<br />Although it is generally easiest and fastest for a nonprofit organization to develop alliances through existing relationships with businesses,many nonprofit organizations seek out additional businesses for alliances. Most nonprofits conduct their own research and outreach activities to find new alliance partners. Potential partners are sometimes found through <b>market-makers,</b> including public relations, advertising, and communications firms that develop sponsorships, cause-related marketing programs, and image campaigns. There are also consulting groups that specialize in facilitating partner identification and alliance development for nonprofit organizations. <br /><br />If your nonprofit wants alliance benefits that are not likely to come from businesses with which it already has relationships, it is best to search systematically for other alliance partners using well defined criteria. Partner search criteria may include type of industry, mission and values, location, size, financial performance, reputation, philanthropic interests, and track record with other nonprofit alliances. You may wish to refer back to Worksheet 7 for a description of information sources and research approaches. <br /><br /><b>After reviewing benefit areas you rated highly (3, 4, or 5) on Worksheet 2, describe as specifically as possible those benefits that are not likely to be provided by your nonprofit’s current business partners. Then, after reviewing your notes on Worksheet 1 about businesses that might value an alliance with your nonprofit, define criteria for identifying businesses that might provide the benefits you seek. Next, using your research, list specific businesses that meet these criteria. Finally, rank the businesses according to the importance of the benefits they may provide and the likelihood of their interest in developing an alliance with your nonprofit.</b>