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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to ask why more rich people don't follow Bill Gates' example ....

49 replies

suebfg · 28/01/2012 20:55

and use their wealth to achieve amazing things? His quest is to eradicate common illnesses in the developing world, has already donated £17 billion and has pledged to give 95% of his fortune away in his lifetime. What an inspiration.

OP posts:
suebfg · 28/01/2012 21:44

"Because most rich people go and buy themselves 30k cars on a whim rather than share the love"

Unfortunately so - even not very rich people do this and buy on credit

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GrimmaTheNome · 28/01/2012 21:56

So why are these very rich, very generous people so astonishingly quiet about all the good work they do?

Well, if by any chance they are christians they aren't supposed to tell anyone (Matthew 6)

troisgarcons · 28/01/2012 22:11

Op - do you give away 95% of your income?

suebfg · 28/01/2012 22:15

No, I couldn't afford to feed myself and my family on the remaining 5% - and your point is?

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troisgarcons · 28/01/2012 22:18

My point is: wealth is relative

Portofino · 28/01/2012 22:19

Probably very many people, rich or otherwise, donate to charity. But ir is bad manners to brag about it. If I posted an OP that said I give so much to cancer research, so much to starving children, so much to donkeys - look at ME aren't I wonderful - most people would tell me to feck the feck off with my smug arse.....

suebfg · 28/01/2012 22:21

Yes, the fact that wealth is relative isn't missed on me thanks.

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babybarrister · 28/01/2012 22:30

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ElaineBenes · 28/01/2012 22:32

I disagree baby - the Gates foundation disburses money through other organisations, they're not out there doing the work themselves. They do have a very definite idea of priorities though and a real emphasis on demonstrating results. Plus they have to spend all the money quite quickly.

I've been at a talk by Bill Gates - I think he's quite inspirational.

GrimmaTheNome · 28/01/2012 22:33

I am quite sure that there were already loads of charities doing exactly what Bill Gates wished to support ....

actually, I'm not sure there really was in this case. Calling it the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation may have been egotistical, but may have been more about leveraging his name recognition.

fivegomadindorset · 28/01/2012 22:35

He is not the only one www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10870361

ElaineBenes · 28/01/2012 22:36

But they're putting all their money INTO other charitable or non profits organisations. The foundation is about disbursing grants and results and accountability. I think that's fair enough - he's entitled to set the priorities and require accountability which is what the BMGF does.

I don't get what the problem is.

babybarrister · 28/01/2012 22:39

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ElaineBenes · 28/01/2012 22:44

Like someone else said, they're using their money to leverage and lobby for more. They launched the GAVI alliance, for example, which uses not only Gates' money but also brings in other donors (including the UK aid programme), as well as other non profirs such as UN agencies, public health foundations and civil society. I think it's quite impressive.
www.gavialliance.org/index.aspx

FredFredGeorge · 29/01/2012 08:25

babybarrister because they don't particularly rate how other charities necessarily are managed, and when you're giving your foundation more money than any other charity (maybe not more than Ikea, but that's not really a charity) you want it to be managed well. They also appear to want to manage it themselves.

Chandon · 29/01/2012 08:34

It is so easy to say how other people should live their lives and spend their money.

How about if everyone in the UK gives just 2pounds, then we would have over 100,000,000 to spend on a good cause

There are not really that many rich people, I donT know any

wordfactory · 29/01/2012 08:38

Lot sof rich people give a lot of money and time to charities. It's just not necessarily spilled in the press.

QOD · 29/01/2012 09:15

We have a local billionaire. He took over the failing secondary school in the town where I work, rebuilt it physically, then changed it to academy status, it's in a very low income area of the town, so breakfast is provided, the children go at 8am, breakfast at 9 - all naturally sugar free type breakfasts which are free. They do pay for their own lunches but school goes on til 5.30pm as afternoons are sports and afternoon tea is provided free too.
He funds all this as the previous school had a massive rate of absenteeism, they actually don't every get homework as it wasn't often fulfilled and they had and still have children who on admission, are picked up as suffering from malnutrition. It says that almost half the 1200 roll are on free school meals.

"Students who join the secondary academy have skills and abilities that are well below those expected for their age and compared with national levels at Key Stage 2. Following the low pattern of attainment in GCSE examinations over the last four years, the secondary phase academy prioritised specific interventions for those Year 11 students who were underachieving, such as mentoring, team-building strategies and small-group support. This resulted in raised expectations and achievement and, in 2011, unlike in previous years, students made good progress in overcoming their barriers to learning. A very high proportion of students successfully gained five or more A* to C grades in the GCSE exams"

He does this for his own local town, what used to be the school you went to if your parents couldn't get you in the other two much better schools, or if they couldn't be bothered too, is now over subscribed and doing really well.

He's an amazing man

babybarrister · 29/01/2012 09:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Demonata · 29/01/2012 10:35

Bill Gates said on breakfast news that there was around a few hundred in the super-dooper-rich in the US and 49 (I think) had signed up to his pledge to donate loads of their money.

Well done Mr Gates for having had such a positive influence.

suebfg · 29/01/2012 14:50

"There are not really that many rich people, I donT know any"

I think there are lots of rich people - obviously not in the same stratosphere as Bill Gates - but multi millionaires all the same.

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amicissima · 29/01/2012 15:24

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suebfg · 29/01/2012 18:54

Amicissima, not sure if your question is directed at me. If so, no I'm not saying that more people should shout about how much they give away, rather that it's a missed opportunity IMO if people in privileged positions don't use their wealth responsibly and with the long term in mind.

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sportsfanatic · 29/01/2012 19:21

Sports stars do an incredible lot for charity. Having just watched the semi finals and finals of the Australian open this week it brought to mind how much top tennis players do. For example

paul-de-burger.suite101.com/roger-federer-and-rafael-nadal--grand-slam-philanthropists-a327612

www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/1859-andy-murray

www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/2716-novak-djokovic

www.agassifoundation.org/

They give a lot of money, and just as importantly lend their names to help good causes.

The same is true for many other sports stars.

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