Approaches to union ‘renewal’ or ‘revitalization’ developed in the USA have influenced debates in other countries on responses to the loss of membership. The ‘organizing model’ was first disseminated to other Anglophone countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom) but was subsequently discussed and adopted in a number of continental European countries. This article analyses the transnational circulation of the organizing approach, focusing on its reception in Germany and France and examining the actors and channels of circulation, before exploring the extent to which the ‘organizing model’ has been received, reformulated and adopted.