You might think it’s easy for the guy who used to be the richest man in the world to create the most capital for a non-profit organization, but Bill Gates’s philanthropic efforts continue to impress and garner more support than ever before.
The latest initiative from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is to get billionaires on board who will leave the majority of their inheritance to charitable foundations.
Known as “The Giving Pledge,” around 40 of the richest people in the world have already committed to the endeavor, which will bring a nearly unparalleled amount of money to causes like healthcare enhancements, reducing poverty, and bringing technology education to people who would otherwise not have such opportunities.
New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, finance wizard Warren Buffett, and George Lucas have all agreed to give away at least half of their money away as part of their will.
Bill and his wife Melinda have been raising money for global cuases for years. Bill even left his full-time job at Microsoft to give complete dedication to his charity.
Before the latest multi-billion-dollar initiative, the organization had a reported $33.5 billion endowment, making is the largest private foundation, with transparent operations, in the world.
Of course, all of this latest pledged money won’t hit the foundation until the donors pass away. It’s an easy way for these rich people to look good without even doing anything at the immediate moment. However, it does show that people with a lot of money can care about those who don’t. That’s one of the main things that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has shown.
