The Giving Pledge: What We Can Learn

It’s hard to know what society asks of us. Sometimes, it’s even harder to hear what we ask of ourselves. How do we find happiness? And if our happiness happens to be rooted in solely personal fulfillment instead of the common good – how does that happen? Is it okay? Who are we to judge?

These are questions that arise as I read the philanthropic letters of the 40+ billionaires who pledged to contribute the majority of their wealth to charitable causes during their lifetime or upon death. Their letters are a part of The Giving Pledge, an effort fostered by Bill and Melinda Gates last year to encourage wealthy families and individuals to become more openly philanthropic. (This year, they are touting the initiative to India’s wealthy elite).

I don’t know any ostentatiously wealthy people so their letters are a fascinating look into their logic for me. Religion, the American dream, moral obligation, personal satisfaction, and luck of the draw are themes that come up frequently as to why they are pledging…A few examples:

Nicolas Berggruen: “Everyone is dealt a group of cards at birth. With them come possibilities and responsibilities. What one does with them is up to each one of us; and the sum of those choices, constitute our lives.”

Michael Bloomberg: “Making a difference in people’s lives – and seeing it with your own eyes – is perhaps the most satisfying thing you’ll ever do. If you want to fully enjoy life – give. And if you want to do something for your children and show how much you love them, the single best thing – by far – is to support organizations that will create a better world for them and their children. Long term, they will benefit more from your philanthropy than from your will. I believe the philanthropic contributions I’m now making are as much gifts to my children as they are to the recipient organizations.”

George B. Kaiser: “As I addressed my charitable purposes, all of this seemed pretty clear: I was only peripherally responsible for my own good fortune; I was morally duty bound to help those left behind by the accident of birth; America’s root principle was equal opportunity but we were far from achieving it. Then I had to drill down to identify the charitable purposes most likely to right that wrong.”

Perhaps the most eloquent letter came from Bill and Melinda Gates greatest partner in crime, Warren Buffet.

“My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest. Both my children and I won what I call the ovarian lottery. (For starters, the odds against my 1930 birth taking place in the U.S. were at least 30 to 1. My being male and white also removed huge obstacles that a majority of Americans then faced.) My luck was accentuated by my living in a market system that sometimes produces distorted results, though overall it serves our country well. I’ve worked in an economy that rewards someone who saves the lives of others on a battlefield with a medal, rewards a great teacher with thank-you notes from parents, but rewards those who can detect the mispricing of securities with sums reaching into the billions. In short, fate’s distribution of long straws is wildly capricious.”

That kind of clarity at the top of the totem-pole is very refreshing to see. Amen, Mr. Buffet.

I used to avoid people who didn’t keep this brand of worldly mindset and charitable heart, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that kind of selective evolution only leaves me with less friends. Just as people have plenty of reasons for giving, there are plenty of reasons why people don’t. I’ll give you a few that sometimes deter me:

• People who canvass for charities strategically choose to stand outside of public transportation terminals. Most people are barely arriving on time to catch their metro, they don’t have a minute to kill. Moreover, donating large amounts of money to a complete stranger on the street is just not a common occurrence. No matter how big your smile is, it only happens in Will Smith movies.
• After purchasing an airline ticket and being prompted to offset our carbon footprint, how do we know all of that money is going to the said-carbon offset foundation? People have categorically learned to say no to every extra offered in the ticket-purchasing process because airline companies simply cannot be trusted. Why can’t we obligate the airline companies to include the carbon footprint in the cost of the ticket? That certainly seems far more justifiable than a $15 airport check-in fee.
• We get tax-breaks for charitable donations, why not tax-breaks for volunteer time given? Not all of us have money to give, but most of us can find the time.

On occasion, I think that we need to introduce a philanthropy/ethics class into institutionalized education at a very young age, but I’m not sure that would change society. When we are young, we are full of good and eagerness for the world. We learn to help others because we’re trying to make it ourselves as well. Yet once we finish university and get our feet on the ground, there is a large number of us who let go of our causes and concentrate only on living well.

That’s the group of people we need to be talking to…Where are they?  That’s what intrigues me most about the Giving Pledge donors: Not all of them are old.

Either you’re young and full of hope or old and full of worry for the legacy that you’ll leave behind, thus charitable work is a great option. But what about all those people in the middle? How can we draw them into philanthropy? How can we make it a part of our daily lives instead of just an exceptional pasttime? Responsible consumerism would be the most obvious answer, but I think we can dig deeper than that. If I could write a reply to the giving pledge letters, that’s what I would ask.