Over the centuries, the list has been extended and modernised so that the definition of charitable purposes is now wide-ranging, albeit still excluding political ends. Regulator the Charity Commission reports that 170,972 charities are registered with it; all the problems of the universe seem to be covered, which should provide sufficient inspiration for every philanthropic dream. And yet, given the yawning wealth gap, are the affluent today making sufficient contribution to support charitable activities? If not, how can they be encouraged to increase their contribution?