Working World: Careers in International Education, Exchange, and Development, Second Edition

Chapter 9: Nongovernmental Organizations and Educational Institutions

198 CHAPTER 9 NongovernmentalOrganizations andEducationalInstitutions Introduction Some years ago, many Americans contemplating a career in international affairs envisioned working for the US Foreign Service. The Foreign Service was the ideal. Conscientious performance would propel those who survived the rigorous recruitment process up a structured career ladder. Ambassador Kenton Keith, who spent more than thirtythree years in the Foreign Service, told us in his profile interview that when he was starting his career, those interested in the international realm also thought about the Peace Corps or the US Agency for International Development (USAID). But that was pretty much it. Today there are infinitely more choices for those who are pursuing an international career, in the private sector as well as in government. The proliferation of internationally focused private organizations— many of them nonprofit, all of them nongovernmental (NGO)—has created a growing arena for people interested in careers in international education, exchange, and development. The Foreign Service is now only one option among many. As Ambassador Keith told us: I think that NGOs may actually have more personally rewarding work to offer, in particular for people who have a passion in one area or another. If your passion is environmental protection, you can have an international career in that. If your passion is educational exchange, if your passion is sports . . . with the proliferation of NGOs and interest groups, it’s possible to have a job in international, nongovernmental work that is every bit as rewarding as being in the Foreign Service. Nongovernmental Organizations and Educational Institutions 199 And as globalization increases, there will be more and more opportunities in nongovernmental organizations. A Gallup survey echoes Ambassador Keith’s opinion, reporting that many young people think the private sector offers more opportunity for creativity and attracts better minds than traditional federal programs . Because of this, the government now faces “unparalleled and fierce” competition from NGOs in attracting the United States’ best and brightest.1 What Is an NGO? NGO. Nonprofit. NPO. Not-for-profit. Private voluntary organization. Any of these terms might be used to describe the organizations listed in this chapter. But do they all have the same meaning? Despite the explosion of private sector activity over the past few decades—what Dr. Lester Salamon, director of the Center for Civil Society Studies at Johns Hopkins University, calls the “global associational revolution”— confusion still persists. NGOs and private sector organizations are, broadly defined, organizations that are not government agencies (public sector). NGOs do sometimes work in conjunction with the government—many NGOs listed here are referred to as the private sector partners of the Department of State and other US government agencies, implementing ­ US-government funded exchange and development programs. These NGOs might even be funded (at least in part) by US government grants or cooperative agreements. But they are most definitely not a part of the government. Nonprofits are also called not-for-profits, or NPOs. These are private sector organizations with 501(c)(3) status.2 Nonprofits are invariably NGOs; that is, they are in the private sector and not a part of the government. But not all NGOs are nonprofits. Indeed, some NGOs (including some of the sample organizations listed later) have both forprofit and nonprofit arms. For example, an organization might have a study abroad component that has been incorporated as a for-profit and a high school exchange foundation that is nonprofit. Both components 200 Selected Resources and Profiles are dedicated to the cause of international exchange—they have just been financially and legally structured in different ways for various reasons. We’ve also included educational institutions in this chapter as places to seek meaningful work. We’ve done this to recognize two facts: First, many NGOs in international education, exchange, and development have education and educational programs as key elements in their missions. Sometimes they manage language schools and other types of educational institutions. And second, universities, colleges, and high schools play important roles in the creation and facilitation of international programs. A number of the organizations listed here, such as NAFSA and the Institute of International Education, work directly with US universities on international exchange and education programs. Others, such as AIFS and CCI Greenheart, place international students at US high schools for exchange experiences. Still others, such as Ashoka and Abt Associates, are committed to educating communities abroad as a part of their development work, often with an emphasis on social...