Giving Compass' Take:

• In this Exponent Philanthropy post, two representatives from Convergence discuss the importance of bridging divides in philanthropy and engaging with perceived adversaries.

• Employment is the avenue for cooperation discussed here, but the advantages to connecting with diverse stakeholders apply to many types of initiatives — finding common solutions mean that the results are more durable.

• Here's why more collective action is needed in general to build up civil society.

In a time when divisive politics often sends people to their partisan corners, funders have the opportunity to play a unique role as bridge-builders. By investing in efforts that bring together individuals and organizations from different sectors and viewpoints, you can contribute to reducing polarization while also laying the groundwork for more lasting societal change. Since no one person, party, or side has a monopoly on wisdom, it often takes the collective knowledge, resources, and expertise of people with diverse perspectives to create enduring solutions to the complex problems of our time.

Although collaboration across differences may seem impossible or rare, our experience at Convergence shows otherwise. For example, our Working Up initiative brought together individual stakeholders from Walmart, National Employment Law Project, Chamber of Commerce, The Aspen Institute, IBM, and Center for American Progress, along with twenty other diverse leaders, to identify ways to increase economic mobility for Americans through work — a promise that seems out of reach for millions.

Although the participants approached the issue from different and sometimes conflicting vantage points, all had a stake in addressing stagnant economic mobility and the opportunity gaps facing our country. Through challenging face-to-face conversations over the course of 18 months, the group discussed how to improve the quality of work for low-income Americans in ways that would benefit both workers and employers.

Read the full article about collaboration across differences by Kate Ross and Susan Jerison at Exponent Philanthropy.