New York Times, Pledge to Give Away Half Gains Billionaire Adherents, by Stephanie Strom:
More than three dozen billionaires, including well-known philanthropists like David Rockefeller and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York and less familiar big donors like Lorry I. Lokey, founder of Business Wire, have promised at least half of their fortunes to charity, joining a program [the Giving Pledge] that Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett started in June to encourage other wealthy people to give. …
The pledge has been a matter of some debate in philanthropic and nonprofit circles, with some experts dismissing it as a publicity stunt and others predicting that it would produce a flood of new money to support nonprofit groups.
The program has predicted that it will draw $600 billion into philanthropy — or about twice the estimated total amount given by Americans last year — although in a telephone interview on Wednesday, Mr. Buffett acknowledged that some of the money would have been donated anyway.
- Bloomberg, Rockefeller, Perelman Join Buffett's Charity Pledge
- Financial Times, US Rich Pledge Half of Fortunes to Charity
- Tax Lawyer's Blog, The Giving Pledge: Instead of Private Charity, Why Not Give it to the Government?
- Wall Street Journal, The Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge: The Full List of Donors
- Wall Street Journal, Dissing Bill Gates: Who’s Missing From His Billionaire ‘Giving Pledge’ Club
- Wall Street Journal, U.S. Super Rich to Share Wealth
