Business Association Training Survey
The Results Are In

Since 1985, a centerpiece of CIPE's activities has been the Business Association Management Training program. Through this program, CIPE has trained thousands of managers from chambers of commerce and business associations from around the world. Over the years, the training program has evolved into a one-week in-country seminar taught primarily by CIPE staff and American business association executives. CIPE offers 25 different training modules, and a typical one-week seminar covers ten or more modules. CIPE has held 49 training sessions, which have been attended by some 1,400 participants.

To ascertain the cost-effectiveness and impact of the program, CIPE has undertaken an evaluation of the programs conducted over the past two years, and the results were very encouraging:

• In advocacy, 61 percent of respondents reported success in changing government policies subsequent to the seminar.
• In services and communications, 65 percent developed new services and 50 percent developed new publications to assist in outreach efforts.
• CIPE's training manual proved to be a valuable resource and reference for participants and others. Subsequent to the seminar, 97 percent of respondents reported using the manual, and 97 percent also shared the manual with their colleagues. On average, participants shared these materials with 21 of their colleagues. In some cases these materials were used for subsequent training programs.
• Networking proved to be another of the seminars' greatest assets. After the program was completed, 95 percent of respondents reported that they were still in contact with other participants. Such coalition-building, including the ability to access human resources from around the globe, suggests that CIPE's training program will continue to enjoy long-term success.

As part of their training, and to gain a good understanding of retention rates, participants are tested before and after the seminar. Trainers are also expected to contribute to the review process: their wrap-up reports rate the program in several categories.

Some Unique "Success Stories" Came Out of the Survey

• In Romania, 25 organizations banded together after the seminar to form the Strategic Alliance of Business Associations (SABA). They signed an agreement to advocate jointly for pro-business legislation that will affect their membership at-large. CIPE training manuals are now used frequently by Romanian business associations and universities for instructional purposes. Since the training program, SABA has evolved into an active business association that currently is undertaking a CIPE supported project.
• In Bulgaria, the Association of Hotel and Restaurant Employers convinced the Smolian municipal government to convert the Municipal Tourism Council from a government body to a privately run organization.
• A business association in the Ivory Coast, COCO PROVI, championed the creation of a national savings and loan fund, which will allow the group to provide loans to women entrepreneurs.

Survey Respondents Generated at Least Three Key Recommendations for Future Programs

1. Select trainees could be chosen each year for a "train-the-trainer" component in the United States. Such advanced training would help to expand the program worldwide and would also promote cross-fertilization: encouraging participants to share strategies and to create "hybrid" solutions to mutual problems.
2. CIPE could establish a section on its Web site for training participants to use as an information and networking resource. Links to other relevant Web sites would be an important part of this effort.
3. Whenever possible, training programs should be followed up with focus group discussions to determine these programs' effectiveness. C

The two-year survey reaffirmed that CIPE is clearly on the right track. Seminar participants are dedicated to the training program, and many participants have developed new features in their own programs and services as a result of the CIPE seminars. Such initiatives will ultimately help participants to strengthen their own associations, stimulate membership, solve delicate problems, and generate income that will enhance the long-term viability of these associations.

Training Program Goals

CIPE's Business Association Management Training Program has four key goals:

1. To strengthen the capability of independent, voluntary business organizations to play a more active role in public policy in their countries through the development of strong, effective public policy programs and improved member services.
2. To develop skills and technical expertise necessary for the effective management, administration, and operation of membership services of local business associations.
3. To fill the information void by providing materials on the institutional structures of the democratic market system.
4. To facilitate networking among business associations for the exchange of information and experiences.

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