Forming Alliances: Working together to achieve mutual goals
By Linda Hoskins and Emil Angelica; 112 pages; published by Fieldstone Alliance
Chances are, you're already doing it: cooperating, coordinating, and collaborating with other organizations. It may be on a very informal basis, but given the current funding climate and increased competition for dollars, very few nonprofits can afford to operate in isolation. People have been touting the benefits of partnership for years, but anyone who has ever entered into a formal partnership knows the time and resources it takes to make it work. An alliance, on the other hand, is less formal and less intense, and can have equally satisfying results. This is especially true for small, grassroots organizations that may not have the experience or the resources to engage in a formal partnership.
The authors define an alliance as "a relationship between partners that is strategically formed to accomplish goals that benefit the community, while strengthening the partners." This requires a shift in thinking, from 'how do we, in our organization, solve this problem?', to 'how do we, the community, address this problem?'. It's an important and necessary shift to make if organizations are to work together successfully. But before an alliance can ever be formed, each organization must identify a strategic gap in its operations that is a barrier to achieving its mission. Understanding that gap and how it might be addressed through an alliance is the first step. Once you have determined whether an alliance will help you achieve the outcomes you desire, you are ready to find the right partners, form the type of alliance you want, formalize its structure, and then manage it. Luckily, Forming Alliances offers guidance for each step along the way, as well as helpful examples, worksheets, and sample documents that you will need as you proceed.
Even if you're already doing a pretty good job of managing your alliances, this book will help you understand the different forms of alliance you may not have considered yet. It will also shed light on those areas that might not be working so well, and how to improve them. Whether you are a nonprofit executive, manager, board member, or even a funder, this well-written, concise guide provides practical advice for anyone who wants to improve their current alliances or begin forming new ones.
Buy the book:
Canada: buy through Amazon.ca
