vol. XXI no. 2
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For
Jolie those issues deal with providing help to refugees. It is
reported that she gives away one-third of
her income through the
Jolie-Pitt Foundation,
which she formed with actor Brad Pitt. Shakira’s
mission is to help
Latin American children under five. Hedge fund guru George
Soros uses
his contributions to promote
an
open, civil society in Communist countries. British billionaire
Sir Richard
Branson funded a group of former heads of state known as
the Elders,
including Jimmy Carter, who go to developing countries
acting as mentors
and peacemakers trying to persuade current heads of state
to do the
right thing.
While Buffet and Gates were the most recent to make big news
with their
contributions, Bishop says Ted Turner really triggered
philanthrocapitalism with
his billion-dollar pledge to the United Nations. “He came
out and said
that people like Gates and Buffet should start giving some money
at a time
when they were not yet doing so,” said Bishop. “Ted’s enthusiasm
played into
it as well, even though he was questioned about giving to the
UN,” which,
according to Bishop, can be “a bit of a black hole.” But
Turner gave wisely.
Instead of donating directly to the UN, he created something
called the
United Nations Foundation, which is outside political control of
the UN, but
supports UN causes.
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| Bishop's book describes how today's billionaires are reshaping the way they give. |
The
key question in all of this, according to Bishop, is whether
or not philanthrocapitalism
will work. So far, he
sees evidence that it will in Turner’s efforts with the UN. Says
Bishop, “Ted feels
he’s achieved a lot of impact, fundamentally in America, which
was very
hostile to the UN a decade ago. Now, due to a more positive
feeling about
the organization, it is having a greater impact around the
world.”
Bishop also believes that Gates has gotten off to a good start,
taking
what by some standards is a small contribution and
leveraging additional
resources to make its impact profoundly more
significant. Another
positive sign, he says, is the creation of a White House
Office of
Social Innovation by President Obama to help bring the best ideas in philanthropy and
social entrepreneurship
together.
In
closing, Bishop harkened back to his reason for writing
on
“philanthrocapitalism,”
noting that
the public must understand
the
movement’s strengths and weaknesses for it to succeed.
“If
people
are not informed,” concluded Bishop, “there is a danger that
there
will be more skepticism and inappropriate policy responses.
With improved
understanding however, philanthrocapitalism could be
one of the
driving forces for a better world over the next couple of
decades.”
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