Philanthropy derives from the Greek word "philos", which translates into friend or
loving and "anthropos", which is translated into humankind/mankind.
And a person who practises philanthropy is called a philanthropist.
A philanthropist can live his purpose and create an impact.
As a bank, we use our bank's purpose, creating value beyond wealth as a compass.
It serves as a navigation tool in many
decision processes and strategy development.
But we should all find our purpose in life.
Find the purpose of our wealth.
And philanthropy can really serve as
a tool or as a platform to live our values and our purpose.
As a philanthropist, you can teach your children the values:
the value of generosity, your values, family values.
Sharing is caring, right?
So philanthropy can be a very useful way
to involve your children in creating this legacy, letting it continue,
involve them, discuss with them what your concerns are.
Find out what they are worried about:
about today's world, or better yet, tomorrow's world.
And through these exchanges and discussions, you will grow even stronger family bonds.
We all know you can't buy happiness,
but you can increase it by spending your money right
and by spending it on others.
Through that, you realise as a philanthropist, you benefit as well and not just a recipient,
and that's called the Mother Theresa effect
because there is a measurable increased happiness quotient.
So where should you get started on in philanthropy?
I think this is the biggest question asked by many, many people,
because there's so many issues in this world, it can be overwhelming.
So that's why I usually like to say a good starting point are the
Sustainable Development Goals that have been developed by the United Nations.
There are 17 of them,
and they're called the SDGs 2030 because by then it's the world's plan to end
extreme poverty, to reduce inequalities and to protect the planet.
Our own Julius Bear Foundation focuses mainly on SDG number ten.
Reducing inequality, specifically,
wealth inequality, in the countries of this world with the largest wealth gap.
But much more important is which topics speaks to you and what drives you?
What motivates you to engage philanthropically?
We all have to work together to achieve those goals.
How much time can you commit?
What are kind of talents can you contribute for this cause,
this journey you're embarking on, or how can we support you in that?
What are your ties?
That's your personal network that could contribute to solving these issues.
And then finally, the treasures.
The treasures will determine also whether you would set up your own vehicle,
your own charitable structure, or whether you would partner with existing ones.
So with all these steps, we are more than happy to provide some guidance.
And with a strategic focus,
you can create an impact, and you will know at the end what you have changed.
It's much more difficult to give money
away intelligently than to earn it in the first place.
So it can be a bit of a daunting journey to embark on.
We want you to not be scared.
Don't procrastinate and wait until someday you can start today.
Don't think you have to wait until you are a multi-millionaire, you can start small.
And don't be afraid of getting it wrong,
because you will learn and we are here to support you.