Posts Tagged ‘philanthropy’

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Facebook Founders Pledge To Give Away Most Of Their Assets

Thursday, December 9th, 2010

Why wait until you’re dead to make your mark on the world?

  • Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz are the latest billionaires to sign on to “The Giving Pledge.” They’re part of a growing number of wealthy individuals choosing to get involved in philanthropy while they’re still young.
  • The Giving Pledge was thought up by Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, who are on a joint mission to get other billionaires to donate the majority of their wealth to charity before they die.
  • Internet and technology billionaires like Gates and Zuckerberg have a special motivation to give – they’ve already built their wealth by trying to change the world.

Facts & Figures

  • More than 50 billionaires have signed onto the pledge so far
  • In 2008, donations in the U.S. totaled $315 billion; in 2009, that number fell to $303.75 billion
  • Zuckerberg recently pledged $100 million in donations to Newark public schools

Best Quote

“Wealth is an advantage, but it also is frankly a responsibility.” – Nicolas Berggruen, Investor, recently signed on to The Giving Pledge

Become an expert in philanthropy in 3 minutes, 39 seconds

Friday, September 10th, 2010

Did you know that 1 out of every 10 American workers is a nonprofit employee?

No? That’s because you haven’t watched this video… yet. Teacher and nonprofit director Ben Klasky put together this brief history of everything nonprofit, and we think it’s an awesome and extremely lazy way for TILE philanthropists to understand the world they’re giving in.

(via philanthropy.com)

Indian Billionaires Reluctant To Give

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

In a country wrought with poverty, giving to the poor becomes a challenge in its own right.

  • Bill Gates and Warren buffet, two of the wealthiest individuals in the world, recently pledged to give half of their net worth to charity.
  • The pledge has been replicated by 38 other American billionaires, but in India – home to two of the richest people in the world – wealthy individuals have not made the same commitment.
  • Those billionaires contacted regarding the challenge evaded commenting on the subject.
  • Experts say that Indian billionaires donate less because the opportunities for giving are fewer and often tainted by corruption.

Facts & Figures

  • Indians collectively donate 0.6% of their country’s GDP to charity. While Canada donates 1.3% and the U.S. 2.2%.
  • Just 10% of charitable giving in India comes from individuals or companies, compared to 75% in the United States.

Best Quote

“Indians just don’t trust the organizations that want money or that they could give to. Often they find themselves in the position that even if they want to give, there is no mechanism available to them by which they could give.” – Emily Harrison, Founder, Innovaid

Philanthropy As A Badge Of Wealth

Monday, August 16th, 2010

Philanthropy becomes a symbol of wealth as more billionaires pledge their fortunes to charity.

  • Warren Buffet and Bill Gate’s philanthropic challenge to the wealthy encourages more wealthy families to give.
  • As a result, philanthropy is rapidly becoming a status symbol.
  • Not only is there a growing expectation for wealthy families to give their money away, they are expected to be actively involved in philanthropy.
  • Some are worried that if philanthropy is seen as a privilege of the wealthy, it will devalue the charity endeavors of regular Americans.

Facts & Figures

  • Individual Americans gave more than $227 billion in 2009.

Best Quote

“Clearly pressure on the elite is high right now to say that they are giving money away and that will make it trendy. People who have enough money to give away but maybe haven’t thought about that… those folks will want to do what Warren Buffett and Bill Gates are doing.” – Stacy Palmer, Editor, The Chronicle of Philanthropy

He Will Walk 500 Miles And More For Charity

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

A twelve-year old boy who chooses philanthropy over video games makes an epic impact in the world of charity.

  • Twelve-year old Zachary L. Bonner intends to walk from his home in Tampa, Florida all the way to the Pacific Ocean to raise money for his charity The Little Red Wagon Foundation.
  • Bonner founded The Little Red Wagon Foundation when he was only six years old. It raises money for homeless children across the United States, providing them with school supplies, food, clothing and toys.
  • Zachary tries to cover at least twenty miles a day and has already walked 1,950 miles. He is accompanied by his mother and friend and followed by 1,600 people via Twitter.

Facts & Figures

  • This year, Zachary raised $120,000 dollars for The Little Red Wagon Foundation.
  • Elton John pledged $50,000 to The Little Red Wagon Foundation if Zachary makes it to Los Angeles.

