Barron's 25 Best Givers

By Suzanne McGee

With money tight, top philanthropists insist on more bang for the buck. Meet the 25 most effective givers.

The name of the game in philanthropy this year is to make your dollars go far — very far. With the recession squeezing donors and charities alike, it’s more important than ever to make sure your giving really makes a difference.

Ideally, each dollar you give will transform itself into $3 or $4 of benefits for your chosen causes — from improving local schools to easing world poverty. That’s high-impact giving, and some philanthropists are raising it to a high form of art.

The best of the best are ranked and profiled on the following pages. Barron’s developed the listing in collaboration with consulting firm Global Philanthropy Group. While rankings in other publications highlight those who give the most money, we chose to focus on those who are getting the results.

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