For almost three decades! I have been writing about engaging internationally. There was a group of NGOs that were already operating internationally in the mid-1990’s (when this story starts :) but in the NGO world there was a burst of new energy to engage more internationally, much of it fueled by the ability to connect virtually before or after an in person visit. And for many professional societies (with primarily domestic members), international engagement was still fairly new for their organizations and happening in an ad hoc way, rather than strategically.
I believe change is incredibly important (it’s one of the reasons I like working with younger generations and in multigenerational efforts) but I also believe we have a tendency to recreate the wheel more often than we need to. This can steer our energies away from building on the foundation of what has worked in the past, to starting anew each time. With that in mind, here is some of what I (and other colleagues) have learned about what has changed and what (good) has remained constant about engaging internationally, pulling from writings over the past 30 years. Building on strong foundations can help us put our energy and resources into creatively customizing what the rest of the structure will look like.
For organizations/associations/networks engaging internationally:
I. Some Constants
The question of ‘why’ you want to engage internationally and the value you will bring to your stakeholders should always be central.
“Have clear reasons for why you are considering international engagement. What goals are you trying to achieve? Is international expansion the best way to do so? Who else is doing what you want to do that you might be able to partner with? Are there other ways to achieve the impact you are looking for?” ~ Bonnie Koenig, International Engagement for Impact in a Changing World, 2015
“An association [NGO] considering operating [or expanding] internationally should first assess whether or not it makes sense to do so…ensuring that the expansion matches the organization’s values and that the organization’s culture is ready to adapt to the changes of operating internationally is an important part of any expansion consideration.” ~ The Association Guide to Going Global, ASAE, 2024
Commitment to organizational change.
“To effectively broaden the focus, associations [and NGOs] must change their entire approach to management by adopting a global mindset.” Associations and the Global Marketplace, Kimberly Svevo-Cianci, ASAE, 1995
“Significant change takes time and it will only succeed if there is a commitment throughout your organization or network. Otherwise directions may change every time there is a leadership or senior staff change.” ~ Bonnie Koenig, 2022
Some planning – Although efforts may start ‘ad hoc’, to be effective long-term organizations need to switch to some planning and structure at some point, discussing the what, how, and when. Are you ready? What needs to be in place to maximize success? How will you implement? Evaluate?
For your organization’s international initiatives to be most effective, they must advance its general mission, meet specific objectives and strategies, and be well integrated into the overall goals of the organization. What do you hope to accomplish? How quickly should you move ahead? ~ Bonnie Koenig, Going Global for the Greater Good, 2004
Learning from others – the concept of ‘case studies’ is a long-standing one, how can we learn from each other?
“From grassroots organizing to high-level advocacy and resource allocation, leadership in the nonprofit sector can cover a range of roles and responsibilities. As such, the teaching cases in this section intersect with many of our topics, allowing students to explore all the skills and complexities of public leadership as they pertain specifically to the world of nonprofits and NGOs”. ~ Harvard University case studies, 1999
External factors (eg geopolitical shifts, political conflicts, global health emergencies, climate change, AI), although they differ, will always be important factors to consider.
Organizations that are engaging internationally need to anticipate, assess, and respond to a continuously changing world. Reviewing past trends can provide some clues to the future. And what are some of the emerging trends you might want to anticipate? ~ Bonnie Koenig, Going Global for the Greater Good, 2004
II. Some of What has changed
Balancing planning with agility to deal with external factors – timeframes for plans have become shorter to take this into consideration.
“[When] we are in uncharted waters, leaders must take decisive action to ensure their organizations are resilient.” ~ Deloitte Consulting Scenario Planning, 2020
From in-person to online communications, convenings and service offerings. (How to determine when to meet in-person, virtual or hybrid?) The 2020-2022 world wide pandemic period accelerated this movement.
“I am convinced that going forward we will be organizing more online meetings as well as those that integrate both online and offline attendees. Even though, as humans, we will still want to gather and meet each other in-person (and will periodically continue to do so), there are many advantages to incorporating virtual or hybrid meetings into our repertoire. They include: 1) Being able to include more people in the conversation; 2) Decreasing travel costs; and 3) Decreasing our carbon footprint.” ~ Tips for Hybrid Meetings, Bonnie Koenig, 2015
Redefining partnerships – partnerships are not new, and will continue to be an important way in which organizations can accomplish their goals, but how we partner has changed.
Based on feedback from our country partners, we think international NGOs can continue to add value. But this will require unlearning some of the old ways of operating, developing a better understanding of how local systems and regional contexts operate and taking on new roles and new ways of thinking. It will also require an adaptive learning mindset in which new models and approaches are tested, evaluated and adjusted — and sometimes jettisoned. ~ Gina Lagomarsino, Results4Dev 2018
Equity and power considerations – although talked about over the years, equity and power considerations have come to the forefront, especially in how global south and global north practitioners interact.
#ShiftThePower is a mobilizing force and movement of people and organisations around the world that seeks to highlight, harness, resource, legitimize and join up new ways of “deciding and doing” that are emerging around the world. Shift the Power, 2019
Learning from our mistakes and sharing them with others – as noted above, case studies are not new, but traditionally they focused on successes, leading to the fallacy that ‘success’ would often come more easily and quickly than it actually does. Over time we have gotten better at sharing and learning from tests, mistakes, failures and adaptation
It is painful for civil society organizations to acknowledge when we don’t meet our goals and objectives; it is just as painful to worry about how funders will react to such failure. The paradox is that we do everything we can to avoid these pains even though we all know failure is the best teacher and we have to be open and talk about our failures in order to learn.~ Admitting Failure ~2012
Skills needed – There is a growing set of skills that are needed to be successful in working internationally. Although basics like communication and organizational skills are on-going ‘staples’, skills like cultural competency, the ability to be a good, active listener, facilitating diverse groups, and being willing to ‘sit with discomfort’ have all increased in value.
“As a former executive director and now facilitating peer cohorts of executive directors, I’ve been thinking about what’s changed in leadership approaches over the years, what stays consistent and what resources can provide us ‘food for thought’ or practical ideas to try. The importance of some qualities such as ‘Respect for others’ and ‘Humility’ are fundamental. Other additional approaches [such as agility, empathy and comfort with discomfort] have been added.” ~ Leadership, Bonnie Koenig, 2024
Selected bibliography
Associations and the Global Marketplace, Kimberly Svevo-Cianci, ASAE, 1995
Going Global for the Greater Good , Bonnie Koenig, 2004
Back to the Future blog, Bonnie Koenig, 2011 https://www.goinginternational.com/2011/12/08/back-to-the-future/
International Engagement for Impact in a Changing World e-book, Bonnie Koenig, 2015
Leadership blog, https://www.goinginternational.com/2024/04/24/leadership/, Bonnie Koenig, 2024
The Truths that Remain blog, https://www.goinginternational.com/2022/05/02/the-truths-that-remain/, Bonnie Koenig, 2022
The Association Guide to Going Global, ASAE, 2024
