IFC Roundup: Major Donors — The Personal View

Our philanthropist is French, and had lived for a number of years in the U.S., working with Microsoft. He is now retired. He is a significant donor to his graduate school and gives to cultural and other causes.

He described the social circle enjoyed by the better-off in Brussels — with a number of social charity events and frequent opportunities to give. He also described learning to say “no” so that he could concentrate his giving on a few causes that he can support thoroughly. He would rather be “a decent donor to a few than a poor donor to many.”