Thursday and Friday marked the first gathering of the members of the Giving Challenge—a philanthropic mission started by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett that calls for the world’s richest people to pledge to give away at least half of their wealth.
The cause has thus far had 69 individuals and couples signing up—61 of which were at the gathering held at the Miraval Resort in Tucson, Arizona. For many in attendance it was the first time they were meeting each other, including Buffett, who stated at dinner that even he only new about a dozen people in the room. The Berkshire Hathaway CEO made the rounds and spoke individually with every single person on hand, and he claims that when the whole event was over, he had over 40 new friends.
Also on hand was Melinda Gates, the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, who said she was very pleased with the way the event went and the openness of everyone in attendance to speak passionately about the causes that matter most to them.
The common thread among all of the members of the Giving Challenge is that they are concerned with the most effective ways to use their wealth to combat the biggest problems facing the world. They care about the causes of the others, and are open to working together to find where they can make the most of a difference. They are not there to simply throw their money around to random causes and collecting tax right-offs. Many business practices are necessary in this type of philanthropy.
While the organization doesn’t make the billionaires pool their fortunes together, many felt most passionate about similar causes—education, social services, helping Third-World countries and protecting the environment.
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