Philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates, co-chairs of the largest private foundation in the world, have spent years mobilizing other billionaires to give more to charity. In 2009, they joined Warren Buffett to launch the Giving Pledge, which asks billionaires to commit half their wealth to charity. More than 219 people from 25 countries have signed on.
But the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is increasingly targeting another group of donors it calls “everyday givers.”
Individual donations make up the majority of charitable giving in the United States, representing 70% of all giving, Gates noted Tuesday at the launch of the Gates Foundation’s biennial Greater Giving Summit. The invitation-only event, which is virtual this year, will continue with sessions in March, April, and May.