TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 11/13/12 -- On November 15th, more than 50,000 people in nearly 100 communities across North America will celebrate National Philanthropy Day® (NPD) and recognize the extraordinary accomplishments that philanthropy - and those involved in the philanthropic process - have made to Canada and the world.

Parliament recently approved a bill making November 15th the permanent date of National Philanthropy Day®, which will feature celebrations where communities come together to honour outstanding donors, volunteers, foundations, businesses, youth and nonprofit leaders who are improving the quality of life for all people.

NPD, sponsored by TELUS, is coordinated by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and information about NPD, including a list of all events and advice on wise giving, can be found at the official NPD website: www.npdcanada.org. TELUS supports NPD because the company believes that in order to do well in business, you have to do good in the communities where you live, work and serve.

In honour of National Philanthropy Day® and the recent bill that made NPD permanent, Canadians can tweet their philanthropic activities and ideas to the TELUS-sponsored hashtag #npdTELUS as part of the "How Are You Changing the World?" campaign. The five most inspiring and innovative Tweets will earn the Tweeters a $500 donation to their favorite charity.

The official NPD website (www.npdcanada.org) - which contains all sort of information to help Canadians maximize the impact of their giving - will have a running screen of all the #npdTELUS tweets so Canadians can see what their fellow citizens are doing to give back on National Philanthropy Day®.

"Canadians are doing extraordinary things every day to help their neighbours, their communities and the world," said Andrew Watt, FInstF, president and CEO of AFP. "Through the How Are You Changing the World campaign and thanks to our partnership with TELUS, we hope to bring Canadians together through technology so they can be inspired by what others are doing. Philanthropy is contagious, and I think people will be moved to even greater action when they understand just how many Canadians are committed to changing the world through philanthropy."

Watt added, "TELUS was the first ever Canadian company to win the prestigious AFP Award for Outstanding Corporation for their philanthropic efforts, so this partnership was just natural for us."

Since 1960, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) has inspired global change-helping nonprofits and charities and supporting fundraising efforts that have generated more than $1 trillion. AFP advances effective and ethical philanthropy by providing advocacy, research, education, mentoring, collaboration and technology opportunities for the world's largest network of professional fundraisers. AFP's nearly 30,000 members raise more than $100 billion annually, equivalent to more than one-third of charitable giving in North America, with millions more generated around the world. For more information, go to www.afpnet.org.