John points to this awesome article in Fortune about the legacy and mindset that billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are trying to instill in other billionaires around the globe.

Basically, they want billionaires to pledge at least 50% of their net worth to charity (either in their lifetime or at their death).

They’d welcome donors of any kind. But their direct target is billionaires, whom the two men wish to see greatly raise the amounts they give to charities, of any and all kinds. That wish was not mathematically framed at the time of the New York meeting. But as two other U.S. dinners were held (though not leaked), Buffett and Gates and his wife, Melinda, set the goal: They are driving to get the super-rich, starting with the Forbes list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, to pledge — literally pledge — at least 50% of their net worth to charity during their lifetimes or at death.

The Fortune article goes quite in-depth at the initial May 2009 meeting of billionaires in New York City that started the campaign to encourage philanthropy among some of the world’s richest people.

If this goes as planned and if Bill Gates and Warren Buffet can work their magic and encourage other billionaires to give as they do, the potential for dramatic change in this lifetime will be phenomenal. This is very exciting!