It’s not every day someone is bold enough to give away one-third of their net worth to help make the world a better place. But when Ted Turner donated $1 billion 15 years ago to help the United Nations tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges, it inspired a new wave of philanthropy.
New York Times’ columnist Nicholas D. Kristof writes in his latest column how Turner’s generous gift not only led to the creation of the United Nations Foundation, but how it also sparked others to follow suit – making giving cool again.
“Turner’s gift helped change [the] culture, reviving the tradition of great philanthropists like Rockefeller and Carnegie. Turner publicly began needling other billionaires — including Bill Gates and Warren Buffett — to be more generous. That was a breach of etiquette, but it worked.”