Want to improve your reputation? Help others!

Sir Richard Branson has joined the likes of other billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett by pledging to donate half of his sizable fortune to charity via the Giving Pledge.  Branson and his wife Joan said that they want to use profits earned from the Virgin family of companies to build a more “healthy, equitable and peaceful world for future generations to enjoy.”

Apparently, the Bransons are doing something right at home too, as the heirs to their fortune are in agreement with the decision to help make the world a better place.  And they’re not the only ones.  Started just three years ago by Bill and Melinda Gates in conjunction with Warren Buffett, the foundation now has over 100 billionaires and their families pledging to share a sizable portion of their wealth to causes that they feel need funding.  The goal?  Inspiring others.  Dollar amounts and causes are not specified or chosen for the donors, it is completely up to them who and how they want to help.

What does this do for the donors?  For entrepreneurs such as the Bransons, it perpetuates an already great reputation.  It is a demonstration of Branson’s words taking action, and we’ve all heard that actions speak louder than words.  Expensive?  Perhaps, but you can’t take it with you when you go, and you can never put a price on a great reputation.