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Taking the Pulse of the Network

Reflecting on Invigorating NPA Visits

by Stafford Kay, NCIV Staff

One of the ways to sustain the vitality of the NCIV country-wide network for hosting International Visitors (IV) is to pause occasionally and take its pulse. This year I accompanied Sherry Mueller, President, NCIV, on her annual visits to all seven national program agencies (NPA) to listen to their program staffs’ assessments of how well Councils for International Visitors (CIV) have been performing during the past year in providing local programs for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). These discussions are one of several means NCIV employs to take the pulse of the network in order to determine who is doing good work and where scarce training dollars can best be invested. The exchanges allow NPA partners to share impressions and ideas about best practices that they would like to see emulated by all CIV partners.

This year we began each session by sharing with NPA staffs the results of an NCIV survey in which CIVs reported how their IV numbers for the first six months of FY 2008 compared with FY 2007. We reminded the NPAs about the minimum number of visitors each CIV needed to qualify for travel grants to attend the all important regional and national meetings and to engage in new initiatives and exchanges with other CIVs. And we relayed to each NPA the importance of sustaining a steady flow of visitors to all CIVs so that they can keep their volunteer corps strong and meet their desired visitor numbers to qualify for the annual Community Partnership Grant. We learned that some NPAs even track where their program teams are sending visitors to be as inclusive as possible in the use of the entire network as well as to send a balance of different types of projects, themes, and group sizes to all CIVs. We encouraged other NPAs to adopt this kind of monitoring to be fair and equitable in where IVs are sent.

I am pleased to report that everywhere we went there was an abundance of praise given concerning the work of CIVs in all parts of the country. NPA staff are grateful for the dedication CIVs demonstrate daily to welcome IVs to their communities and to continue to make the IVLP and other exchanges a resounding success. A huge “thank you” came ringing through all the compliments that were heaped on those tireless CIV staff and volunteers who perform minor miracles on a daily basis.

From the copious notes taken, I want to share the traits the NPAs identified in a “good” CIV and let the reader determine how well his or her own CIV measures up to expectations of the NPAs.

* Responsive. This is the prime quality that time-pressured NPAs mentioned most. When a request of any kind goes out to a CIV, the “good” CIV responds immediately, even if it is a brief promise to be followed up with a fuller response in a few days. Just knowing that a CIV has received a request builds a favorable impression about that organization. NPAs also like to know quickly when CIVs cannot fulfill a request so that they can find the answer somewhere else. The ability to say “yes” or “no” quickly gains respect and friends.

*Resourceful. NPAs gravitate to CIVs that have a good collection of resources that are updated regularly. Several NPA staff cited the importance of keeping resource lists in the Online Resource Directory current and informative. The “good” CIV can quickly expand on its access to these resources and the topics various speakers can address and also be able to suggest a viable alternative if a requested appointment is unavailable.

* Creative. NPAs welcome ideas from CIVs that take a suggested theme or appointment and build it into a memorable experience for visitors. They value CIVs that know their resources well and how to make the best use of the talents and experience each represents. Increasingly Washington wants to hear ways that IVs can “experience” a local community and the program themes and not be just passive observers of their schedule.

* Flexibility. Quality local programs require careful planning, but when visitor cancellations, plane delays, and unexpected factors suddenly appear NPAs appreciate CIVs that are willing to adjust, modify, and augment schedules. Being flexible wins points and builds a reputation for being a CIV that performs well in both the best and worst of circumstances.

* Understands Logistics. The NPAs appreciate that CIVs know their community best and they especially like CIVs that pay careful attention to the time it takes to travel from one appointment to the next. Pacing the activities in the schedule is very important if the group is to have the right amount of time to spend with the local resource. Equally important, the “good” CIV spells out accurate transportation directions in the local program so that visitors unfamiliar with their community can travel around it with ease and confidence.

*Emphasis on Quality. High quality local programs are difficult to provide on a routine basis, but NPAs value CIVs that consistently deliver programs that are evaluated highly by all persons involved, including programmers, visitors, interpreters, local resources, and volunteer hosts. This desired achievement begins when a CIV looks carefully at the goals of the overall program and the specific themes requested for its community. Good local programmers ask questions early about what is wanted, possible alternatives, and the need for any additional information before designing a model visit to their town or city. They communicate frequently with the Washington program team so that everyone is “in the loop” about progress and changes. The planned activities are varied, well paced, and leave the IVs enlightened but not exhausted. The rewards for a quality program often tend to be a content Washington program team that wants to send more IVs to that community.

In summary, we learned that the NPAs perceive the network overall to be in excellent health. We thank them for their insights about how every CIV might either become or remain “above average.”

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