Real Collaboration is a guide for grantmakers — written by David La Piana in January 2001 at the request of the Ford Foundation — that makes recommendations on how program officers can make better, more effective use of collaboration among grantees.

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This Stanford Social Innovation Review article by Managing Partner, David La Piana, discusses the increasing pressure faced by nonprofits to merge. Yet mergers are not always the right path for nonprofits in financial distress.  David describes why funders should consider a wide variety of partnership options.  Download the PDF.

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http://www.fieldstonealliance.org/

Deciding to merge is only the first step in a long process. All too many organizations successfully negotiate their merger agreement, but fail to realize the full benefits of the partnership. Having focused on the execution of the merger, organizations overlook the critical need to put energy and focus into the post-merger integration.

La Piana Associates’ latest book — The Nonprofit Mergers Workbook, Part II: Unifying the Organization after a Merger — can help take you the rest of the way clearly, manageably, and planfully. Using a practical, hands-on approach, supplemented by numerous examples from La Piana Associates' research and experience, the Workbook Part II addresses how to effectively integrate organizations that have merged.

Written for the nonprofit leader, this book helps organizations create a comprehensive plan to achieve integration — bringing together people, programs, processes, and systems from two (or more) organizations into a single, unified whole. It addresses large strategic issues, as well as small practical ones — providing a roadmap to successful post-merger integration.

Included with the book is a free CD-ROM which provides a detailed template for an integration plan, as well as sample integration plans, worksheets, checklists, tips and quotes from leaders of merged organizations, all of which will help organizations in implementing their own merger integration process.

The specific topics covered in the Workbook Part 2 are as follows:

Section I: Going the Distance

Provides a broad view of integration, its challenges, and how to meet them. Topics include:

• The basic tenets of organizational change
• What success looks like in a well-implemented merger
• The purpose and content of an integration plan
• How to address people issues through leadership and planning
• The relationship between effective leadership, effective communication, and their combined contribution to integration success

Section II: Creating an Integration Plan

Takes you step-by-step through each facet of this essential process. You'll learn about:

• Integration of the board, management, staff and volunteers, culture, programs, communications and marketing, and systems--one by one, in detail
• Common challenges, roadblocks, and crises that will arise, and how to respond when they do
• Processes, procedures, and interventions likely to be most helpful and necessary