Wealthy Group ‘Alarmed’ by Tax Cut Deal; 17 Billionaires Join Gates, Buffett's Pledge

In fact, on Thursday, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg was among the 17 billionaires who joined the ranks of Buffett and Gates’ campaign to get the super wealthy to agree to donate large amounts of their personal fortunes. The Giving Pledge, launched by Gates and Buffett in June, now has a total of 57 billionaires in its ranks. It does not accept donations or tell people what to do with their wealth; it acts as a pledge repository, asking billionaires to make a “moral commitment to give their fortunes to charity.”

Another philanthropic project, a website called Redefine Christmas, asks people to consider making Christmas about other people instead of themselves. They suggest giving charitable donations in the names of those on their gift lists, instead of buying gadgets, and advocate that people ask for donations to be made in their names instead of registering their wish lists at online shops. Redefine Christmas is advocated by the likes of Sting and Harry Connick Jr.

The website Just Give has a similar idea. It allows people to go online and choose from a wealth (pun not intended) of charities, donate amounts that don’t have to be in a millionaire’s budget (gifts can be less than $25), and give nationally or locally through gift cards and recurring gifts, charity wedding registries andmemorials, and special event fundraising. Even a Scrooge can afford it.