TOP TIPS FOR APPROACHING STRATEGIC ALLIANCES 1. Your organization leadership should be asking itself the hard questions. • What do we imagine our budget will look like in 3 years? • Consider real options and alternatives. 2. Understand the current and future funding environment. • Talk to funders, non-profit membership organizations, and other stakeholder groups to get a clear picture of the future of your current funding sources. 3. Be realistic about timelines. • Finalizing a strategic alliance can take a long time, usually over six months. • Be patient and proactive. 4. Do your research. • Consider reading David LaPiana’s book, The Nonprofit Mergers Workbook: The Leader’s Guide to Considering, Negotiating and Executing a Merger. 5. Identify your non-negotiables early in the process. 6. Prioritize vision, mission, and values when identifying potential strategic partners. 7. Find pro-bono legal counsel. • You can find free legal counsel. • The two aligning groups can even share one. 8. Leadership needs to focus on “managing through change”. • Over communicate. 9. Don’t forget to take care of leadership. • All change is challenging and involves taking risks and giving up control. • Taking on new challenges are made easier when we are not minimizing emotions. 10. Keep your priorities straight. • All conversations and decisions should be able to provide an affirmative answer to the question, “Is this the best decision for the people and community we serve?”
Source: Adam Tenner, Executive Director, Metro TeenAIDS, Washington, DC