Why the West are better than us

Forbes report: Airbnb's Three Billionaire Cofounders And 14 Others Join Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge

I have never seen in the records where wealthy Nigerians give some percentage of their income to charity - it's always about them and their family!

The world's wealthiest people and their philanthropy.

A recent Giving Pledge event, with (from left) Bill and Melinda Gates, Airbnb cofounder Nathan Blecharczyk, Elizabeth Blecharczyk, Airbnb cofounders Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky, and Giving Pledge cofounder Warren Buffett (photo courtesy of Giving Pledge)

The three billionaire cofounders of online lodging website Airbnb, Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, as well as Salesforce.com CRM -0.74% founder Marc Benioff and 13 other individuals or families, have joined the Giving Pledge, the group announced Wednesday. Members promise to give a majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes.  The Airbnb cofounders are among the youngest to sign the pledge: Chesky and Gebbia are 34, and Blecharczyk is 33.
Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett created the Giving Pledge in 2010 in an effort to spur charitable giving both in the U.S. and around the world. The Pledge now counts 154 members from 16 countries, the organization said in a statement.
“This new group joining the Giving Pledge is incredibly thoughtful about their desire to give back and help solve the world’s toughest challenges through philanthropy,” Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said in a statement. “Some have been giving for decades and others are just starting out after building successful businesses, but they all see the value of giving in a bold and effective way. Melinda, Warren and I are glad to have the opportunity to learn with them and from them.”

CEO of Salesforce Marc Benioff. Photo by Mike 

Other billionaire newcomers to the Giving Pledge since June 2015 include Intuit founder Scott Cook and his wife Signe Ostby, mapping software mogul Jack Dangermond and his wife Laura, orthopedic surgeon-turned-inventor-and-investor Gary Michelson, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, U.K. insurance mogul Henry Engelhardt, Dubai-based property tycoon P.N.C. Menon, and Indian biotech entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.

Recommended by Forbes

As the gap between the world’s richest and poorest grows, philanthropic efforts by the ultra wealthy rise in need and importance. There is no way the Giving Pledge can enforce the promise that members make when they join, but they do try to educate members about different ways to give.
The group recently gathered for an annual two-day learning conference, where both outside experts and members spoke. Topics discussed included leveraging philanthropy to drive women’s opportunities in the global economy, opportunities and challenges for giving internationally, solving environmental issues, engaging in urban renewal projects, and philanthropy’s role in advancing scientific discovery.
As Bill Gates points out, some of these people –like Salesforce founder Benioff — have been active philanthropists already, while others are just getting going.  One aim of the organizers is to change the  philanthropy is done. “Over the long-term, the Giving Pledge hopes to help shift the social norms of philanthropy toward giving more, giving sooner and giving smarter,” it said in a statement.
Here is the full list of the 17 new members announced Wednesday:
 Margaret and Sylvan Adams (Israel)
 HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz AlSaud (Saudi Arabia)
 Lynne and Marc Benioff (United States)
 Nathan and Elizabeth Blecharczyk (United States)
 Brian Chesky (United States)
 Scott Cook and Signe Ostby (United States)
 Jack and Laura Dangermond (United States)
 Henry Engelhardt, CBE and Diane Briere de l’Isle-Engelhardt, OBE (United Kingdom)
 Joe Gebbia (United States)
 Sir Tom and Lady Marion Hunter (United Kingdom)
 Robert and Arlene Kogod (United States)
 Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (India)
 PNC and Sobha Menon (UAE)
 Gary K. Michelson, M.D. (United States)
 Gensheng Niu (China)
 Liz Simons and Mark Heising (United States)
 Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim (United States)