One of the best gifts you can give a recent college grad is cold, hard cash. It can serve as a launching pad for establishing themselves as an adult, equipping them to get their first apartment, start paying off those sky-high student loans, and maybe enough to get them some well-earned drinks at their favorite local watering hole.
And one billionaire makes that wish come true each year: Rob Hale, founder and CEO of telecommunications company Granite Communications, annually doles out $1,000 checks to local recent college graduates in Massachusetts. He’s worth about $6 billion and helms the $1.8 billion company that provides voice, data, internet, mobile, and video services for businesses and government clients.
But these college graduates don’t just get to take the money and run. They have to pledge they’ll give at least half of it away to charity…