Adaptation and Change in Six Globalizing NGOs?: Drivers, Tensions and Lessons

The experiences of six NGOs – Save the Children (STC), Oxfam, MSF, World Vision, CARE and
Mercy Corps – were analyzed to help frame a discussion on structures and governance of
globalizing NGOs at the April 2010 NGO Leaders Forum. The diversity of terms describing their
global organizations (e.g., confederation, alliance, movement, partnership, federation) and
national organizations (e.g., affiliate, section, associative, member, national office) indicate
distinctive cultures. All these NGOs originated in industrialized countries and have, over the
years, sought to become global organizations advancing missions that reflect universal values.
Every international NGO seeking to become more effective and relevant constantly confronts
external/internal challenges that demand adaptation and change (“drivers), weighs trade-offs
and manages tensions to make forward-looking decisions (“tensions”), and learns from their
and others’ experiences (“lessons”). This paper highlights some major drivers, tensions and
lessons that emerge in the six cases.