Empowering the global community: The vital role of philanthropists

Solving the most complex challenges of our time requires a global community of philanthropists working as a collective.

Sudha Nandagopal, CEO, SVP International draws from her lived experience to thread an argument in favor of this practice in her most recent post on Medium. In her article Why we must create community on a global scale, Sudha shares her personal journey — from the challenges of being an immigrant child who “stood out” to the disconnectedness she experienced in a new city as an adult — to connect the dots between hyperlocal inclusivity to global movement building. 

She writes, 

I couldn’t have imagined it at the time, but those experiences — growing up split between two worlds and not feeling a complete sense of belonging in either one — led me to the work I’m currently doing: figuring out how we can solve some of the most complex challenges of our time (climate change, huge income inequality and poverty, the loss of cultures around the world, incredible racial inequities and injustices), while also trying to connect us all closer together in a truly global community.

 Sudha goes on to say,

We can start doing this work today by building more inclusive cultures around us, not by asking people to hide their differences and assimilate. We can start doing this work by connecting with and showing up for each other, making sure the culture around us is oriented towards welcoming and openness to new ideas — and getting deeply connected to communities most affected by issues of oppression and injustice. We can start today by sharing our gifts and learning edges while asking others to share theirs.

You can learn more about Sudha’s vision for collective action by reading her post on Medium or exploring why collective action is key to effecting systems change.