05/24/2021

Associations' Post-pandemic Opportunity to go Global

Efforts to sustain global expansion can stall

The general lesson-learned from the past year and a half is that the pandemic provided an opportunity for associations to expand their global reach. COVID-19 gave the planet a common problem to address, and associations specialize in collective solutions. Moreover, associations’ mass shift to virtual meetings has meant that international members (and potential ones) have had easier access than ever before to their association’s community.

That anecdotal experience is borne out by a new survey, “2021 and Beyond,” by Factum Global, an international consultancy, conducted with StrategicStraits and Boardroom magazine. Its survey of C-suite leaders in for-profit and nonprofit organizations shows that a majority (55 percent) experienced increased participation in their activities internationally. That’s heartening. As Factum Global CEO Francisco Gomez put it in a statement about the report, “The survey results demonstrate promising opportunities for associations going abroad. With a thorough strategic plan and commitment from leadership, we believe associations have a real opportunity for bottom-line growth.”

But that statement also shows how tricky the next steps will be. Though the method of engagement for international audiences may have changed, engagement without a plan doesn’t lead to global success. It may be more correct to say that the pandemic has helped more associations start to become a global organization. Organic growth has increased, but without a targeted effort to find out why global audiences are coming to you and how to serve them, that growth can easily dissipate. Especially if you return to the in-person meetings that those global members have a hard time attending.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.