Predominantly national associations often lack the expertise, and the motivation, to identify international opportunities—particularly when they don’t have the full buy-in of their leadership, who may question the value to domestic members and return on investment.
To shift an international strategy (or lack thereof) from ad hoc to proactive and intentional, associations need to implement an informed, structured approach—and have a great deal of patience, as international initiatives typically take time to yield results.
It all starts with gathering knowledge and defining several elements that will be critical to the success of the international strategic plan. These include:
- understanding existing needs and opportunities in the global marketplace
- clearly defining and agreeing on expectations
- anticipating the changes that will be needed and the readiness of the organization
- establishing a set of market criteria and global guiding principles
Assessing Needs
The goals of this phase are to collect and understand baseline data that reflects where the organization stands, the needs in the marketplace, and the obstacles and opportunities involved with global expansion. It’s common for boards to assemble a task force to conduct an in-depth assessment in collaboration with the organization’s CEO, appointed staff, and external consultants. By guiding and validating the findings, the task force ensures the right people are involved, the right questions are asked, and the right conclusions are drawn to drive the next phases of the process.
Defining Expectations
Another key step to craft an intentional strategy is to clearly define what success will look like. Knowing the board’s risk appetite, vision, and anticipated benefits are key inputs to guide strategy development. It’s important to clarify this in advance to align the plan to these expectations but also to reconcile the different perspectives that typically exist among board members depending on their prior experiences and involvement in global initiatives.
Conducting a board exercise that aims to discuss a vision, prioritize potential outcomes, and gain support is a valuable step in this phase. CultureWiz, a firm specialized in global strategy development, encourages boards at this stage to agree on a set of high-level guiding principles that will be used to build out the plan and operationalize the strategy later on, thereby keeping the board’s input at a truly strategic rather than tactical level.
Anticipating Change
Expanding into foreign markets with a more structured approach is likely to require adjustments to the association’s products and services, as well as its internal operating model. Knowing what changes will be needed to create a value proposition that is globally relevant and equip a workforce to serve a more diverse customer base is essential to formulating a sound strategy. This involves conducting product readiness assessments; identifying technical, financial, legal, and other requirements to operate in international markets; knowing which internal policies and procedures will require adjustment; and engaging staff and volunteers in global-mindset training.
Planning for change is essential in the development of any international strategic plan. This ensures realistic goals will be set with proper phases that align necessary investments and anticipated outcomes.
Designing Global Models and Methods
When associations decide to be more intentional it’s often because they’ve been reactive, ad hoc, and inconsistent with prior expansion. Such experiences are typically marred by unexpected challenges and wasted efforts. When shifting to a more informed method to grow across borders, it’s helpful to learn from prior successes and challenges, and apply those lessons to design more suitable models and methods in the future.
Before expanding further, associations should take the time to identify their existing competition around the world. At this stage of planning, associations should define the characteristics of an ideal market for their profession or industry in terms of demand, size, language, maturity, partners, and opportunities. ASAE’s The Associations’ Guide to Going Global includes sample market assessment models and methods to help organizations objectively evaluate requests they receive for entering new markets and proactively identify countries that offer the greatest potential.
Putting It All Together
Shifting to a proactive, intentional approach means informing your strategy with critical knowledge that guides its development and preparing your organization for the transformation ahead. Organizations that take the time to clearly identify how they can serve the needs and opportunities of the global marketplace, the expectations of their leadership, and the extent of changes that will be required to transform into a more international organization will have what it takes to build a sound international strategy.