What does it mean to be a global association?

Several years ago, some associations were throwing "international" in front of their acronyms and calling themselves "global," says Alfons Westgeest, who is based in Brussels, Belgium and works as a managing partner at the association management company, Kellen. But in the association space, the term "global" has come to describe an organization in which 40 to 60 percent of members or certificate holders are based outside of North America, he says.

These days, you can't be global in name only. It requires strategic alignment, financial commitment, and legwork, and it might not be for all associations. To that end, Westgeest offers some tips for assessing your organization's readiness to go global.

Know your position. If you're a strong association nationally, you might be ready to expand internationally. Even for some state or regional associations—say, an IT association on the West Coast with deepening ties to Asia—expanding globally might be a good idea. Regardless, you need to devote time and energy to "researching and developing your position," says Westgeest. Associations need to figure out whether the trends they find in their association data support a global move.

Going global has to have a bigger purpose. There's got to be an alignment with overall strategy. It's not just a whim of the day.—Alfons Westgeest, Managing Partner, Kellen

Analyze the data. After gathering your data, you'll need to analyze it. "You need to work within the entire organization to try and understand what the data means," Westgeest says.

Dig into your data and ask some pointed questions: What percentage of your membership hails from abroad—and why are these people members? For instance, do they attend conferences and pursue certification? Or do they simply join for one year and drop out? This information can tell you whether you already have an interested international base or whether there is little enthusiasm abroad.

Similarly, you might find that there is significant interest in your association in several regions of the world, but which should you prioritize? Benchmarking your association against others already operating in those places is one way to start thinking about priorities. Or you might find that your journal is widely read in certain areas of the world, so there might be a possibility to increase readership there.

Scrutinize the strategic fit. Take a hard look at your overall strategy and mission to determine whether expanding globally is a good objective for your association. Will going global further the association's strategic objectives? Will it benefit the association financially? Will it benefit your members? Going global "has to have a bigger purpose," Westgeest says. "There's got to be an alignment with overall strategy. It's not just a whim of the day."

Manage your expectations and bottom line. Associations should think about global expansion as a five- to 10-year investment, Westgeest says. Getting up and running in the global sphere takes time. "You won't want to tackle everything at once," he says. Rather, it's a better strategy to choose one or two products—meetings or certifications, for example—and focus your attention there. And you'll have to determine whether your association has the capacity to launch a global outreach, with a financial tail of five to 10 years. You likely won't see an immediate ROI, for instance, on translating your certification program into Mandarin.

At the end of the day, an association has to make "a choice based on its risk profile and its financial arm," Westgeest says.