Giving Compass' Take:

• Eric Nee examines how, in these increasingly divisive times, philanthropists need to play a bigger role in bringing people together across the world.

• This effort can't just be done with money: It needs to be done through cooperation and strategic partnerships. Diaspora giving is also noted as key to this effort.

• Here's why globalism is the best social cause for corporate activists.

At a time of rising nationalism and cutbacks in foreign aid in countries around the world, global philanthropy plays a critical role, not just in providing money, but in fostering cooperation and goodwill between people and nations. That was the consensus outlook of a group of philanthropists who gathered at a salon held at Stanford PACS’ Philanthropy Innovation Summit at Stanford University on Sept. 19, 2017.

The critical role that philanthropists play globally can be seen in the response to the two hurricanes that recently swept over the Caribbean. Government relief — whether from the United Kingdom or the United States — has been inadequate to the task, and philanthropists have stepped into the breach. Virgin Group founder Richard Branson is playing an important role in galvanizing aid for the British Virgin Islands, where he has a home, and private equity investor Orlando Bravo has pledged $10 million in aid for his native Puerto Rico.

At the same time that philanthropy is growing globally, there are efforts afoot by a growing number of governments to restrict cross-border giving. And that the result will be a growing network of philanthropists and NGOs, working closely with governments and business, to solve the world’s problems.

Read the full article about global philanthropy by Eric Nee at Stanford Social Innovation Review.