You run programs that create empowerment, engagement and impact.
We are a global network of program directors, L&D managers, community organizers, civil servants, marketing and CSR professionals who support each other in creating, leading and managing high-impact programs.
Join a community. Build your network. Create more impact.
As a community, we are laser focused on helping you...
Increase Program
Impact
We work together to increase the impact that we deliver to the stakeholders and direct beneficiaries of our programs.
Enhance Your
Career
We build our network with fellow program professionals around the world. We dedicate time to building our skills and knowledge.
Advance Organizational Objectives
We advance the strategic objectives of organizations, helping them to be more effective and mission-driven.
Why we're here...
Our goal is to make the world 🌍 a better place through programs...
Programs have the power to change lives, address major societal challenges and create opportunities within the communities that they serve. In order to do this, program professionals must constantly toggle between focusing on big-picture, mission-driven thinking and tackling the day-to-day operations that make programs work.
In these times of tectonic, global transformation, we come together to learn from one another and seek more innovative, sustainable, ethical and responsive ways of creating and leading programs.
In these times of tectonic, global transformation, we come together to learn from one another and seek more innovative, sustainable, ethical and responsive ways of creating and leading programs.
2005
The founders of this network have been building programs for more than two decades. We're ready to transform our practice alongside you! Check out our consultancy and design studio.
"For the past 20 years, we’ve had the privilege of creating programs for clients across the globe and across industries (sport, tech, ed, government, consumer products, hospitality). I am excited to bring together program professionals to share stories and co-design solutions to the challenges that we all face: recruitment, driving impact, resource allocation, awesome content, fundraising, marketing, evaluation and more."
~ Anna Batchelder
~ Anna Batchelder
"I see programs all around us in society. Some good, some bad. Programs are like algorithms that script human behavior. We have a responsibility to improve the way we build programs to be more responsive, ethical, compassionate and humane. We also must be intentional and careful about the role that technology plays in programs. Program development is ultimately about co-creating the future."
~ Christopher Batchelder
~ Christopher Batchelder
We focus on topics that make a difference in how you run programs.
Monthly topics drive the focus for workshops, seminars, challenges, resources and peer-to-peer sharing.
Program Experience
Culture & Community
Diversity & Inclusion
Organizational Psychology & Sociology
Youth & Adult Learning
Diversity & Inclusion
Organizational Psychology & Sociology
Youth & Adult Learning
Innovation & Design
Program Architecture & Content Design
Creative Problem Solving
Cross-Industry Comparison
Cross-Cultural Inspiration
Creative Problem Solving
Cross-Industry Comparison
Cross-Cultural Inspiration
Data & Digital Trends
Digital / Virtual Transformation
AI / Machine Learning
Data & Analytics
Future Proofing
AI / Machine Learning
Data & Analytics
Future Proofing
Leadership
Leadership Styles
Leading Teams
Strategy & Change Management
Coaching & Career Development
Leading Teams
Strategy & Change Management
Coaching & Career Development
Sustainability
Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG)
Resource Management
Finance & Accounting
Fundraising & Sponsorship
Resource Management
Finance & Accounting
Fundraising & Sponsorship
Impact
Modeling Success
Measuring & Analyzing Impact
Reporting
Multimodal Storytelling
Measuring & Analyzing Impact
Reporting
Multimodal Storytelling
Network Features
The rhythm of our community consists of: monthly topics, weekly recorded live calls and daily asynchronous sharing, discussions and peer-to-peer solution building.
Monthly Topics
Topics gives direction and structure to the year. You can trust that over the course of an annual cycle, you will get balanced and well-rounded exposure to important professional development topics that will help you increase your program's impact, enhance your career and advance your organization's objectives. See sample list of topics above.
Expert Live Sessions
In the first week of each month, we invite an expert to give a live, interactive session aligned to the month's topic. The expert shares his or her knowledge, practical advice, strategies and a tool that you can take back with you. The expert then poses an optional challenge for you to complete during the month on the job. During the last week of each month, we invite the expert back to answer your questions and to host a feedback and accountability session with community members that elect to participate in the challenge or that have further questions about the month's topic. Experts have significant experience and come from across the globe.
