Some wealthy people who give away their money for free include Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Judy Faulkner, Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Ellison. They are among the more than 130 pledgers of the Giving Pledge, a pledge launched by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates in 2010 to encourage the wealthy people in America to donate at least half of their money to philanthropic causes before or after their death.
Warren Buffett is well-known for his philanthropic effort. He announced his plan to donate 83 percent of his fortune, which was equivalent to about $30.7 billion at the time, to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2006. He also auctioned off his own car and a luncheon with him to raise money for various charities.
In 2010, Mark Zuckerberg donated $100 million to the Newark Public Schools so that the mayor at the time could have more control of the schools. He also participated in the Giving Pledge and pledged to donate at least 50 percent of his fortune to charity. In 2013, Mark Zuckerberg donated 18 million Facebook shares, which was worth approximately $990 million at the time, to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
In 2015, Judy Faulkner, who is the founder of a company called Epic, pledged to donate 99 percent of her money to charities.