Here are the wealthy people who have pledged to give more than half their wealth to charity, by state:
California
Georgia
Hawaii
Michigan
Missouri
Nebraska
New York
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Texas
Utah
Washington, D.C. / Maryland
Washington
Source: The Giving Pledge
The wealthy families and individuals — including cable TV mogul Ted Turner, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and filmmaker George Lucas — are the first to join an organization founded by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and billionaire investor Warren Buffett in June.
LIST: See the 40 peoeple who made the pledge
In a conference call Wednesday, Buffett said he, Bill and Melinda Gates and others made 70 to 80 calls to some of the nation's wealthiest individuals. Those who agreed to the pledge are from 13 states and the District of Columbia. Buffett and Gates also plan to meet with groups of wealthy people in India and China to discuss giving.
"We hope this movement will lead to more, and smarter, philanthropy," Buffett said.
Many on the list will be asked to call others, and a handful of small dinners will be held nationwide this year to spread the word, said Buffett, who decided in 2006 to give almost all of his estimated $47 billion fortune to charity. The predominantly male list includes Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and Silicon Valley venture-capital titan John Doerr.
Among those who didn't sign the pledge, some preferred anonymity, some were unavailable, and others were not interested, Buffett said.
Gates and Buffett estimate their efforts could generate $600 billion in charitable giving. Last year, American philanthropies received a total of about $300 billion in donations, according to Giving USA's annual report on charitable donations in the U.S.
"Nothing like this has happened before," says Caroline Preston, a staff writer at The Chronicle of Philanthropy, a newspaper that covers charities and fundraising.
Many of the names on the list are well-known for their giving, such as Turner and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. But only 17 on the Forbes400 list of the richest Americans made The Chronicle's list of the most generous American donors last year.
"Maybe this news can bridge what has been a big disconnect," Preston says.
None of the philanthropists will be told how or when to give their money.
"My parents gave, which left an impression on me," Business Wire founder Lorry Lokey said in a phone interview. "Most wealthy people lavish their fortunes on yachts, first-class travel, $1,000 hotel rooms. I want to see how my money helps people." Lokey, 83, says he hopes to give away $1 billion, mostly to education.
Bloomberg, whose fortune is pegged at $18 billion by Forbes magazine, said in a conference call that he is trying to play a leadership role in giving after being private. "Everybody on this list has a really different list of interests," said Bloomberg, who has shown an interest in education.
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