Pro Bono Australia, the country's leading nonprofit sector publication, shares insights on cross-border giving after speaking with Give2Asia.
Built on a foundation of trust and based on the knowledge of local communities, US-based funder Give2Asia is leading the way in cross-border giving.
By mobilising individuals, corporates and foundations, the organisation funds communities across the Asia-Pacific, achieving outcomes in line with the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Speaking to Pro Bono News ahead of the Philanthropy Australia National Conference where he was a keynote speaker, Give2Asia CEO Birger Stamperdahl said one of the key elements of Give2Asia’s model is that it has a local presence in all of the countries in which it makes grants.
“Especially in the Asia-Pacific region, that’s so crucial because you have different languages, different cultures… [and] different work cultures,” he said.
Building relationships with people and organisations on the ground is vital for successful grant provision.
“The relationships that you build for cross-border giving are probably the most important factor in whether or not the projects you fund are successful, and we’ve found that having local staff in the various countries in which we work is important, in terms of building relationships and in addition to the due diligence component,” Stamperdahl explained….