a culture of giving Brazil lacks

To donate is to understand that expanding the reach of good reverberates at all levels of society. It is an attitude that goes beyond selflessness, because by enabling opportunities for growth, learning, and a more dignified life for the greatest number of people possible, we see a decrease in violence and poverty, an increase in productivity and the quality of what is produced in a country, and consequently, we will have a more competitive market. That's everything Brazil needs. 

Is this too much of a digression? I think not. Proof of this is the story of one of the greatest philanthropists of all time, the Scottish industrialist who made his fortune in the United States, Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919), whose net worth today would exceed US$400 billion (R$2 trillion). From 1901 onwards, the "king of steel" dedicated himself to philanthropic causes and, until his death, donated the equivalent of US$350 billion (R$1.75 trillion). 

Of humble origins and conscious of his social role, he used to say that "the man who dies rich, dies dishonored." The magnate left an extensive legacy, building 2,800 libraries in the United States and other countries, as well as museums, concert halls, foundations, and educational institutions. It is impossible to measure the social gains of Carnegie's philanthropic actions. 

Another striking example is the engagement achieved by The Giving Pledge, created in 2010 by investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates. 

Currently, it has 231 signatories from 28 countries who have publicly committed to donating at least half of their wealth to philanthropy during their lifetime. This group includes names like Elon Musk (the world's richest man) and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook).

In August 2021, attention was drawn to the fact that the couple Mariel Reyes and David Vélez became signatories of The Giving Pledge. Originally from Colombia, Vélez is the founder of Nubank, a Brazilian fintech company with 40 million customers and a market value of US$31 billion. 

A few years earlier, in 2015, Susy and Elie Horn became the first Brazilian couple to join The Giving Pledge. Born in Syria and living in Brazil since the age of ten, the founder of the construction company Cyrela pledged to donate up to 60% of his assets to philanthropy, following the family example.

Horn's father donated 100% of the wealth he amassed over 30 years of work, and his maternal grandfather distinguished himself in 1914 by raising funds to build an orphanage for 3,000 children at the beginning of World War I. Today, Horn continues the difficult crusade of convincing his Brazilian peers to embrace a culture of giving. To that end, he structured the Bem Maior Movement, which supports more than 70 social projects throughout the country.

It's worth noting that the couples Mariel Reyes and David Vélez, and Suzy and Elie Horn, are still the only Latin Americans to sign The Giving Pledge. In their testimony for the 3rd Dialogues of the Bem Maior Movement, available on YouTube, they explain that allocating part of their assets to philanthropy stems from a desire to provide a better life for those who haven't had the same opportunities, helping to reduce the gap of social inequalities. 

Brazil has great potential to increase the volume of donations. It's a cultural issue, and culture can be changed, it's possible to implement it in a society. Here, even trivial donations made by individuals to social organizations have their ups and downs. Understanding the scope of our social mission is one of the first steps to making philanthropy a recurring practice. 

The first year of facing the pandemic in Brazil was quite conducive to discussing the topic and encouraging the practice of donation. Families and companies of all sizes and sectors responded promptly to the urgencies of the health crisis. Donations of money, food, cleaning products, and hospital supplies were a relief for those who lost jobs, income, family members, and friends, without any chance to anticipate the problems brought about by the new virus.

According to the 2020 Brazil Donation survey, in the first year we faced the pandemic, donations reached R$10.3 billion. The allocation of large sums, made by families or companies, received widespread publicity; however, the amount obtained in an emergency situation was lower than the donations in 2015, when R$13.7 billion was allocated to philanthropy. 

Donation is directly linked to the idea of ​​acting for the common good, thinking about the collective to improve people's lives. In the US, for example, it is common for successful alumni, graduates of public and private universities, to make significant donations to these institutions or to fund scholarships for needy students. 

Here in Brazil, Elie Horn continues to spread awareness of the importance of giving. For him, philanthropy is about valuing money. “Instead of money being a selfish monster, it has to be good money. Either you enslave money, or money enslaves you. It shouldn't be kept in a drawer, but used to do good for humanity,” he explains. 

This article was originally published on the website of the newspaper O Povo. 

Image Credit: Press Release/MBM