Internationalization for voluntary organizations

To answer this question, we need to identify the main stakeholders involved in the process:

• Organisations: They are the key point of internationalisation, and the success or of that process depends almost exclusively on them. As previously discussed, internationalisation brings several considerable benefits to organisations, such as gaining visibility, reaching out to more donors, gaining access to more resources, developing their activity in other countries and therefore reaching wider target groups, increasing the efficiency of their use of resources and funds, acquiring recognition and reducing costs.

However, it has to be considered that internationalisation brings extra costs and management procedures for the organisation. Non-Profit organisations usually base their funding on donors and small funders, that selflessly provide their small contributions to the organisation. This can also be noticed by the dependency of these organisations on volunteers. With this in mind, creating projects in other countries normally needs prior funding, related to the search and engagement of new donors and funders of that country. The management of those funds will also increase, both in workload and costs. We will discuss these risks in the following units.

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• Volunteers: One of the most interesting consequences of internationalisation is the possibility of creating a network between different organisations of different countries, sharing knowledge with them and learning about thei approaches to our field of work. In this respect, volunteers play a huge role: New people from other countries have the chance to get engaged with the organisation and its social purposes, and both new and current volunteers of the organisation can share an international experience, getting to know each other.

Another important aspect of achieving an international setting with your organisation is the attractiveness that it will gain for new volunteers: An organisation that develops different projects in different countries, with the possibility of engaging in those projects internationally and working with people from different countries is incredibly attractive for new volunteers. Also, the recognition and visibility that your organisation will have when going international will also help to both increase the engagement of current volunteers and increase the chances of gainining new people for the organisation.

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• Target group: Each organisation works with a different target group and has a unique and distinctive approach to it. With internationalisation, the possibility to reach out to more people to take benefit from your selfless work becomes a reality, increasing its number exponentially. Sharing your knowledge and collaborating with different partners of your international setting also provides the chance to share your target groups, and for them to benefit from that collaborative work.

Another important consideration is that with proper internationalisation development comes an increase in funds and resources, which is translated almost immediately into a better and more useful work with your current (and new) target groups, no matter what specific sector of the population it is or the purpose of your organisation. With those extra resources, more activities can be conducted, an improvement of your installations can be achieved, and even more dissemination and promotion activities can be arranged.

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• Donors and other funders: Lastly, for donors and other funders, internationalisation brings them recognition and confidence with your organisation. Seeing how their small donations are converted into big projects, not only in their countries of residence but also in others’, with the collaboration of different organisations like the one they are currently supporting, that share common goals and purposes, brings donors a feeling of satisfaction and joy, as well as improving their engagement with your organisation and its purpose.

On the other hand, disseminating your activities and the purpose of your organisation in other countries helps to increase the number of donors and funders to your projects, as more people get to know your work and organisation. Furthermore, being an international organisation attracts much more selfless funders, who will contribute in acquiring the resources, installations and materials needed for your activities.