Forbes released it’s annual list of Billionaires today. The top three names come as no surprise. It’s the same three names as it’s been for years. Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Carlos Slim. In fact, this year the order didn’t even change.
1) Carlos Slim – $74 Billion
2) Bill Gates – $56 Billion
3) Warren Buffet – $50 Billion
What makes the list interesting this year is the gap between Buffet and Gates vs Slim is increasing. It’s not because one is a better businessman than the other. It has little to do with success in business in 2010 at all, actually. It’s because while Slim continues to generate incredible wealth, Gates and Buffet are giving theirs away. Bill Gates actually, literally, gave away his title as the World’s Richest Man last year.
The Giving Pledge. Maybe you’ve heard about it. It’s something that Bill Gates and Warren Buffet started last year. The concept is simple enough. They’re encouraging Billionaires to pledge to give away at least half of their wealth, whether it be during their lifetime or after their death. There are no rules to the pledge. The money can be given away as each individual deems appropriate. The pledge is simply a moral challenge to do good.
To date, 59 Billionaires have signed the pledge. Gates and Buffet have been leading the way all along. Buffet has pledged to give nearly all of his fortune. Thus far, he’s already donated over $8 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. As for Gates himself, it’s worth noting that were it not for his pledge, he’d still be the World’s Richest Man. Gates has already given away $28 billion. Along with it, he gave away his title.
Reading about that scale of generosity can be inspiring while at the same time, perhaps discouraging. The reality is that most of us will never know the wealth of these men. Most of us will never be billionaires, or even millionaires. So how does one with limited resources make a difference with their life? The answer is simple, really. Philanthropy isn’t about dollar signs. It’s just about giving. It’s about meeting needs. It’s about making life a little better for someone.
My name may never go on The Giving Pledge next to the world’s wealthiest people, but that doesn’t mean I can’t give. I can give a bag of groceries to the food bank and feed a family for a week. I can clean out my closet and provide clothing for someone who can’t afford to go shopping. I can sponsor a child through World Vision and give the gift of education, medicine and hope. I can offer a friendly smile or a warm hug to someone who looks like they need it.
We can all make a giving pledge. We can all be philanthropists. It’s a practice that is not limited by financial wealth. Sometimes the best gift we can give someone may have nothing to do with money at all. So what will you do today? This week? This month? This year? Consider your own giving pledge. Look beyond yourself and your family. Find ways to give of yourself to the benefit of someone else. You may just find that the receiver isn’t the only one who gets blessed.