Bonnie Koenig
Bonnie Koenig is a long-term ASAE member and former executive director who is currently a consultant working with associations on effective international engagement.
Going global takes time. As you go through each phase of international growth, different strategies are needed to best manage it. A look at five areas that associations need to consider as part of their long-term efforts.
In a society that increasingly focuses on quick solutions, it can be hard to find long-term case studies or forums to share the ups and downs of working on long-term global initiatives. As part of an effort to place attention on some of these important multi-year lessons, we organized a session at ASAE’s 2019 Annual Meeting called “Managing Expectations: Going Global Takes Time.”
Some of the general themes we introduced were:
No matter what stage your association is on its global growth journey, here are ideas for managing various aspects of your strategy over the long term.
Leadership and staff need to have a global mindset for tackling the long-term challenges. Having a successful and sustainable long-term program takes significant effort and resources and calls for the commitment of senior leadership throughout the association. If the global focus is tied to the association’s overall plans, it will be easier for your leadership to stay committed, and for staff time and financial resources that will be needed over time to be allocated. Respect the overall investment needed by making strategic choices. For example, taking on too much at once can lead to being ineffective, and it will take more time to recover and make progress.
Building partnerships is key to impact, but you must understand your goals in order to identify good partners.
Be inclusive and look to identify different types of partners (e.g., government agencies, NGOs, private-sector organizations, faith-based groups, etc.). Each partner type will bring unique strengths to the initiative. Also select partners that understand your vision and whose goals are fully aligned. Don’t assume you understand a partner’s interest. Be clear on your values, motivations, expectations, timelines, and work style—and try to assess the same of a partner. Organizations that are seeking funding may overlook vital characteristics that will eventually stall the initiative in order to secure that funding partner.
More than anything, know and understand the value you bring to a global partnership. Be clear on your strengths and honest about your weaknesses and selective in choosing partners who respect all that you bring to the initiative.
If the global focus is tied to the association’s overall plans, it will be easier for your leadership to stay committed.
Personal relationships can often help determine success. As language and culture can affect global relationship building, make sure to consider translation as needed and do your research on cultural traditions. We are all likely to embarrass ourselves, but if you are transparent and show respect and humility, others will see your goodwill, which will build trust.
Within the association, integrate global development insights into your formal and informal communication channels. By using existing communication channels, you send the message that global growth is an association-wide priority, and you will get more people involved in the discussions.
Timely and regular evaluation is key to distinguish success and learn from failure. Criteria for measurement should be identified at the beginning of your global growth process. Regular surveys with customers, members, contractors, and partners will help with benchmarking and analyzing trends. Your focus should be on long-term behavior and be seen in the context of the agreed strategic objectives. Return on investment can often take time, so it is important to have successes along the way to point to and help keep the effort going.
It is also important to build a local network by establishing expertise, representation, and resources on the ground. Most international associations will not have the resources or personnel bandwidth to staff offices in each country their members are located. Establishing global hubs can be a useful strategy to better understand differences and adapt to local cultures and ensure you are still able to represent and advocate for these members. A global hub can also help to provide education and training.
Many associations pursing the global hub model report members are more involved and responsive, seeing the association as more of a local presence and interested in addressing their needs and advocating for issues that directly affect them.
Above all, be aware that global growth is a long-term process. Make sure you understand the commitment and effort your association will have to make and how to sustain it.