Guest Author: Tim Ebner, Associations Now
When looking to grow globally, many associations tap the power of international chapters to pursue the mission worldwide by bringing staff and volunteers together at the local level. Here’s how three associations are deploying international chapters, at different stages of maturity, to build on business and membership opportunities abroad.
The Institute of Management Accountants reached an important milestone this year, surpassing 100,000 members due to increasingly strong international growth. A decade ago, 90 percent of IMA’s members resided in the United States, but today a majority—64 percent—live in other countries.
Jim Gurowka, CAE, IMA’s senior vice president of global business development, attributes the boom to an extensive network of increasingly active chapters in international markets where the accounting profession is on the rise.
“Our focus right now is on Southeast Asia. We have chapters in Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines,” he says. “We are really trying to grow what they do and [help them] be the voice of the profession in local areas.”
In the digital economy, the world is smaller and more interconnected than ever before, and IMA and other associations are developing chapters that can seize upon opportunities for expanded business and membership abroad.
