April 16, 2022
(Axios) - It goes without saying that none of us will be blessed with MacKenzie Scott’s astonishing wealth. But all of us have the chance to copy her astonishing generosity.
Why it matters: Scott — who walked away from her marriage with Jeff Bezos with Amazon shares worth tens of billions — has given away a staggering $12 billion in just three years and plans to keep giving until it’s mostly gone.
- She's quickly overtaking fellow billionaires.
Her actions offer 3 key lessons for us all:
- Be astonishingly generous: After her 2019 divorce from Bezos left her with about 4% of Amazon, Scott publicly pledged to donate most of her fortune. All of us have chances to give our time and money with similar abandon.
- Put your money — and time — where your heart is: Scott — who is in the minority as a woman billionaire — is directing her wealth toward specific causes she cares about, like providing health care and education for women and girls. Some 60% of the organizations she has given to most recently are women-led.
- Do good without fanfare: Scott is giving away money with no pomp and no strings attached. There is nothing better than a great deed done quietly. This can be as small as a kind compliment or anonymous gift.
- Consider this: The Chicago YWCA, which runs a rape crisis hotline and helps women find jobs, had been struggling when, one Monday night, someone from Scott's camp called and said she'd gift the organization $9 million. That was it, the New York Times' Nicholas Kulish writes.
Oh, and you don't need to be super-rich to be super generous.
- As we told you in Finish Line, America was the world's most generous country this past decade. That cuts across class, race, gender and age.
- And you didn't just give money. 72% of you helped strangers and 42% of you volunteered your time.
The bottom line, in Scott's words: "Helping any of us can help us all."
By Erica Pandey
Apr 13, 2022
