Bozeman News

Gallatin Valley Non-Profit Series

Montana Center for International Visitors: Connecting Montana to the World

By Alison Grey, 1-03-08

A delegation of Afghan visitors, all tribal leaders from the volatile region of Paktika Province, meeting with MCIV Board Member, Alice Meister, for a tour of the new Bozeman library.

The Gallatin Valley is home to over 200 non-profits. These organizations do not hinge on metropolitan amenities, and are often created to preserve wild places and stimulate communities of the West. As part of our New West economy, NewWest.Net/Bozeman is highlighting Gallatin Valley organizations in a weekly series.

With a mission to connect Montana to the world through global education and exchanges with international visitors, the Montana Center for International Visitors (MCIV) is part of a network of individuals and community organizations throughout the U.S. that helps to bridge cultures and build positive relationships by bringing together people from all over the world.

An affiliate of the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV), based in Washington, D.C., MCIV is one of 95 community based non-profit centers throughout the country. The organization brings emerging leaders from over 120 countries to the U.S. to obtain knowledge about its people, government and culture, resulting in lasting relationships with prominent professionals and leaders from various overseas locals.

Founded in 1987, the MCIV has one full-time staff member and one part-time staff member and eight board members that work to bring an average of 100 leaders to experience Montana every year. Executive Director, Doris Armstrong, expands upon MCIV and their efforts.

NewWest.Net: Why and how did your organization come into being?

MCIV: The Montana Center for International Visitors is an affiliate of the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV) based in Washington, D.C. We are one of 95 community-based non profit centers throughout the U.S. that works in conjunction with the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). The International Visitor Leadership Program brings participants to the United States from all over the world each year to meet and confer with their professional counterparts and to experience the U.S. firsthand. The visitors, who are current or potential leaders in government, politics, the media, education, and other fields, are selected by American officials overseas. More than 200 current and former Heads of State, 1,500 cabinet-level ministers, and many other distinguished world leaders in government and the private sector have participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program.

NewWest.Net: Why is this organization in Bozeman? What are the advantages and challenges of operating in this area? Are there other non-profits in this area that you partner with or would like to?

MCIV: The greatest advantage to operating in Montana is the easy access to wonderful professional resources. Montanans are hospitable, generous, and generally eager to help. Our visitors often comment on how comfortable they feel in Montana and how kindly local people treat them. Because the majority of the programs we arrange focus on environmental themes, we partner with other non-profit organizations, like Montana Outdoor Science School and the Montana Conservation Corp whose staff regularly meet with our environmental delegations to discuss their work.  We also collaborate with the Friends of the Bozeman Public Library to host a monthly community education program called Great Decisions. The Great Decisions Discussion Program is the oldest and largest grass-roots world affairs education program of its kind in the country and was founded by the Foreign Policy Association.

NewWest.Net: Where are you directing your resources?

MCIV: We direct our resources to our programming – visitor programs, membership events and our community education program.

NewWest.Net: What is your annual operating budget, and can you please break that down between administrative and fund-raising versus program expenses?

MCIV: Our annual budget for 2007 was approximately $70,000. This represents salaries for 1.5 staff and all other operating expenses. We receive approximately 75 percent of our funding from grants and fee for service revenues, and 25 percent from individual and corporate donations. Since most of our income is generated by the program services we provide, very little of our time and resources are spent on fundraising.

NewWest.Net: How are you fulfilling your mission statement?

MCIV: For the year 2007, we hosted 138 international leaders in the State of Montana and sponsored eight foreign policy discussion groups with the Friends of the Bozeman Public Library. The visitors we hosted included members of the Parliament from Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan, the former Governor of the State of Santa Cruz in Argentina, representatives from Ministries of Agriculture and Ecology from12 European countries and a large delegation of NGO environmental leaders from Latin America.

NewWest.Net: What is your most recent success story?

MCIV: In June of 2007, MCIV hosted a reception at the Lindley Center in Bozeman for 34 international leaders representing 33 different countries. The group was comprised of three delegations: European, Latin American, and African/Asian. The program themes included Environmental Protection, Library Sciences, and Biotechnology. Over 75 people attended the dinner reception and gave the group a warm Montana welcome.

NewWest.Net: Thank you!

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