Stand up and be counted. Even anonymously.

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I have had the opportunity to work with various charitable agencies and served on a variety of non-profit boards. So, I know how hard it is to get funds donated to achieve the goals that generally are critical for various sectors of our society. (My hat goes off to my daughter who does this so well each and every day.)

So, I watch those who donate their funds- some of them gleefully, to help make this world a better place. Warren Buffet and Bill Gates immediately come to mind- from days past there was Ford, Getty, and even MacArthur (as in the MacArthur Fellowships).   But, here are three you probably never heard about- Andrew Schechtel, David Gelbaum, and Frederick Taylor.

Oh, back when I lived in Charlottesville, I heard about these guys and their phenomenal method of picking stocks. After Princeton Newport failed (they were among the brains powering the success), they started their own hedge fund (appropriately named TGS), where their computer prowess was devoted to quantitative investing- and cleaned up big time.

In 2002, the trio form the Gabriel Trust and Endurance Funding Trusts. These are not small funds either- they now have around $ 10 billion in assets (bigger than the Rockefeller and the Carnegie endowments- combined!)   And, they’ve donated some $ 13 billion already to various causes and needs- anonymously.

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Yes, anonymously. Even though the IRS demands that foundations outline their donors and their structures (for public viewing, I might add), these three whiz kids (ok, they are now 55 to 65, but back when I knew of them, they were young- oh, yeah, so was I) used their intellectual capabilities to devise structures to keep themselves hidden from prying eyes.

They are not the first. George Eastman- the genius behind Eastman Kodak (the chemical and photography giant of yore)- kept his donations private for a decade or so. But, that was way back in the 1910’s, when there was no pervasive internet or ubiquitous sidewalk cameras. Also, Charles Feeney from the 1980’s was not subjected to the intense observations that are standard today.

But, Gabriel and Endurance use companies to shield their three donors from view. (And, if you know Hebrew you will really appreciate their choice of monikers- Matan b’Seter, Shekel, etc. You can seek the definitions on your own.)   The three philanthropists use these corporate entities to fund the two trusts. And, after a few interesting donations in their earliest years, the funds have been opting for environmental and health concerns that are attempting to leave this world a better place. (This is part of Tikun Olam- repairing the world- a philosophy that guides many of us in our lives.)

These three folks made enough money to do what they wanted in their lives. And, then used their earnings to do what the rest of the world needed for theirs.

How’s that for a role model?

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