Going through a divorce in the public eye isn’t easy, because it draws attention that you might have otherwise avoided. For Bill and Melinda Gates, their divorce was anything but private.
Despite going through a highly publicized divorce, both of them have stated that they’ll continue working with a campaign that they cofounded in 2010 with Warren Buffet. That campaign, the Giving Pledge, encourages billionaires to give the majority of their wealth away through philanthropic actions.
Working toward a common cause but not together
The interesting thing about these two working with the Giving Pledge is that they will still be working toward a common cause but won’t be doing so together. They created individual letters to announce that they’d still participate, but each person now has a different philosophy on giving.
Melinda French Gates is estimated to be worth $6.2 billion and says she’ll be fighting for marginalized groups, women and girls and against poverty. She’ll also be working to advance equality around the world. She plans to do this through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Pivotal Ventures.
Bill Gates sees things differently. Worth around $138 billion, he plans to use the Gates Foundation as his philanthropic outlet. The foundation has a mission of providing access to education and life-saving medications around the world. Presently, the foundation focuses its efforts on the poorest areas of the world while improving education within the United States.
When couples separate, they don’t have to stop working with what they built together
This report is a good example of how a couple that has divorced can still continue to do good through organizations and foundations that they joined or built together despite wanting the way that they help others to be different. While a divorced couple may no longer want to work together directly, they can still work with the same foundations or companies to further their own philanthropic actions.
Every divorce is different but if you and your spouse have joint interests, it may still be possible to invest time and effort into those, even if you don’t want to do so together.