From Wikipedia:
The Giving Pledge is a campaign to encourage the wealthiest people in the United States to make a commitment to give most of their money to philanthropic causes. The campaign specifically targets billionaires and was made public in 2010 by the two wealthiest people in the United States, billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.___________
Description of pledge
The official website states that it "is an effort to invite the wealthiest individuals and families in the United States to commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy." As of December 2010, 57 billionaires in the US have joined this campaign and pledged to give 50% or more of their wealth to charity. A minimum total of at least $125 billion has been promised from the first 40 donors based on their aggregate wealth as of August 2010.
According to the pledge the donation can happen either during the lifetime or after the death of the donor. The pledge is a moral commitment to give, not a legal contract.
Beginning of campaign
Buffett had committed much of his wealth to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Sometime later, Buffett and Gates discussed the possibility of encouraging other wealthy persons to commit themselves to philanthropy. On March 4, 2009, Gates contacted David Rockefeller, Sr. and asked him to preside over a meeting, and Rockefeller chose to host it at the President's House at Rockefeller University in New York City. Bill and Melinda Gates invited people to attend, and on May 5, 2009, Patty Stonesifer and David Rockefeller, Jr. were invited observers as Rockefeller, Buffett, and Gates hosted New York residents Michael Bloomberg, Pete Peterson, Julian Robertson, George Soros, and Charles Feeney and out-of-town guests Oprah Winfrey, Ted Turner, Eli and Edythe Broad, and John and Tashia Morgridge.
The format of the meeting was that 12 people spoke each for 15 minutes about philanthropy, but there was no talk of any pledge.
The fact of the meeting was leaked to the media, creating curiosity about the nature of the meeting. Gates and Buffett organized two related subsequent dinners for which the complete attendee lists have not been made public. The second dinner was at the New York Public Library in November 2009 and was attended by Kenneth and Elaine Langone and Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest among others. It was at this meeting that Marguerite proposed that "the rich should sit down, decide how much money they and their progeny need, and figure out what to do with the rest of it". The third dinner was in December 2009 in Menlo Park, California at the Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel was attended by John and Ann Doerr and John and Tashia Morgridge among others.
In June 2010 the campaign for the Giving Pledge was formally announced, and Gates and Buffett gave notice that eligible pledgees were being contacted to join.
Expansion into other countries
Buffett said that he would meet wealthy individuals in India and China to talk about philanthropy and stated that they hope the idea of generosity will spread. He stated, "We're hoping that America, which is the most generous society on Earth, becomes even more generous over time."
In March 2011 Gates and Buffett visited India to talk about the Giving Pledge.
Signatories
The following are signatories to the Giving Pledge as of April 2010:
Paul Allen
John D. Arnold and wife Laura
Nicolas Berggruen
Michael Bloomberg
Eli Broad and wife Edythe
Warren Buffett
Steve Case and wife Jean
Leon G. Cooperman and wife Toby
Joyce and Bill Cummings
Ray Dalio and wife Barbara
John Paul DeJoria
John Doerr and wife Ann Doerr
Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg
Larry Ellison
Chuck Feeney
Ted Forstmann
Philip Frost and wife Patricia
Bill and Melinda Gates
David Green and wife Barbara
Jeff Greene
Harold Hamm and wife Sue Ann
Lyda Hill
Barron Hilton
Jon Huntsman, Sr. and wife Karen
Carl Icahn
Irwin M. Jacobs and wife Joan
George Kaiser
Vinod Khosla and wife Neeru
Sidney Kimmel
Richard Kinder and wife Nancy
Kenneth Langone and wife Elaine
H.F. Lenfest and wife Marguerite
Lorry I. Lokey
George Lucas
Duncan MacMillan and wife Nancy
Alfred E. Mann
Joe Mansueto and wife Rika
Bernie Marcus and wife Billi
Michael Milken and wife Lori
George P. Mitchell
Tom Monaghan
John Morgridge and wife Tashia
Dustin Moskovitz
Pierre Omidyar and wife Pam
Bernard Osher and wife Barbro
Ronald Perelman
Peter George Peterson
T. Boone Pickens
Julian Robertson
David Rockefeller
Edward W. and Deedie Potter Rose
David M. Rubenstein
Herb and Marion Sandler
Denny Sanford
Roger W. Sant and wife Vicki
Lynn Schusterman
Walter Scott, Jr.
Thomas Secunda and wife Cindy
Jim and Marilyn Simons
Harold Simmons and wife Annette
Jeff Skoll
Patrick Soon-Shiong and wife Michele Chan
Tom Steyer and wife Kat Taylor
James E. Stowers and wife Virginia
Ted Turner
Sanford Weill and wife Joan
Shelby White, widow of non-signatory Leon Levy
Charles Zegar and wife Merryl Snow Zegar
Mark Zuckerberg
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