NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY DAY TO CELEBRATE MINNESOTAS EXTRAORDINARY PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY

Minneapolis, Minn. Minnesotans who inspire us as leaders, nonprofit professionals, philanthropists and volunteers will be celebrated at the National Philanthropy Day luncheon at 11:00 am on Nov. 21, 2014, at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Minnesota Chapter (AFP Minnesota). Tom Crann, Host of All Things Considered® for Minnesota Public Radio will emcee the event, where over 500 community members and nonprofit professionals are estimated to attend.

"We are so very fortunate to live in a state that is known for its spirit of generosity," says AFP Minnesota President Jeremy R. Wells. "National Philanthropy Day is the day we celebrate philanthropy: giving, volunteering, and everything Minnesotan's do to help make this place strong. It is an opportunity for us to come together to recognize and give thanks...to inspire and to be inspired."

FIVE LOCAL HONREES EXEMPLIFY INSPIRATIONAL GENEROSITY AND GOOD WILL

This years Outstanding Individual Philanthropists are Bradbury and Janet Anderson. For the Andersons, generosity is part of their nature. Their outstanding civic and charitable responsibility has benefitted many Twin Cities landmark organizations, including Twin Cities Public Television, Minnesota Public Radio, Greater Twin Cities United Way, the Ordway, to name a few. Brad enjoyed a 36-year career with Best Buy, serving as CEO from 2002-2009. Under his leadership, Best Buy was a leading corporate philanthropic organization. Brad rarely sees problems, says Jon McTaggart, President and CEO of MPR/APM. He sees the world through opportunity and possibility, and thats what inspires his investments of time and energy. Janet is a former Minneapolis Public Schools social worker who concentrated her work in special education. She has dedicated much of her time and resources to institutions that align with her values and passion.

Minnesota Masonic Charities is the Outstanding Philanthropic Organization. Grounded in service and members of the worlds oldest and largest fraternal order, the men and women of the Minnesota Masons and the Eastern Star have a proud tradition of volunteerism and philanthropy. Their charitable arm, Minnesota Mason Charities, has been particularly impactful. It is one of the largest organizations in the state and uses resources to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. They contributed $65 million to University of Minnesotas Masonic Cancer Center, the largest gift in the history of the University. They have also contributed over $2 million in direct scholarship support and are dedicated to assisting the elderly and many other causes through their matching grants.

I can think of few people who command and deserve the respect the McCreas have in our community, said Orono Public Schools Superintendent about Polly and Bob McCrea, the 2014 Outstanding Volunteer Fundraisers. The McCreas live their lives as exceptional leaders and volunteers, and Minnesota is the better for it. Their skills coordinating and motivating volunteers for fundraising projects for the benefit of the Twin Cities and beyond and their commitment to the advancement of philanthropy are what make them unique. While serving as president of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Foundation, Polly greatly expanded land acquisition for trails and future collections that would have gone to private developers. Through their live of giving back, the McCreas have left an indelible mark wherever they put their energies and resources.

The 2014 Outstanding Youth Award goes to Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF). STLF was conceived in a dorm room by four University of Minnesota college freshmen in 2004. The students wanted to make a difference and they wanted to start immediately. They began their efforts with a community service bus tour called Pay It Forward. STLF can now claim nearly 100 Pay It Forward tours annually, plus four leadership Camps and seven Leadership Training Conferences involving 4,200 students from 30 different colleges and a host of middle and high schools across the Midwest. In total, over 22,000 young people have been involved with STLFs programs and have contributed over 313,000 hours of community service.

Jerry Fischer is the 2014 Outstanding Professional Fundraiser. During his tenure as president and CEO of the University of Minnesota Foundation, annual gift activity grew from $50 million in 1990 to $289 million in 2008. The scholarship drive more than doubled the support available for students. As Robert Buuck, Board Secretary of the University of Minnesota Foundation, said, He had the ability and personality to engage the donor and his or her family in a warm and constructive relationship, building the level of trust that eventually met the goals of both the donor and the University.

GiveMN is being honored for its Outstanding Contribution to Philanthropy. GiveMN has radically changed how Minnesotans give to nonprofits and schools. By blending state-of-the-art technology with a spirit of innovation and creativity, GiveMN has boldly led Minnesota nonprofits and donors into the digital age. Through its website, GiveMN has engaged hundreds of thousands of donors many for the first time in giving to their favorite Minnesota causes.

The full listing of National Philanthropy Day celebration events, including education session topics and moderators, is available at https://www.afpminnesota.org/home. To register for the awards luncheon, please also visit the website.

AFP Minnesota works to create and foster extraordinary fundraising professionals for an extraordinary philanthropic community. To learn more about AFP Minnesota go to: http://www.afpminnesota.org/. The Association of Fundraising Professionals, an association of fundraising professionals throughout the world, advances philanthropy by enabling people and organizations to practice ethical and effective fundraising. The core activities through which AFP fulfills this mission include education, training, mentoring, research, credentialing, and advocacy.

National Philanthropy Day was created by the national Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) http://www.afpnet.org/ as a special day to recognize and pay tribute to the contributions that philanthropy and those people active in the philanthropic community have made to our lives, our communities and our world.