As the economy sputters, many nonprofit groups are searching for new ways to cut costs without slicing services. In some cases, collaborating or even merging with another organization is one way to reconcile this challenge.

But charities often have reservations about such alliances as well as questions about how they work in reality.

In an online discussion on Tuesday, December 2, we will be joined by two experts to answer your questions:

• William Foster is a partner at the Bridgespan Group, a Boston organization that advises charities on management issues.

• Lois Savage is president of the Lodestar Foundation, in Phoenix.

The Chronicle’s online discussions are free and open to everyone. People who ask questions in advance have a better chance of getting answers.

An archive of past discussions is available at http://philanthropy.com/live.