I'm not rockefeller: Implications for major foundations seeking to engage ultra-high-net-worth donors

Abstract

This article describes how a group of 33 ultra-high-net-worth philanthropists (UHNWPs) approach their giving. Education, health, poverty and social welfare, and children/youth initiatives were priorities for this group. UHNWPs view their peers as their most trusted information resource. After peers, the most commonly cited source of information was the popular press. UHNWPs typically are ambivalent or uncertain about the value of evaluation. Partnerships between organized philanthropy and UHNWPs have potential benefits for both, if barriers of job responsibilities, training, communications styles and vocabulary can be overcome.