Great private wealth is nothing new, but reading David Callahan’s The Givers will convince you that there is a different game at play today, with staggering fortunes and unprecedented elite hubris. Some fortunes are so big, and growing so fast, that even a dedicated philanthropist can’t give the money away fast enough. To cite just one example, Michael Bloomberg was worth around $5 billion when he became mayor of New York in 2002; he’s now worth more than $45 billion. With this figure in mind, the over one billion dollars he has given Johns Hopkins University to date doesn’t seem so big. Still, it’s an astonishing sum for most of us to contemplate. And that’s not all. Bloomberg has also given hundreds of millions to reduce smoking and traffic deaths globally, and combat climate change.

Callahan also highlights the growing role women are playing in philanthropy. In high octane couples like Bill and Melinda Gates and Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, the women are often taking the lead in foundation building and directing giving. We are no longer in the era where the lady of the house would host a white glove luncheon at whose conclusion she would hand over a check to her hubby’s alma matter.

Callahan is focused on a new breed of philanthropist in The Givers. They are wealthier than their predecessors and willing to spend their money now, while they are still alive.

Read the source article at Philanthropy Women