'Poor as Church Rats' Is Goal for Go Daddy Founder

Baltimore native and Go Daddy founder Bob Parsons told a gathering of business editors last week that he plans to give away most, if not all of his nearly $2 billion wealth.

"My plans are to go out of this world the same way we came into it: poor as church rats," Parsons said in the Baltimore Business Journal. "What we're going to do is we're going to give most if not all of everything we've made away ... We promised to give half that away, but we always planned to do much more."

Parsons, 63, says he and his wife, Renee, plan to exceed the public pledge they've made to give half their fortune to charity.

Parsons has signed the Bill Gates giving pledge, but they're aiming much higher than donating just half their wealth, estimated at $1.9 billion, according to Forbes. The pledge – signed by dozens of other billionaires including Warren Buffet, Ted Turner and Mark Zuckerberg – aims to promote good works around the world.

In a letter on the pledge’s website, the Parsons write: “Renee and I have always believed every child has the right to good nutrition, the best medical care, a good education, a happy and stress-free environment and the hope that they too will share in the American Dream. We’ve dedicated our foundation and our resources to helping make this happen. It makes sense we join The Giving Pledge.”

Parsons is a 1975 graduate of the University of Baltimore. He has given at least $2 million to the university through the Bob and Renee Parsons Foundation, according to the Business Journal.