Business Review Magazine has made an audacious move - it’s thrown down a challenge to Australia’s wealthiest people, to be more generous. The call comes as the magazine launches Rich 200 – its annual list of Australia’s richest people. They want the high-fliers – including the likes of James Packer, Kerry Stokes, Gerry Harvey and John B. Fairfax  - to donate to charity. In particular they’ve nominated UNICEF as the worthy cause, and they hope to raise at least $200,000 from the initiaitive.

The move raises some interesting questions and this week we spoke with Gina Anderson, CEO of Philanthropy Australia, about the topic.

She had some interesting insights, particularly sharing the fact that people who are the least wealthy, all around the world, tend to be the most generous.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and observations on this one.

DISCUSSION POINTS

• Does income influence the level to which people give? What have you noticed in the people around you…

• Perhaps you work for a non-profit organization that relies on donations… Do you have an idea of who your most generous donors are?

• Also have you noticed a change in donations in recent tight times?

• What about this worldwide tendency for the poor to be more generous than the rich… Has your level of income influenced the way you give? Perhaps you came from a low-income background and have ended up with a greater empathy for battlers as a result… Is that you?

• I’d love to hear from you if you’ve become more generous in your giving, maybe through some experience you’ve had… something that made your more empathetic, or more aware of the needs of the world around you? Tell us your story.

• What makes people more generous?