In 1999, La Piana Associates, in collaboration with the Chapin Hall Center for Children (a policy research institution at the University of Chicago ), conducted the largest ever national study on strategic restructuring in the nonprofit sector. The study was funded by the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund of the Aspen Institute and the Lilly Endowment.

Phase II of the national study was completed in 2002. It involves in-depth case studies of six strategic restructuring partnerships, as well as a survey of a random sample of nonprofits in two different cities to look at the prevalence of strategic restructuring in those areas. In addition, the research team conducted interviews with 20 national leaders in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, asking them to share their reflections on the implications of the preliminary results for the future of the sector.

The findings of this research are included in a book — Strategic Restructuring for Nonprofit Organizations: Mergers, Integrations, and Alliances — by Amelia Kohm and David La Piana, published by Praeger Publishers in November 2003. The book provides nonprofit managers, board members, consultants, and foundation executives with research-based information to use in making tough decisions about whether and how to pursue a range of organizational partnerships — from jointly managed programs and consolidated administrative functions, to full-scale mergers.

Strategic Restructuring for Nonprofit Organizations is available for purchase at Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com

Download a PDF copy of the Phase 1 report from the Chapin Hall Center for Children website http://www.chapinhall.org

By Amari Romero-Thomas

As part of our ongoing series published by CausePlanet, this article includes resources for today's nonprofit leaders and describes how simple daily rituals can help one achieve better work-life balance.

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Funded by the Deaconess Community Foundation and St. Luke's Foundation, this summary report, by Heather Gowdy, Jo DeBolt, and Melissa Mendes Campos, describes the Human Services Strategic Restructuring Pilot Project in Cuyahoga County. The pilot project brought together a group of 18 grantmaker organizations that were motivated by a common desire to offer struggling nonprofit with support "beyond a grant check."  Their initiative attracted leaders from 76 nonprofits throughout the county. The year-long pilot project provided 17 organizations with readiness assessments and helped 8 organizations develop restructuring plans, culminating in four nonprofit restructurings (including a program transfer, two parent-subsidiary relationships, and a common board and management structure). This summary describes the powerful scalable impact of collaboration and how a funder initiative can serve to transform the social sector. Download the PDF.

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