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Many organizations at one point in time will face the need to partner on major projects, restructure towards mergers, form an alliance with a similar organization. These kinds of changes in organizations require boards to be fully informed of the opportunities, challenges and risks involved in this work. This resource guide provides links to case studies, best practices, risk and liability documents, and legal documentation on this topic.

NPO / Corporate Partnerships

• Building successful collaborations : a guide to collaboration among non-profit agencies and between non-profit agencies and businesses (Parkinson, 2006) [available online]
• Building stronger communities : businesses and voluntary sector organizations working together : a review (McKeown & Brown, 2003)  [available online]
• Creating social enterprises through strategic alliances : a tool kit for NGOs (Steckel &  Boyson, 2003) [in print only]
• Meeting the collaboration challenge workbook : developing strategic alliances between nonprofit organizations and businesses (Drucker Foundation, 2002)   [available online]
• Partnering for sustainability : managing nonprofit organization-corporate environmental alliances  (Rondinelli & London,  2001)  [available online]
• Partnerships : profits and not-for-profits together (Parker, 1999 )  [in print only]
• Working better together : how government, business and nonprofit organizations can achieve public purposes through cross-sector collaboration, alliances, and partnerships (Fosler, 2002)  [in print only]
• Working with the business sector : pursuing public good with private partners (Pruitt et al. 2004)   [available online] 

Mergers & Alliances

• Innovate, collaborate, or die : how to create an alliance or merger for a stronger, more effective non-profit (Forbes & Manson, 2007) [in print only]
• "Issues arising from mergers and fusions of charitable organizations"  (Greig & Hoffstein, The philanthropist, v. 15, no. 1,  1999)   [available online]
• "Mergers and amalgamations in the Canadian nonprofit and charitable sector" (Blumberg, The philanthropist, v. 22, no. 1,  2009)   [available online]
• Merging nonprofit organizations : the art and science of the deal (Yankey et al. 2001)  [available online]
• The partnership handbook  (Smith & Smith, 2000)  [available online] 
• Partnerships, collaborations and alliances managing for success (Woodworth, 2005)   [available online] 
• Strategic alliances for nonprofit organizations (Bartling, 1998)  [in print only]
• "Strategic alliances in the voluntary sector in Canada" (Burke-Robertson, The philanthropist, v. 17, no. 1, 2002)  [available online] 
• Working in partnership : recipes for success. (Alberta Community Development, 2001)   [available online] 

Restructuring

• Beyond collaboration : strategic restructuring of nonprofit organizations (La Piana, 1997)  [available online]
• "Getting to yes... or no: nonprofit decision making and interorganizational restructuring." (Campbell, Nonprofit Management & Leadership, v.19 no.2, 2008) [in print only]
• In search of strategic solutions : a funders briefing on nonprofit strategic restructuring (La Piana & Kohm, 2003) [available online]
• Third sector restructuring and the new contracting regime : the case of immigrant serving agencies in Ontario (Richmond & Shields, 2004) [available online]

Case Studies

• Evolving challenges for community development corporations : the causes and impacts of failures, downsizings and mergers (Rohe et al, 2003) [available online]
• Nonprofit strategic alliances case studies : lessons from the trenches  (Yankey et al.  2001)  [available online]