Donating means understanding that expanding the scope of good reverberates at all levels of society. By providing opportunities for growth and a more dignified life to as many people as possible, there is a reduction in violence , poverty, and an increase in productivity and the quality of what is produced in a country. 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 USA, Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), who today would have a net worth of over US$400 billion. He donated the equivalent of US$350 billion to philanthropy and left a legacy of thousands of libraries, as well as museums and educational institutions. It is impossible to measure the social gains of Carnegie's actions.

Another example is the engagement achieved by The Giving Pledge movement, created by investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his then wife, Melinda. There are 231 signatories, from 28 countries, who have committed to donating at least half of their assets during their lifetime. This list includes Elon Musk (richest man in the world) 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. Vélez is the founder of Nubank, a Brazilian fintech worth US$31 billion. Previously, in 2015, Susy and Elie Horn became the first Brazilian couple to be part of the movement. Founder of the construction company Cyrela, Horn committed to donating up to 60% of his assets to philanthropy , repeating the family example.

Horn's father donated all his wealth and his maternal grandfather raised funds to build an orphanage for 3,000 children in World War I. Horn works on the difficult crusade of convincing his peers to join the culture of giving. To this end, he structured the Movimento Bem Maior, which supports more than 70 social projects across the country.

Couples Mariel Reyes and David Vélez; and Suzy and Elie Horn, are 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. Understanding the scope of our social mission is one of the first steps towards making philanthropy something recurring. The Donation Brazil 2020 survey showed that in the first year of the pandemic, donations reached R$10.3 billion. An amount lower than the donations made in 2015, when R$13.7 billion were allocated to philanthropy.

In the USA, for example, it is common for former students to make significant amounts of donations to the institutions where they studied or fund scholarships for needy young people . Here in Brazil, Horn continues to spread the importance of donating. For him, doing philanthropy means giving value to money. "It shouldn't be left in a drawer, but used to do good for humanity," he explains.