Donors across four different continents can now support charities in nearly 100 countries through Myriad, an alliance created by the King Baudouin Foundation and its affiliates in North America. Myriad aims to ease and encourage charitable donations across borders worldwide, helping donors overcome the obstacles that persist despite the globalisation of the world economy.

‘Moving money around the world gets easier every day – until you try giving it to charity,’ KBF Managing Director Luc Tayart De Borms says of Myriad. ‘We want to make it effortless for donors to support good causes anywhere in the world, not just in their own backyard.’

On a global level, not only can it be difficult for cross-border donations to access the same fiscal advantages as domestic philanthropy, but a number of trends, including post-9/11 anti-terrorism and anti-money laundering controls, have added complexity and legal jeopardy to the process.

Myriad, which is open to further partners in other regions, also seeks to nurture the growth of truly global philanthropic movements and to help individuals, families, and corporations to engage with each other globally – thanks to the expertise, the networks and the cross-border experience of Give2Asia and the King Baudouin Foundation in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America.

A Donor-advised Fund, set up with the KBF in Belgium or with its affiliates in the United States or Canada, will now let individuals, corporations, and corporate foundations channel grants to charities not only in Europe and Africa but also across the Asia-Pacific region through Myriad. Such funds can also handle legacy bequests to communities overseas or art donations to foreign museums.

Corporate donors can also leverage Myriad’s trusted network of local experts through the Corporate Plus service to identify premier nonprofit partners and build rewarding relationships across the globe. A Disaster Response Fund also offers a tool to engage employees in many countries, to mobilise giving across multinational enterprises for local communities in need.

Myriad lets donors access standardised service offerings and fees regardless of their location – as well as a single point of contact for donations to any region served by the alliance.

‘People around the world are increasingly looking for good things to do with their money,’ said Birger Stamperdahl, President and CEO at Give2Asia. ‘And the best way to help is often to send that money abroad. Through this alliance, our goal is to unlock the potential of charitable giving from anywhere, to anywhere.’