The giving pledge is a movement started by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett inviting the wealthiest individuals and families in America to commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.
What can MBA students learn from ‘The Giving Pledge’? Can the next generation of leaders or MBA students carry the philosophy of the giving pledge with them into corporate America? The mindset of the giving pledge could be instrumental in raising a generation of fiscally responsible corporate citizens. It is a paradigm shift versus just focusing on corporate greed which has plagued our economy, the housing market, and Wall Street.
About The Giving Pledge Requirements – http://givingpledge.org/
- The giving can occur either during donors’ lifetimes or after their passing.
- Each person commits to donating at least 50% of their net worth.
- The Giving Pledge is focused on billionaires but looks to inspire people at all financial levels and backgrounds.
Why the Giving Pledge is Important
Can the giving pledge experiment change the way we view the ultra wealthy? Wealthy businessmen and women who don’t necessarily own us anything can be agents of change. Here are some reasons why the pledge is important?
- Charitable Giving in a Recession: Giving dropped in 2009.
- The giving pledge looks to reverse the declining giving during the recession for charitable donations in the end this effort would transfer $600 billion.
- It demonstrates the power of influence and positive peer pressure.
- Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have created one of the greatest fraternities that anyone participate in.
- It crushes the 2009 giving of the entire Fortune 100 crushes the 2009 giving of the entire Fortune 100
Can Young Entrepreneurs and MBA Students Participate?
For example, Bryan Sims a young entrepreneur and founder of Brass Media has taken the pledge. Brass Media is a multimedia company that produces content for young adults, by young adults, about money and real world stuff. The flagship publication is Brass Magazine, which, is read by half a million young adults across the United States.
News Flash: You don’t have to be a billionaire to take the giving pledge.
As future leaders each MBA student should take with them the lessons of how positive influence can start with one or two business people.
