Italy could learn from giving in America

The act of giving is, by its very nature, voluntary and private because it implies a direct or indirect relation between two people. It is also both a personal and intentional act: personal in the sense that it reflects the wishes or needs of he who receives it, intentional because it is essential to the relationship of giving that he who gives be motivated by the desire to do good by he who receives, or for the receiver to be accepting of the gift.

The value of total monetary donations in the United States was equal in 2009 to 2.1 per cent of the GDP and the medium donation of American families was $1,940 (approx. €1,536). This elevated amount of resources is directed towards supporting the activities of 1.2 million charitable organisations. Despite the crisis, compared to 2008 donations in 2009 only diminished by 3.6 per cent. It was also during this Big Crisis that the Gates and Buffet families promised to create a brand new initiative, with which they invited Americans billionaires to sign a pledge to give away at least 50 per cent of their net worth. By the beginning of August of 2010, 40 American billionaires had already agreed to the initiative, called “The Giving Pledge.”

There is no doubt that their commitment will have an important impact. On an economic level, because of the size of the fund and on a cultural level because it brings attention to a will to do good that is unusual in the context of corporate America. Buffet has agreed to give 99 per cent of his company to a philanthropic foundation that works to help those “who by the luck of the draw pulled the shortest straw,” the Gates couple have already created a foundation dedicated to reducing infant mortality and eliminating barriers to human and intellectual development of children, because, they claim “we believe that every child deserves to have the opportunity to grow, dream and do big things.”

As far as the Italian situation is concerned, the most recent survey highlights that there are many individual donors, both regular and casual. On average, regular donors gives €180 Euros and casual donors give €48. Although this is a flawed estimate, because it doesn’t include offerings, alms or the 5x mille, when compared to the equivalent American donations a high degree of potential and further growth is apparent.

As far as the corporate world is concerned, no similar research has been carried out, except for a restricted number of companies but there is reason to suggest that the economic crisis has reduced the amount of resources available for supporting social initiatives. It should be highlighted that the same motives that inspired the big American philanthropists are also present in the Italian entrepreneurial cultural tradition and that opportunities like those that existed in the US should be created for them.

Like in the United States, it is crucial that those who have benefited most from the period of expansion now demonstrate forward thinking and responsibility towards those who – to paraphrase Buffet – have been left with the short straw.

Translated excerpt of an article by Luigi Campiglio on the Sussidiano.net.