“Sharing makes more” is a statement posted by Mackenzie after announcing her $2.7 billion donations, and it defines her world and her life as one of the wealthiest people in the world. As a generous person, Mackenzie shows that more returns are attained if one is willing to share with others.
Billionaire Mackenzie Scott is a 51-year-old American novelist and philanthropist married to Dan Jewett, a scientist. She was previously married to one of the wealthiest men in the world, Jeff Bezos, and they divorced in 2019. After the divorce, she got 4% ownership of Bezos’ estate as she had helped him come up with Amazon back in 1994. Because of this fortune, she became the third richest woman globally according to Forbes List in 2019 with a net of US $57.0 billion, and she was rated number 21 among the richest people in the world.
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Mackenzie Scott, after attaining her fortunes, pledged to donate and help those in need. She signed up for the ‘Giving Pledge, which encourages all the rich people to donate their wealth to other people and organizations in need. This initiative was started by Warren Buffett together with Bill and Melinda Gates. She was to contribute almost half of her fortune to others [Source].
In a blog post titled ‘Seeding by Ceding, ‘ Mackenzie announced her plans to donate $2.7 billion to various organizations she has deemed eligible for such a huge donation. This is a follow-up to her July 2020 donation, which amounted to $1.7 billion. This previous donation was channeled to black colleges and universities that are underfunded and do not get a lot of donations due to the rampant racial segregation in the United States of America (US).
The phrase ‘Seeding by Ceding’ can be interpreted as investing to reap the benefits in the future. This form of ‘seeding’ is done in organizations or individuals, which will grow to undertake activities that are beneficial to the communities. As a businesswoman or ex-wife of a businessman, Mackenzie understands the importance of investing in getting better returns, and this kind of investment helps the world at large.
According to the blog post [Source], Mackenzie was concerned about the rampant inequalities in the US, and she wanted to assist in dissolving such things in the societies. She recognizes the efforts of a few individuals who are working hard to bring fair treatment to the people and equal opportunities, so she believes that these people are vital in propagating social change. The billionaire blames ‘social structures’ for oppressing people and labels them ‘obstacles’ that hinder people from excelling to their full potential, whether economically, socially, or politically.
A vigorous process of assessing and examining was done to find organizations that were eligible for the Mackenzie donation. She notes that her team carried out in-depth research in 2021, which involved unraveling the objectives and aims of organizations operating in US societies. She was targeting organizations, small companies, or community groups addressing injustices in society while empowering marginalized individuals and propelling equity-oriented programs for the masses. The selected organizations are either underfunded or overlooked by donors.
As shown in her post, the first chosen organizations were educational institutions educating children who were “chronically undeserving.” She believes that education is an academic path that will lead one to a better life and higher achievements in life, so she strongly felt that these institutions must get finances to keep on operating.
The second group has organizations that fight discrimination against some ethnic groups of people and religious minorities. These organizations offer interfaith support and guidance while encouraging collaboration between religious leaders. They also recommend diversity in societies and co-existence between different races.
The third group comprises small companies under the Arts and Cultural sector that promote artists in their endeavors. She argued that the arts and culture “improve mental health, lower crime rates, improve academic outcomes, advance economic mobility, reflect community identity, foster empathy and transform space.” But they are overlooked by donors, so she had to fund them.
Community or local organizations and society mobilizers were also chosen to get the funding because they empower women and girls in their areas and fight against poverty among families.
All organizations that support community engagement by employing people from the community and assessing the problems in their areas to inform relevant authorities were regarded as eligible for funding. Such organizations are responsible for advocating volunteering which is good for the community.
After all the research was done, Mackenzie and her team concluded that around $ 2 739 000 000 in gifts was needed to cater to all those who need the financial boost. The entire organizations scouted out are 286. In explaining the criteria used in selecting these organizations, Mackenzie highlighted that all these people had been doing charity work for years without even expecting a dollar in their accounts, so they need money to buy supplies, furniture and hire more staff so that they can rest during the weekends. She even argued that more volunteers are needed in these fields to lessen the workload, and more donations are still needed. Mackenzie’s husband is happy to be married to a generous wife, and he also helps with charity work [Source].
The list of all the organizations to be funded was posted by Mackenzie [Source]. She concludes the post with another powerful statement: “Generosity is generative,” meaning that a lot of benefits can be gained from generous acts. She also alludes to one of Rumi’s (a Persian poet and theologian) quotes, which states:
“A candle as it diminishes explains,
Gathering more and more is not the way
Burn, become light and heat and help
Melt.”
This quote reflects how those who have everything in life should not continue to gather more, but as they grow old and go out to live their lives, they should assist others. Through her philanthropist work, Mackenzie Scoot has proved to be living in accordance with that quote, and because of her character, she is going to grace the people with more donations in the future.
