Monday, December 1, 2008

Top 50 Givers of 2008

You gotta love these year-end lists. They really do intrigue us, don't they?! The lists are ever where at this time of the year and we hear and read about in People Magazine, GQ, Entertainment Tonight, Fast Company, Forbes and the list goes on....

Well, here is a list worth 'giving' out (pun is completely intended!) Business Week, The Top 50 Philanthropists for 2008 was posted on Yahoo last week. Among them was Warren Buffett who led the group, followed by Bill and Melinda Gates, William Barron Hilton, Veronica Atkins (wife of the late Dr. Atkins) the Walton Family, Shelby White, Herbert and Marion Sandler, Oprah Winfrey, Peter Peterson, and Michael Bloomberg. All of these donors give through family foundations. Seven of these individuals gave more than $200M and nine more gave more than $100M.

Now, I realize that big dollars can translate into big impact and giving that amount is unfathomable to most Americans. The article also points out that these philanthropists, much like everyone else, have felt the economic downturn. You can read the article here.