Just as I was pulling some thoughts together for a forthcoming (stay tuned) article about the Global Philanthropy Forum held two weeks ago in Redwood City, CA, I came across this pithy little reflection from Raj Desai and Homi Kharas at the Brookings Institution:

"Approximately 800 press credentials were issued for the World Bank-IMF "Spring Meetings," as they are called. A Nexis search yields over 400 news articles reporting on the meetings. Meanwhile, at the Global Philanthropy Forum few, if any, members of the press were on hand; Nexis turns up not a single major news story on the proceedings (although one blogger did report on the forum's discussions).

This lopsidedness is unfortunate."

Indeed: the media missed an extraordinary gathering. The speakers - drawn from five continents and ranging from young social entrepreneurs to The Elders - brought plenty of inspiration to the ballrooms and break-out sessions. Archbishop Desmond Tutu shook off a raging flu and led off the conference, inspired by adrenalin or his deep and compassionate faith. The level of discussion stayed remarkably high throughout. The primary audience included a blend of established and emerging funders looking for inspiration. It's a conference built for networking, and more than 80% of past participants report following up concretely with other participants.

Desai and Kharas go on to assert that "American foundations, charities and philanthropies" gave $10 billion more to "international causes" last year than the World Bank and IMF disbursed in loans and credits.

I'd like to know more about the definitions behind those figures, but i do like the basic premise: enduring solutions to poverty need to take full account of the financial resources and creativity offered by philanthropy and its fashionable young cousins, social enterprise and "mission-related investing." And the contributions of the global philanthropoids merit sustained coverage in the global media.

Full disclosure: I had the honor of speaking on a panel at the Forum.
Full disclosure, too: The Forum's endlessly energetic founder, Jane Wales, has just joined us at the Aspen Institute as vice president for philanthropy and society.