Donating is understanding that expanding the scope of good reverberates at all levels of society. It is an attitude that goes beyond detachment, because by providing opportunities for growth, learning and a more dignified life to as many people as possible, there is a reduction in violence, 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 all Brazil needs.
Is it too much to ramble? 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 wealth 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).
Coming from a poor background and aware of his social role, he used to say that “the man who dies rich dies dishonored”. The tycoon 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 example that stands out 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 assets to philanthropy, while they are still alive. Names like Elon Musk (richest man in the world) and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) are part of this list.
In August 2021, attention was drawn to the fact that the couple Mariel Reyes and David Vélez became signatories of The Giving Pledge . Of Colombian origin, Vélez is the founder of Nubank, a Brazilian fintech 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 be part of The Giving Pledge . Born in Syria, and living in Brazil since he was ten years old, the founder of the construction company Cyrela committed to donating up to 60% of his assets to philanthropy, repeating the family example.
Horn's father donated 100% of the wealth he had accumulated over 30 years of work and his maternal grandfather stood out, in 1914, by raising financial resources to build an orphanage for 3,000 children at the beginning of the First World War. Today, Horn continues the difficult quest to convince his Brazilian peers to embrace the culture of donation. To this end, he structured the Movimento Bem Maior, which supports more than 70 social projects across the country.
It is worth noting that couples Mariel Reyes and David Vélez; and Suzy and Elie Horn, are still the only Latin American signatories of The Giving Pledge . In a statement to the 3rd Diálogos do Movimento Bem Maior , available on YouTube , they say that allocating part of their assets to philanthropy comes from the desire to provide a better life for those who did not have the same opportunities, contributing to reducing the gap in social inequalities.
Brazil has great potential to increase the volume of donations. It is a cultural issue and culture is possible to change, it is possible to implement 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 towards making philanthropy something recurring.
The first year of facing the pandemic in Brazil was very favorable for discussing the topic and encouraging the practice of donation. Families and companies of the most varied sizes and segments responded promptly to the emergencies of the health crisis. Donations of valuables, food, cleaning products and hospital supplies were a relief for those who lost jobs, income, family and friends, without any chance of anticipating the problems brought by the new virus.
According to the Doação Brasil 2020 survey, in the first year we faced the pandemic, donations reached R$10.3 billion. The allocation of high amounts, made by families or companies, gained wide publicity, however, the amount obtained in an emergency situation was lower than the donations in 2015, when R$13.7 billion were allocated to philanthropy.
Donation is directly linked to the thought of acting for the common good, thinking about the collective to improve people's lives. In the USA, for example, it is common for successful alumni, graduates of public and private universities, to make significant volumes of donations to these institutions or to fund scholarships for needy students.
Here in Brazil, Elie Horn continues to spread the importance of donating. For him, doing philanthropy means giving value to money. “Instead of money being the monster, selfish, you have to make it good money. Either you enslave money, or money enslaves you. It should not be left 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 .
