Our Mission:
The International Goat Association promotes goat research and development for the benefit of humankind, to alleviate poverty, to promote prosperity and to improve the quality of life.

Our Vision:
IGA is a global network of people and organizations linking research and production by sharing information, experience, and best practices. IGA advocates socially just, environmentally sound and economically viable goat production. IGA promotes regional activities with a global and diversity perspective.

Want to become an IGA member? Click here for a membership application.

Strengths of IGA:
• Small Ruminant Research (A credible and reputable journal)
• International conference on goats (A premier event for researchers and practitioners)
• Existing global network
• Knowledgeable and enthusiastic members
• Potential for future network development
• Global membership from 70 countries
• Linking research with rural / community development (putting science into practice)
• Importance of goats to alleviating poverty
• Importance of goats in improving environment
• Reputation of the organization
• Committed board members and chairman (serious and responsible leadership)
• Diverse board of directors and general membership (globally and economically)
• Global perspective
• 25-year history

Challenges of IGA:
Funding
• Expanding the financial base
• Diversification of income
• Sustainability and viability

Membership
• Strengthen membership services
• Services for the involvement of members
• Injection of technology
• Process for communication: website, electronic newsletter, and email
• Time allocation for secretariat (staffing issue)
• Reasons for being a member of IGA

Operations
• Revise policy and procedures
• Examine how the board functions and how we do business
• Maintain institutional memory
• Develop and implement IGA information projects

Geographic Focus
• Promoting regional activity and global exchange of information
• Network development (need to consider where we place our emphasis)
• Discuss possibility of acquiring funding to support regional activities
• Increase regional activities in intervals between the International Conferences

o Promote and structure exchange visits and agricultural internships
o IGA will take the lead on the development of regional chat rooms
o Identify resources and support regional training workshops
o Provide useful information via web-based means (location of breeding stocks, local and international expertise, regional and international events, hot spots of goat activity, key IGA contacts, membership application, resource information, links, web-based payment means)

• Support country representatives

o Foster better field recruitment in regions
o Clarify lines of communication to the Secretariat
o Ensure appropriate credentials (business cards, letterhead stationery)
o Provide up-to-date and accurate data on the web
o Explore communication mechanism between the IGA board members and country representatives

• Ensure fundraising efforts are ongoing at every level of IGA

o Centralized / decentralized
o Regional representatives identify potential donors
o Involvement in grant writing
o Establish legal identity to enable access to European funding
o Schedule information sharing (regional news features of what’s happening in various areas)

Program Niche
• Strengthen the relationship between scientific research and producers to alleviate poverty
• Promote understanding and co-operation between researchers, producers and development practitioners
• Discuss how to integrate real farmer challenges and success with research programs
• Create a clear identity linkage between research and development
• Promote the role of women in goat production

Our Priority:

To manage and increase membership
Action plan
• Revision and overhaul of existing database used to manage membership
• Appropriate allocation of time and resources that are unique to IGA
• Create an up-to-date mailing list from membership
• Better membership acquisition – ideally from the IGA website
• Ensure handover from previous team is completed
• Membership list update and distribution/key access to regional directors and country representatives
• Explore differential membership fee for less developed countries
• Institutional membership/additional categories
• Country representative as a resource person
• Organizing of information system on goats

Anticipated Outcomes
• Decreased turnover of members
• Happy, satisfied members
• Increased membership
• Increased income
• Maintaining the credibility

Estimated Cost
• A full-time director of operation
• Time commitment of secretary/treasurer

Complete Redesign and Management of IGA Website
Action plan
• Utilize expertise available to the secretariat
• Website platform should be commercialized
• Membership acquisition online
• Add the capability of paying for membership online
• Multi-language accommodation (Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish)
• Regional web sites
• Online newsletter

Anticipated Outcomes
• Improved image and credibility of IGA
• Accurate and up-to-date information sharing
• Increase membership and revenue generation
• Publications online
• Resource expertise
• Hosting of regional websites
• Better visibility of institutional members marketing on IGA site

Estimated Cost
• Design and maintenance

Promote the link between researchers and producers
Action plan
• Promote regional and national conferences (sponsor or co-sponsor regional meetings annually)
• Conferences proceedings would appear on IGA’s website
• Undertake farm visits and exchange of experience – research stations
• Setup IGA booths at conferences (membership drive, applications on the spot, IGA sponsored speaker)

Anticipated Outcomes
• Meeting our vision
• Key point of information exchange
• Experience sharing
• Research becomes more useful to the producer
• Venue for the exchange of best practices

Estimated Cost
• Micro-grants per year per region
• Scholarships sponsorship per year per region

International Conference on Goats – Mexico 2008
Action plan
• Sponsorships / scholarships (10 emerging Scientists and 10 leaders of producer groups)
• Create an atmosphere with funding that will attract potential keynote speakers
• Call for scientific papers – 2 years in advance
• Establish scientific committee for reviewing submissions
• Agree on the mode of publishing accepted papers
• Undertake fundraising for the above
• Create high scientific standards-of-presentation
• Involve emerging scientists in the planning process of ICG
• Logistics

Anticipated Outcomes
• Increased number of IGA members consistent with number of attendees
• 700 attendees
• Meeting our vision
• Key point of information exchange
• Experience sharing
• Research becomes more useful to the producer
• Best practices exchanged

Estimated Costs
• Planning meetings 2006 & 2007
• Scientific committee meeting
• Scholarships for ICG
• Keynote speakers

Financial Sustainability
Action plan
• Marketing
• Logo Development

o design
o market testing via focus groups
o branding
o brochure development

• Fundraising strategies

o Undertake drive to increase institutional membership (survey board members for potential institutional members)
o Seek out individual donors to fund scholarships, website, training for women, and regional meetings
o Industry sustaining memberships – organizations that cater to small ruminants

• Seek out grants and donations

o SARE
o Kellogg
o Ford Foundation
o McKnight Foundation
o Sandy River
o Clinton Foundation
o Conservation, Food & Health
o IDRC
o CIDA
o DFID (UK)
o Dairy and Goat Associations

• Seek out corporate donations

o Animal supply firms
o Veterinary drug companies

• Seek out affiliate organizations

o Invite them to be institutional members
o Request the support of scholarships

Anticipated Outcomes
• Rebranding of IGA
• Fresh look / image boost

Estimated Cost
• Members time
• Postage
• Operating Costs
• Budget Development
• Estimated Operating Costs FY2005 - $40,000 – 50,000
• Estimated Operating Costs FY2006 - $90,000
• Fundraising Goal FY2005 - $50,000
• Fiscal Year is from January to December

Publish Small Ruminant Research
Action plan
• Continue to provide support for the Editor-in-Chief, associate editors and editorial board members to expand the pool of referees
• Add a section/paragraph of “implications for producers”
• Identify special issues linking research and production
• Ensure regular IGA input on content

Anticipated Outcomes
• High quality scientific journal with relevance to producers published bi-monthly
• Citations
• Good image for IGA