Once your nonprofit organization and a business have established mutual interest in an alliance, your nonprofit is ready to work together with the business partner to develop clear expectations about alliance projects and to determine how these projects will contribute strategic benefits to each organization. During this phase you collaborate with your alliance partner to design projects and agree on the alliance management plan.
This phase requires the focused time and energy of both the nonprofit organization and the business so the partners can successfully
• Develop the overall strategic framework for the alliance (Worksheet 10)
• Determine how alliance projects will be managed for performance (Worksheet 11)
The specific individuals, task force, or team identified to guide alliance development (Worksheet 4) may continue to lead alliance development, and a relationship manager from each organization should be identified at this stage to ensure effective coordination. Depending on the scope of the proposed alliance and your organizational practices, this phase may involve a substantial number of volunteers and staff. Some complex issues may also require the participation of legal or other expert counsel.
Worksheets 10 and 11 are designed to be completed together by alliance partners. They can also be used in advance to guide your nonprofit organization’s thinking, to consider how the partner may respond, and to prepare for discussion. The fifth example in the Meeting the Collaboration Challenge Video ("The Computer Clubhouse and Intel") may provide useful insights and motivation to help your nonprofit focus on the management challenges addressed in Worksheet 11. In addition, you may wish to review Chapter Eight, on guidelines for collaborating successfully, in James Austin’s The Collaboration Challenge.