13:25, 22 June 2021
Words by Smiley Team, Staff Writer, London
Ted Turner began working for his father at the age of 12, when he helped out at the family billboard firm Turner Advertising.
His entrepreneurial streak grew, and in the 1960s he took over the business and re-branded it as Turner Broadcasting - which went on to become the parent firm of news broadcaster CNN.
When he sold his company in the 1990s he became a billionaire, and Turner, 82, has a personal fortune worth $2.3bn today.
But it was his pledge to donate $1bn to found the United Nations Foundation in 1997 which changed the face of philanthropy.
The United Nations itself cannot directly raise money from philanthropists, but a UN foundation can, which meant that Turner’s gift paved the way for others to donate to the organisation's global goals of peacekeeping, public health and environmental activities.
Writing about his donation for the Giving Pledge Turner stated: “Over the years, the United Nations Foundation has done innovative work to make the world a better place and has helped strengthen the U.N. in the process. This gives me a lot of satisfaction.”
In 2014 Turner’s $1bn pledge was fulfilled, and he has also donated to other causes through his own foundation, including land and sea conservation.
In his Giving Pledge he added: “I don't measure success in numbers, but I consider my contributions of more than 1.3 billion dollars to various causes over the years to be one of my proudest accomplishments and the best investment I've ever made.
“Those dollars have improved lives, saved species, fought disease, educated children, inspired change, challenged ideas and opened minds; and at the time of my death, virtually all of my wealth will have gone to charity.”
To find out more about the United Nations Foundation, which Ted Turner launched, visit their website or follow them on Twitter.
