Sara Blakely Becomes First Woman To Sign ‘The Giving Pledge’
Image via Flickr/ david_shankbone
Another billionaire is hopping on board the giving train started by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates, and this time it’s a woman. Since Buffett and the Gates started the Giving Pledge—a non-binding moral contract promising to donate at least half their wealth to charity—in 2010, 113 wealthy men and their families have signed on the dotted line, including eight last week. Spanx founder Sara Blakely made No. 114.
Blakely is not only the first woman to join the Giving Pledge, but at 41 years old she’s the youngest self-made woman to reach billionaire status, according to Forbes. Blakely hopes her philanthropic example will empower underserved young women.
“Since I was a little girl I have always known I would help women,” Blakely wrote in her Giving Pledge letter. “In my wildest dreams, I never thought I would have started with their butts…I have so much gratitude for being a woman in America. I never lose sight that I was born in the right country at the right time. And I never lose sight of the fact that there are millions of women around the world who are not dealt with the same deck of cards upon their birth.”
Spanx is a private company of which Blakely owns 100 percent. She’s already donated $17.5 million to charities that empower women and girls. But she was approached by Gates himself to make the pledge.
“After I appeared on the cover of Forbes, I got a call from Bill Gates’ office, saying Bill Gates wanted to have dinner with me,” she told Forbes. “I’m at a slightly different stage in my journey. I haven’t monetized the bulk of my wealth. But I have been setting aside profits every year, as I always knew I wanted to do something like this.”
