LETTER
May 2, 2008

David Rockefeller’s $100 Million Gift to Harvard

To the Editor:

I find it terribly sad that David Rockefeller chose to give $100 million to Harvard (news article, April 25).

His gift will have very little effect on the world; Harvard already has $35 billion in its endowment, and only a tiny percentage of its endowment income is used in pursuit of its mission.

This lack of vision on Mr. Rockefeller’s part is especially disappointing because he is part of a family whose philanthropic legacy includes some truly thoughtful giving. I’m sure that Mr. Rockefeller is aware that there are thousands of small and mid-sized nonprofits where a gift of even $1 million would have a tremendous effect on their communities.

That Mr. Rockefeller is choosing to give away some of his wealth is laudable. I just hope that other donors have the courage and the wisdom to look beyond the usual suspects when considering where to invest their largess.

Aaron Dorfman
Executive Director
National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
Washington, April 25, 2008

© 2008 The New York Times. All rights reserved.