Community Case Studies
We're putting YOU in the spotlight. Each month a different community member gets to share a success, challenge or both from his/her work and engage the rest of the community. This includes a live session, as well as a written article with comments open. This is a great opportunity to engage with peers from around the world in focused sharing, co-problem solving and solution-building.
Professional Networking
We help you expand your professional network both through the platform and through a monthly live networking session. These sessions go beyond the surface of traditional networking and help you form strong professional relationships with your peers around the world. Your global colleagues are a wonderful source of inspiration, information, job referrals and support.
Peer-to-Peer Advisory, Research & More
The interstory community has a dedicated section devoted to asynchronous collaborative brainstorming and problem solving. Our team works carefully to facilitate discussions and to help connect peers with relevant expertise. Each month we also post research aligned to the month's topic.
But there's so much information out there, how is interstory different?
We are a network of peers.
interstory is, first and foremost, a global network of program professionals who support each other in solving problems, making better decisions and increasing our programs' impact.
There are many issues that come up when running programs from the existential to the mundane. We help each other tackle the easy stuff and the challenging stuff that doesn't have obvious or clear-cut answers. We all dedicate time each month to learning and sharing with the community.
There are many issues that come up when running programs from the existential to the mundane. We help each other tackle the easy stuff and the challenging stuff that doesn't have obvious or clear-cut answers. We all dedicate time each month to learning and sharing with the community.
Problems That We Tackle
Existential - Does our program make a difference? Are we really helping people? Are we making progress? How do we build further support for the program within our organization or community? How will we fund ourself in these uncertain times?
Logistical - How do we properly look after our program's participants when we are so short-staffed? What systems do we need to put in place? How can we improve our operational efficiency while improving program delivery and impact?
Technological - How can we take our program virtual? What platform should we use (LMS, CMS, surveys, diagnostics, learning records, etc.)? Is our platform secure? How can we improve the participant experience online? How do we build human connection online?
Psychology & Sociology - Are we following best practices? How do we deal with participants' emotional and social challenges? How can we be more motivating? How can we encourage real behavioral change? What's the best way to lead this cohort of participants?
Teaching & Learning - What's the best way to structure learning content? How can we make our content more engaging and exciting? What are current best practices in instruction for adult, adolescent and child learners? How can we better differentiate learning for each program participant's needs? How should we assess participant growth and progress? How can we more effectively train our facilitators?
Organizational - How do I build a coalition of support for my role and program? How do I manage and influence my organization's leaders? How do I communicate internally about my program? How can I ensure people understand the effort that my team and I are putting into this program? How should I build my team?
Communication & Marketing - How do we recruit participation for our program? How do we tell the story of our program to the world? What's the best way to collaborate with other departments on our program (Marketing, Comms, Finance, etc.)? When and how should we engage third-party agencies?
KPIs, OKRs, Reporting & Metrics - What should we be measuring? How do we demonstrate ROI to our stakeholders? How do we measure something that is intangible? Reporting takes so long, how can we streamline the process? What tools should we be using?
Project & Time Management - How do we manage our time when it feels like there is always too much to do? How can we stay better organized as a team? How can I spend more time doing strategic work and less time putting out fires? What are the best tools to use as a team for project management, collaboration and accountability?
And more...
Logistical - How do we properly look after our program's participants when we are so short-staffed? What systems do we need to put in place? How can we improve our operational efficiency while improving program delivery and impact?
Technological - How can we take our program virtual? What platform should we use (LMS, CMS, surveys, diagnostics, learning records, etc.)? Is our platform secure? How can we improve the participant experience online? How do we build human connection online?
Psychology & Sociology - Are we following best practices? How do we deal with participants' emotional and social challenges? How can we be more motivating? How can we encourage real behavioral change? What's the best way to lead this cohort of participants?
Teaching & Learning - What's the best way to structure learning content? How can we make our content more engaging and exciting? What are current best practices in instruction for adult, adolescent and child learners? How can we better differentiate learning for each program participant's needs? How should we assess participant growth and progress? How can we more effectively train our facilitators?
Organizational - How do I build a coalition of support for my role and program? How do I manage and influence my organization's leaders? How do I communicate internally about my program? How can I ensure people understand the effort that my team and I are putting into this program? How should I build my team?
Communication & Marketing - How do we recruit participation for our program? How do we tell the story of our program to the world? What's the best way to collaborate with other departments on our program (Marketing, Comms, Finance, etc.)? When and how should we engage third-party agencies?