Best Quote

“He’s just like every other kid, except he likes to do community service work for some odd reason. He likes doing it. It’s weird.” – Laurie Bonner, Mother, Zachary Bonner.

MBA’s Get Schooled In Philanthropy

Friday, July 30th, 2010

Business schools are balancing their curricula by not only teaching students to make tons of money – but also how to give it away

  • Business schools have begun to integrate courses on practicing philanthropy into their curricula.
  • Students are taught the historical and technical aspects of philanthropy. They visit non-profits, track the influence of donations and trace the relationship between philanthropy and public policy.
  • The training aims to expand knowledge of philanthropy beyond grant writers and those who wish to work for NGO’s to people entering all areas of business.

Facts & Figures

  • More than 100 college and business schools in the U.S. offer courses on philanthropy.

Best Quote

“At some point in their lives, most of these students will either be a corporate donor or an individual donor and my class teaches them how to do philanthropy effectively. Most general MBAs that I’ve taught marvel that there is this world out there that they never thought existed, and they are surprised by how hard it is to give away money.” – Kristen McCormack, Professor, Boston University School of Management

Following Gates, Co-Founder Of Microsoft Plans To Donate $13.5 Billion

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Billionaire co-founder of Microsoft plans to leave the majority of his fortune to philanthropy.

  • Paul Allen is worth an estimated $13.5 billion and has announced that he’s donating most of it to continue the work of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.
  • This public announcement was in response to Bill Gates’ and Warren Buffet’s campaign to encourage billionaires to donate half of their wealth to charity.
  • Allen’s Foundation was started 20 years ago, and it has distributed 3,000 grants totaling about $400 million.
  • For the most part, the Foundation has remained local (Pacific Northwest) and personal.

Facts and Figures

  • Paul Allen is 57 years old.
  • Forbes ranked Allen as the 37th richest person.
  • Allen has donated approximately $1 billion in his life to date.

Best Quote

“As our philanthropy continues in the years ahead, we will look for new opportunities to make a difference in the lives of future generations.” – Paul Allen, Co-Founder of Microsoft

A Strategy To Prevent AIDS For Everyone

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

America is diverse, so a strategy to prevent a national problem has to be just as varied.

  • On Tuesday, President Barack Obama issued the first national AIDS plan, a strategy that is considered a milestone in the history of AIDS in America.
  • In America, AIDS users are diverse and the causes of the disease vary according to geography and economic background. Therefore, one single method of prevention cannot be applied to everyone.
  • Obama’s plan links nonprofits, organizations, businesses, and philanthropies with local governments to tailor specific prevention programs according to the surrounding demographic of AIDS users.

Facts & Figures

  • 1 in 30 adults in Washington, D.C. are infected with HIV
  • HIV is the leading cause of death among black women of childbearing age

    Who is the United States’ biggest philanthropist?

    Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

    There are many big-time philanthropists in the U.S., but the biggest is none other than Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft. He and his wife, Melinda, started the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which, among other things, spends approximately $800 million a year on medical research. In January 2010, the foundation pledged $10 billion towards vaccine research over the next ten years in an effort to vaccinate 90% of the un-vaccinated children in Third World countries. Melinda Gates estimates that the research will help save 8 million children’s lives over the next decade. The $10 billion dollars is a substantial increase over the $4.5 billion (approximately) that the charity allocated towards vaccine research in the previous decade.

    Does An Increase In Donations Mean A Recovering Economy?

    Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

    In the first quarter of 2010, charitable donations rose sharply, which may indicate an economic recovery.

    • After donations to charity fell in 2009 due to the recession, first quarter reports indicate that 2010 looks much more promising.
    • Many charities are working on new fund-raising approaches in order to make donations seem more personal.
    • Even though things are looking up, it will still take a while for nonprofits to fully recover from the recession.

    Facts and Figures

    • The median rate of growth for the 73 charities that The Chronicle of Philanthropy polled was 14%.
    • Donations decreased by about 12% in 2009.
    • The 73 organizations polled raised a total of $564.4 million more in the first quarter of 2010 than in the first quarter of 2009.

    Best Quote

    “The economy has certainly loosened up a bit, and that has loosened up how our donors feel and how we all feel.” – Joe Kender, Vice President for Advancement at Lehigh University

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