Funded with a grant from The William J. and Dorothy K. O'Neill Foundation, the Mandel Center recently completed a series of workshops for 12 nonprofit organizations on the topic of strategic alliances.

The strategic alliance series offered two workshop segments, which were augmented by technical assistance. During the workshops, participants explored:

• Driving Forces Leading to Strategic Alliances
• Different Strategic Alliance Options
• Strategic Alliance Partner Criteria and Selection
• Obstacles to Strategic Alliances
• Strategic Alliance Success Factors
• Key Lessons Learned in Developing Alliances

An important component of the workshops was the opportunity to participate in an alliance situation in which participants worked in teams to represent six fictitious organizations. The teams then worked among themselves and with each other to explore the various strategic alliance options available, identify the strengths and weaknesses of an organization, and develop strategies in exploring and negotiating an actual strategic alliance for their organizations.

After the first workshop, each organization was offered three hours of consulting and was also encouraged to take the next steps to explore the feasibility of an alliance within their own agencies. Organizations used their time in a wide variety of ways: some asked the consultants to make presentations to their boards on the topic of strategic alliances, others used consultants to strategize about potential partners, while others used the time to examine current alliances in order to evaluate potential for future growth. Organizations spent the last workshop sharing what they learned, problem solving, and discussing the common themes that emerged among their experiences.

Workshop participant and Board Chair of the Cleveland Bridge Builders, David J. Akers, felt the workshop to be helpful, "We gained a whole new appreciation for the political dance that forming a strategic alliance requires, whether co-sponsoring an event or merging organizations. In addition, the facilitators and the participants provided numerous specific suggestions, approaches, and experience-based learnings for addressing the challenges and opportunities posed when multiple organizations work together to achieve something special."