recognizes two K-State graduates who are 35 or younger and are
using the scholarship, leadership and service experience they acquired at K-State
to excel in their professions and contribute to their communities.
Get to know Grice and learn more about his K-State connections and his career in our
profile below:
What are your thoughts on receiving a Distinguished Young Alumni Award?
I’m immediately reminded of the many people who invested in me while I grew into the
person I want to be in this life. Being nominated, let alone receiving, this exciting
award is a testament to the giants whose shoulders I’ve stood upon that shared lived
experiences, advice, encouragement, and tested my capacity so I continued to grow.
I’m incredibly thankful for their friendship, mentorship, leadership and compassion.
It means the universe to me to have this community as I receive this award.
What are some of the things you learned during your time at K-State?
K-State offers a holistic collegiate experience that is unmatched. I learned to take
calculated risks; from early on during my time on campus I was empowered with hands-on
experiences and provided a safe place to learn and fail fast with measured consequence.
I learned the value of mentorship; we have a responsibility to lift up and learn from
those around us. I learned how to lead my peers, which provided me invaluable, experiential
knowledge that served me as a leader of people in the workplace early on in my career.
I learned my strengths and weaknesses as a human being, friend and colleague. I learned
the value of friendship and investing in people; relationships that started casually
during freshman year in the Student Union bowling alley showed up for me in some of
my best and most challenging days more than a decade later. K-State taught me many
things that transformed me into the person I am today and growing toward becoming
in the future.
How has your K-State experience impacted your career or made a difference in your life?
My career in fundraising started while I was a sophomore at K-State (maybe earlier).
I’ll never forget the early conversations about how we as students — ordinary people
— with audacity believed that we could come together to change our community. And,
we did. The privilege to serve my peers through building K-State Proud during its earliest days was a transformative experience for my career and life.
Looking back from where I am today in my career, I was fortunate to be able to spend
every day thinking and learning about how to best inspire people to come together
around a singular cause and create positive change. Today, I still find myself immersed
in the fascinating opportunity we have to help people positively change their world
through philanthropy.
What are your career goals for the future?
There is an opportunity to build nonprofit solutions that are transparent, mission-focused,
and meeting the needs of the community. I believe we have the ability to solve our
world’s greatest problems if we come together through joyful giving experiences. Bringing
that idea to life is my career goal.
What advice would you offer to other young K-State alumni?
As a lifelong philanthropist with a short stint in my career as a member of the KSU
Foundation, I’d be remiss if my advice to young alumni did not include an invitation
to share in the joy of giving. We have a tremendous opportunity to enhance the lives
of students, faculty, staff and the citizens of Kansas through supporting Kansas State
University philanthropically. K-State is focused on ensuring students have support
when they experience dire financial need, food insecurity, significant textbook costs,
or are preparing for their financial futures.
As young alumni, we — as ordinary people — can come together to help solve some of
the challenges K-State students face daily. That’s a joyful way to serve a university
we love full well.