Here are a couple other reasons why I don't think the Giving Pledge will have an enormous impact on philanthropy or nonprofits in general. First, not every bil

Here are a couple other reasons why I don't think the Giving Pledge will have an enormous impact on philanthropy or nonprofits in general. First, not every billionaire is going to make the pledge. I double that it will be more than a third of them. So, instead of the $15 billion given annually as the article suggest, it will probably be more like $5 billion. Secondly, since 1957 giving to non-profits has increased all but about 3 years (2 of those being the last.) Some estimates say that in the next 5-10 years, annual giving will be at around $400 billion instead of the current $300 billion. So, the $5 billion in giving from the Giving Pledge will be a much smaller percentage of total giving than it currently would be. I certainly applaud the generosity of these individuals and families but we need to maintain perspective. If we could get the average American to increase their giving by 1%, we would probably have a greater impact on total giving.