What motivates some philanthropists to give the majority of their fortunes to charitable causes? How do they decide where to make their contributions?

What lessons can other donors learn from them? And what should fund raisers and other charity officials understand as they seek to persuade more people to give in this difficult economic time?

To answer these questions, The Chronicle and Bolder Giving, an organization that works to encourage affluent people to significantly increase their donations, have developed a series of live discussions with some of the nation's most noteworthy philanthropists.

Read the transcript of our discussion with donors who answered questions and offered special insights into why wealthy people support good cause.

Click on the window below to view the replay of this archived discussion.