Canada declares 15 November as National Philanthropy Day
Howard Lake | 6 November 2012 | News
Canada has become the first country in the world formally to recognise 15 November as National Philanthropy Day. A bill to this effect received its third reading in Canada's House of Commons yesterday, and royal assent is expected to be given in the next few weeks.
The Association of Fundraising Professionals has been instrumental in securing government recognition of the day, which was first established in 1986.
On 15 November many Canadians celebrate the work of nonprofits, volunteers and donors with a range of events. The country formally celebrated the day in 2009 but the new bill makes the day a permanent fixture in the official calendar.
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Andrew Watt, FInstF, president and CEO of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, said: "With the passage of this bill, Canada has taken a leadership role in global philanthropy. This recognition of NPD underscores just how important giving, volunteering and engagement are to Canada, and we hope this moment will encourage more Canadians to get involved".
This year sees another international initiative to promote charitable giving, #GivingTuesday, supported by technology business news site Mashable.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.