BIG Ideas: The Giving Pledge

Earlier this week. Warren Buffett announced that 40 of the wealthiest families or individuals in America have made “The Giving Pledge” to donate at least half their wealth to charitable causes. Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates launched The Giving Pledge program earlier this year to invite the wealthiest individuals and families in America to commit to “giving the majority of their wealth to the philanthropic causes and charitable organizations of their choice either during their lifetime or after their death.”

Each person who makes The Giving Pledge must announce it publicly and publish a letter on The Giving Pledge web site (www.thegivingpledge.org).

What a BIG idea!

As we note in our book, you don’t have to be Warren Buffett or Bill Gates or Richard Branson or Bono to be BIG. You don’t have to be a billionaire to be BIG. You just have to understand that the problems facing the world will be solved when individuals — rich or not-so-rich — take bold, innovative and generous action. Of course, the dollars count. But it’s the philosophy behind the movement that is most important because it’s a philosophy that can encourage BIG action across the globe.

Here are some of our favorite quotes from donors who made The Giving Pledge. These are ideas that apply with you have billions in the bank or just a few pennies:

• Tashia and John Morgridge: “The more personally involved we have become with the causes we support the more effective we seem to be.”
• Peter G. Peterson: “As I watched and learned from my father’s example, I noticed how much pleasure his giving to others gave him. Indeed, today, I get much more pleasure giving money to what I consider worthwhile causes than making the money in the first place.”
• Ted Turner: “I’m particularly thankful for my father’s advice to set goals so high that they can’t possibly be achieved during a lifetime and to give help where help is needed most. That inspiration keeps me energized and eager to keep working hard every day on giving back and making the world a better place for generations to come.”
• Laura and John Arnold: “We view our wealth in this light – not as an end in itself, but as an instrument to effect positive and transformative change.”

What kind of giving pledge can you make? Of course, if you’re like most of us, you don’t have billions to give. But what can you pledge. A few dollars? Your time? Make a pledge. Make a commitment to be BIG. You’ll help to change the world and, as the giving pledgers noted, you’ll achieve incredible personal fulfillment in doing so.