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When someone asks the question, who is the most charitable givers in our country, several names come to mind. Oprah, Bill Gates, and Angelina Jolie top the list, but according to the The Chronicle of Philanthropy, there’s more to consider than merely writing a check to a pet cause. It seems that every celebrity wants to make sure that his/her own mission is presented to the public. George Clooney’s and Mia Farrow’s interest in Darfur is one prime example.

“I think there needs to be greater skepticism about celebrity involvement than I see in the media right now,” said Stacy Palmer, the editor of The Chronicle.

The Chronicle doesn’t not consider publicity stunts as acts of charity. They ask the hard question: ‘How much are you personally contributing to a cause?’”

Celebrities such as Angelina Jolie finally convinced the public that her humanitarian efforts were genuine. Most stars do not divulge how much they personally give, and surprisingly, most celebrities are not as charitable a one may think. Only one, Oprah Winfrey gave $58.3 million in 2006 while Warren E. Buffett topped the list, pledging $43.5 billion, according to Parade Magazine Ms. Winfrey’s charitable contributories are given through The Oprah Winfrey Foundation and Oprah’s Angel Network for education, health care, and women’s/children’s rights.

Other big celebrity givers include: Barbara Streisand with $11 million (The Streisand Foundation: environment, women’s rights, civil rights, AIDS research), Paul Newman with $10 million (Scholarship for Kenyon College), and Mel Gibson with $9.9 million (Holy Family Church). Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who ranked sixth with $8.4 million (The Jolie-Pitt Foundation: Hurricane Katrina reconstruction, refugee aid, cross-cultural understanding).

Other celebs who made the top 30 include Lance Armstrong, Michael Jordan, Rosie O’Donnell, Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Hefner, Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Adam Sandler, Steven Spielberg, and Denzel Washington.

But celebrities aren’t the only big givers to charities and disaster aid relief.
Most Americans, in fact 90% state they make charitable contributions and 60% give to disaster relief. Those who travel abroad are particularly drawn to donating to international disaster relief.

“The findings of this survey confirm that Americans have good intentions when it comes to assisting international disaster victims and that many Americans are making the best choice by giving cash donations,” said Suzanne H. Brooks, director of the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI).

The giving breakdown includes seventy-six percent donate cash most often to international disaster relief and more than 50 percent believe that money is more useful than goods when it comes to donations. People aged 18 to 34 are the most likely to help relief efforts in countries they had visited, compared with 54 percent of people over 35 who had traveled abroad. Only 10 percents of Americans give donations online and 47 percent state they give directly to a person or to a cause or charity someone is collecting on behalf of. Women give more than men, and people who live on the east and west coasts of the US are more generous than the mid-states according to a survey of 1,002 adults commissioned by the CIDI.

“With these research findings, we can assess how to educate the public on appropriate international disaster relief strategically and more efficiently,” Brooks said.

It doesn’t matter who you are, or how much–or little you have to give–disaster relief aid is ultimately the responsibility of everyone.