Being rich isn't always about being famous, in fact many wealthy individuals go to great lengths to keep out of the spotlight -- even when it comes to being recognized for generous gifts to charity. Recently I posted on billionaire Chuck Feeney and his anonymous "giving while living" motto, but he's not the only one out there that wants to give money away without being recognized -- as one donor put it "I don't want to walk into the coffee shop and have strangers come up and talk to me about this gift."
The reasons why this trend is growing vary wildly, sometimes it's a simple matter of safety and privacy and sometimes it's about family politics -- they don't want all their relatives knowing how much they really have. Anonymous giving is generally a good thing, I think. After all, it's about the charities, not the donors who keep them going.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-05-2008 @ 5:24PM
Bobby Vassallo said...
I don't think there is anything wrong with a win-win strategy in charitable giving. When someone give a billion to the U.N. or someone else, billions to Africa, if there is a motivation to assist one's tax bill, so be it. Giving with or without strings is still giving... www.bobbyvassallo.net
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