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Welcome to Karen Eber Davis Consulting
Warm fall greetings.
Are you exploring new partnerships to enhance your organization and improve
your outcomes? Have you ever considered
merging with another nonprofit? Or, forming a management support organization? Or, another
type of in-depth inter-nonprofit experience? Read Two Become One to grow these tools in your future strategies toolbox. In this issue, you will also find updates on an upcoming event, a Time-Tastic! tip from our new booklet Time Management for Nonprofit Leaders and other information, resources and ideas to use now.
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Two Become One: Mergers, Etc.
For the last few months, I have been working on a project to
help nonprofits to explore mergers as an option to enhance their futures. The
following are insights from the project's readings and discussions. Even if you
never consider a merger, you will find the concepts useful because working with
other nonprofits is a key way to increase resources for your
mission. Also, the insights apply to more than mergers; they apply to all
inter-nonprofit strategies.
1. Understand Mergers'
Full Potential
While long perceived as a way to help struggling nonprofits
survive, Alexander Cortez, William Foster, and Katie Smith Milway, in their
article, "Nonprofit M & A: More Than A Tool for Tough Times," share that
mergers can, "strengthen your effectiveness, spread best practices, expand your
reach... and do all of this more cost effectively." The authors offer examples of
healthy organizations that seek and court merger opportunities to add services
or offer them in new locations. Have you ever looked at other nonprofits and
asked, "Whom might we merge with to become stronger and more effective?"
To expand your thinking about mergers, explore how others
use mergers to create more mission. Start with this database at the Foundation
Center (http://foundationcenter.org/gainknowledge/collaboration/). It's based on data from submissions to
the Lodestar Foundation's Collaboration Prize. David La Piana also provides a
number of helpful books about merging. Review Jean Butzen's Mission + Strategy =
Social Value Blog. Make it your
goal to see the big picture about mergers to broaden your options and inspire
new possibilities for your nonprofit.
2. Benefits First
I came to the project with the conviction that benefits
needed to be the first work of collaborative efforts. Over time, my conviction
has grown. . .
Read the rest of the article here. . .
More Partnership Resources
Looking for additional resources about mergers to help you
in your efforts? Contact us today about developing a merger strategy for your
nonprofit and see these additional resources:
1. Planning Document:
A useful form to help you to decide and record all of the details you need at
your meetings.
2. 1 to 10 What Merger Looks Like: A
facilitation tool, with instructions, to use when groups meet to determine
"buy-in" to the merger.
3. And don't
forget the Teleconference on October
1-where you can learn how to Raise the Bar on your partnerships and group
experiences, including mergers. Register today.
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From the Meetings Section
72. Plan
the Flow. Include a time estimate
for each agenda item, i.e., "Special event opportunity -15 minutes." During
your meetings, as you approach the time limit, bring this to the group's
attention. State: "We have just spent 10 minutes on this topic. Would you like
to come to a conclusion and move on in the next 5 minutes or schedule it for a
future meeting?" Stated time estimates help groups move forward and balance the
needs of current topic against other agenda items.
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What's New on the
Advancing the Non Profit Sector Blog?
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Upcoming
Events
2010
Teleconferences
Raising the Bar
October 15
12 Noon Eastern Time
Raising the Bar on Your Team Experiences,
From Networking
to Mergers
To do more we need more help. One way to get help is to partner with others. At this event, you will learn how to:
Improve the quality of your relationships with partners
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Attract and retain more partners, including donors
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Reduce wasted time and money and avoid misunderstandings
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Need help?
Call today and
get started!
941.924.4860
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Follow Karen on Twitter
kareneberdavis |
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