Hosting a global community of program directors, L&D managers, community organizers, civil servants, and CSR professionals who support one another in leading high-impact programs.
The Concept
After nearly two decades of designing and delivering education programs and initiatives across the Middle East, North America, and Asia, Bon Education founders Anna and Chris Batchelder recognized a gap: program professionals around the world had lacked online spaces to connect, exchange ideas, and support one another in the complex, often lonely work of running high-impact programs. In response, they created a global professional community for program directors, L&D managers, community organizers, civil servants, and marketing and CSR professionals who come together to discuss, practice, and master the art of creating, leading, and managing programs that change lives.
Industry
Programs / Professional Development / Community Building / Education
Goal
Building a virtual global network where program professionals could find inspiration, solve real challenges, develop their careers, and collectively raise the standard of program design and delivery across sectors and geographies.
Services
Community Design and Management, Monthly Expert Live Sessions, Community Case Studies, Networking Labs, Peer-to-Peer Advisory, and Thematic Content Curation.
Impact
250+ program professionals engaged from North America, Africa, Europe, the UK, Asia, and the Middle East.
The Opportunity
Program professionals occupy a unique and often under-supported professional niche. Whether working in government, NGOs, corporates, or higher education, they are responsible for designing and delivering experiences that create meaningful change, yet there are few dedicated global communities where they can learn from peers facing the same challenges. The opportunity was to build a platform that went beyond surface-level networking, offering substantive, recurring value through expert knowledge sharing, community-driven problem solving, and cross-cultural perspective.
Our approach
Bon Education launched interstory during the global pandemic and structured the virtual community around four recurring elements that ensured consistent value for members each month.
Expert Live Sessions
Expert Live Sessions brought in seasoned practitioners from around the world to discuss topics of direct relevance to program professionals, from the capabilities required of future digital leaders to strategies for reimagining event design and building meaningful communities.
Community Case Studies
Community Case Studies gave members a dedicated platform to share real successes and challenges from their own work, opening their questions to the collective intelligence of the global network. Topics ranged from fostering cross-border alumni communities to sustaining inclusion and empowerment within program design.
Networking Labs
Networking Labs went beyond transactional introductions to facilitate structured, meaningful conversations between members across regions and sectors. Sessions were designed around themes such as cultural intelligence in the workplace and deep listening for powerful facilitation ensuring that networking produced genuine professional relationships.
Peer-to-Peer Advisory
Peer-to-Peer Advisory for members to seek input, share research, and collaborate on challenges between live sessions, with the interstory team actively facilitating connections between members with complementary expertise.
Monthly themes united all four elements around focused areas including program digitization and future-proofing, making and measuring impact, cross-cultural comparisons in program management, and analogous inspiration from across industries.
The Results
250+ Program Professionals Engaged at peak membership, spanning six global regions and representing a wide range of sectors including government, education, corporate, and the social sector.
A Global Community Built with members connecting across time zones from North America to Asia to the Middle East, creating a rare cross-cultural, cross-sector professional network united by a shared commitment to high-impact programming.
More
Projects
Empowering Youth to Explore Critical Industries for the Future
Collaborating with regional governments and leading organizations to ensure a steady pipeline of talent for priority industries in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Bridging the Gap Between University and Employment
Supporting graduates in securing employment through workforce readiness training, career coaching, and industry experience projects.
Creating a Pipeline of Design Talent for the Region
Architecting the GCC’s largest high school design education program with the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation.
Delivering a World-Class Graduate Program
Designing and delivering a world-class decade-long program that transforms top global graduates into leaders and lifelong ambassadors for Dubai.