KPIs, OKRs, Reporting & Metrics - What should we be measuring? How do we demonstrate ROI to our stakeholders? How do we measure something that is intangible? Reporting takes so long, how can we streamline the process? What tools should we be using?
Project & Time Management - How do we manage our time when it feels like there is always too much to do? How can we stay better organized as a team? How can I spend more time doing strategic work and less time putting out fires? What are the best tools to use as a team for project management, collaboration and accountability?
And more...
Support That We Provide
Advice - OK, not advice. But experience and idea sharing. We encourage learning from the experience of others. Here's our guarantee. We will share our experience with you. The community will do the same. If we still can't help you, then we will go out into the world and find someone who can!
Creativity & Innovation - One of our absolute favorites. We will brainstorm alongside you, helping you come up with wild and crazy ideas that you can filter and use directly in your work.
Global Professional Community - Today's world is so globally interconnected, it is critical as professionals to be connected to each other and on top of global trends. Our goal in setting up this community is to bring together people from all geographies to talk about all things related to program creation, development, management and more.
Relevant Topics & Research - Everyone in the community knows what it is like to create and run programs. Each month, we focus on practical topics that are directly related to increasing program impact, growing our careers or helping advance our organizations’ objectives. Topics guide our weekly live calls, the research articles that we share and the discussions that we have. If the monthly topic is not aligned to your immediate need, start a discussion around what you need and we will jump in to support.
Challenge - Each month, our visiting expert will challenge you to try something new or to bring more awareness and intention to your professional practice.
Ongoing Support & Accountability - We go further into the community. We invite you to use interstory as a place to challenge yourself, to share your goals and update us on your progress along the way. Have a question that isn’t easily answered by Google? Share it with our thoughtful community. We will ask questions, share experiences and keep you accountable when and if you ask for it!
Access to Anna & Chris - For 20 years each, interstory Co-founders Anna and Chris have been involved in creating, leading and running learning programs for adult and youth learners from across North America, Asia and the Middle East. They have helped launch and run programs for clients like Google, Microsoft, CISCO, Canon, ADNOC, world expos, regional governments, foundations, universities and non-profits. They are excited to learn alongside you and to co-create solutions with you.
Lifetime Pricing - We are grateful to the founding members of interstory for believing in our mission to make the world a better place one program at a time. Founding members of interstory will receive lifetime pricing for as long as you remain a member. If the price goes up for future new members, we will keep your price locked in. Thank you for being a part of this community!
Creativity & Innovation - One of our absolute favorites. We will brainstorm alongside you, helping you come up with wild and crazy ideas that you can filter and use directly in your work.
Global Professional Community - Today's world is so globally interconnected, it is critical as professionals to be connected to each other and on top of global trends. Our goal in setting up this community is to bring together people from all geographies to talk about all things related to program creation, development, management and more.
Relevant Topics & Research - Everyone in the community knows what it is like to create and run programs. Each month, we focus on practical topics that are directly related to increasing program impact, growing our careers or helping advance our organizations’ objectives. Topics guide our weekly live calls, the research articles that we share and the discussions that we have. If the monthly topic is not aligned to your immediate need, start a discussion around what you need and we will jump in to support.
Challenge - Each month, our visiting expert will challenge you to try something new or to bring more awareness and intention to your professional practice.
Ongoing Support & Accountability - We go further into the community. We invite you to use interstory as a place to challenge yourself, to share your goals and update us on your progress along the way. Have a question that isn’t easily answered by Google? Share it with our thoughtful community. We will ask questions, share experiences and keep you accountable when and if you ask for it!
Access to Anna & Chris - For 20 years each, interstory Co-founders Anna and Chris have been involved in creating, leading and running learning programs for adult and youth learners from across North America, Asia and the Middle East. They have helped launch and run programs for clients like Google, Microsoft, CISCO, Canon, ADNOC, world expos, regional governments, foundations, universities and non-profits. They are excited to learn alongside you and to co-create solutions with you.
Lifetime Pricing - We are grateful to the founding members of interstory for believing in our mission to make the world a better place one program at a time. Founding members of interstory will receive lifetime pricing for as long as you remain a member. If the price goes up for future new members, we will keep your price locked in. Thank you for being a part of this community!