2023-12-06 19:30:48
It was in 2022. A lucky EuroMillions winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, decides to devote almost all of his winnings of 200 million euros to creating a foundation. Named Anyama and sheltered by the Fondation de France, it is today dedicated to the protection of living things.
“My dream was never to acquire boats, castles or other sports carsexplains the generous benefactor on his website. I only played in large prize pools, with one goal: to devote the majority of this sum to the creation of a foundation. » The day after the winning draw, he confirmed his intentions with Isabelle Cesari, responsible for support and the winners’ experience at La Française des jeux.
While the story is spectacular, it is not unique. There are multiple examples of small and large donors dipping into their winnings. One for the benefit of the League against cancer, because his mother had died of this disease. A couple, in Charente, continue, fifteen years after their win, to pay for the canteen for all the students at the village school, to ensure that the children eat at least once a day.
“The notion of altruism really exists in most winners. For their loved ones or towards people in need, observe Isabelle Cesari. The winners have a very keen awareness of current difficulties and a very harsh society. » However, she notes, “their gifts are often linked to their personal history, driven by a deeply intimate reason.”
Give meaning to your gain
For thirty years, La Française des jeux has organized, for winners of more than €500,000, around twenty workshops per year devoted to asset and notarial management or responsible investments. In the “Enrich my life differently” workshop, which has attracted more than 400 participants in six years, philanthropy is regularly discussed, at the request of the winners. “After learning how to manage money, giving quickly comes up among the winners’ questions. This is not an exceptional subject. They seek to give meaning to their gain,” notes Isabelle Cesari. Some choose to give time, by becoming volunteers, others prefer to give money, whatever the amount.
Two years ago, Nathalie (1) won 2 million euros. Sensitized to generosity through her education, she decided to donate, each year, a total of around €1,200 to different associations. “I was already giving before. But from now on, I give a little more to Restos du coeur, to the Food Bank, to Sidaction,” says the fifty-year-old, who regularly chooses new causes to support, helped by her daughter Alexandra, 25 years old. “We like to contribute to online fundraising for causes that affect us”for example animals or poverty.
“I feel much more engaged than before”
“At the beginning, I had a tendency to give too quickly to everyonetestifies Nathalie. This caused me some disappointments. Then I learned, through the workshops, to ask myself the right questions, to ask myself what I really bring by giving, and what I feel. Finally, I feel much more engaged than before. »
A few months ago, as part of a “Enrich my life differently” workshop, Nathalie was one of the 25 lottery winners who attended a session dedicated to environmental awareness, in the Camargue, at the Tour du Valat, research institute for the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands. “The idea, says Jean Jalbert, director of the institute, was to raise awareness among these people. But the FDJ warned us: under no circumstances should we encourage them to become donors. »
Yet this is what happened. Returning from the workshop, Nathalie showed the institute’s brochures to her daughter. Since then, Alexandra has sponsored a pink flamingo through an annual donation to the Tour du Valat.
(1) First name changed at the request of the interested party
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