A careful review of more than 200 letters written by the wealthy people who signed the Giving Pledge over its first decade suggests a big contradiction.
Far fewer Americans include plans for bequests to nonprofits in their wills than give to charity on a regular basis. The pandemic could be a good reason to change that.
Reliable data on charitable giving is hard to come by. But based on the information available, very rich people are at least as generous as everyone else.
The founder of a black hair-care empire supported the NAACP and the Tuskegee Institute, helped preserve Frederick Douglass’s home. She also tried to used her prominence to stop lynching.
Anya Samek, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Like any personal touch, there’s a chance this common fundraising step makes people feel warm and fuzzy inside. But a five-year research project found that it doesn’t make donors more generous.
Not everyone’s a fan of this fundraising approach. But it does bring the needs of children in developing communities to the attention of many Americans.
The gravity and force of this Category 5 hurricane that lashed the Florida Panhandle and other Southern states may never have fully registered on the public’s radar.
Billionaire Robert F. Smith made a big splash when he told Morehouse grads he would pay off their student debt. Yet his generosity adheres to a long African American tradition.
Scholars researched whether bestowing awards on volunteers who pitch in with the Boy Scouts made a difference. The answer seems to depend on whether the recognition is expected or not.
Professor of Economics and Philanthropic Studies; Associate Dean for Research and International Programs, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University