Posted on June 21, 2011
Fortune has an article talking about the one year anniversary of the Giving Pledge. I think the Giving Pledge is good for philanthropy but many people -myself included- were hoping for a greater impact than it has had to date. From what I have read few of the people who have signed the pledge have advocated for their peers to sign or have spoken about the importance and impact of the pledge. Please keep in mind that I do not hang out with these people nor do I interact with their staffs, foundations and representations but I welcome them all to contact me and to learn more about Areyvut. However, I have reached out to a few of them and am still waiting to hear back from most of them but want to once again acknowledge Mayor Bloomberg for being a mentch.
I think it would be unbelievably powerful if each one of the 69 people who have signed thus far dedicate a day per month to speaking about the pledge, explaining why it’s important to them, the causes they are passionate about and how giving makes them feel. In doing so, I believe they will have a more profound impact on the national conversation on philanthropy and will encourage others in their position to sign the pledge and will inspire the rest of us to do what we can to make a difference. Remember what Dolly Parton taught us last week- you don’t need to be rich to give.
