Buffett No. 1 charitable donor in '06

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- What better way is there to use money than to donate it?

Many proved how unselfish they could be in 2006 and The Chronicle of Philanthropy newspaper plans to showcase the most generous people in their top 60 donors list, due out Feb. 22.

Warren Buffett donated at total of $43.5 billion in 2006.

The No. 1 donor was billionaire Warren E. Buffett who gave a total of $43.5 billion last year, which included the $36.1 billion commitment to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Aside from Buffett's gifts, wealthy Americans set a new record in 2006 donating $7 billion, up from $4.3 billion in 2005.

Americans donors giving at least $100 million to charitable causes also claimed 21 rankings for last year, compared to only 11 in 2005, the report said.

Other notable donors featured on the list include entertainment mogul Oprah Winfrey, who donated $58.3 million, holding the No. 35 spot, and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and his wife Wendy, who gave $100 million, ranking at No. 18.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also appears on the list for giving $165 million, along with David Rockefeller, who donated $252 million in 2006.

Incidentally, nearly half of the donors ranked in on the list live on the West Coast.

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