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Nonprofit mergers are on the rise as executive directors and board members discover the advantages: comprehensive service delivery, better finances, more powerful fundraising, and increased market share, to name but a few. Bottom line: mergers make more mission possible. But nonprofit leaders often dread the thought.

David La Piana’s first book — The Nonprofit Mergers Workbook Part I: The Leader's Guide to Considering, Negotiating, and Executing a Merger — shows that merger is not a last ditch survival move but an important strategic tool for organizations focused on doing their best for their community. From assessing reasons and readiness, to finding a partner, to negotiating the best path, to budgeting and implementation, The Workbook Part I guides you through the maze of options with a steady hand. Based on experience with more than sixty mergers, this handbook is the perfect starting point for any nonprofit exploring a possible merger—and a basic resource for all nonprofit managers. You’ll find:

• How to decide what kind of structure — from collaboration to merger — meets your goals
• How to know your own motivation and keep your mission forefront
• What kind of merger best fits your goals, structure, and financial situation
• How to seek merger partners and objectively assess the pros and cons of each
• How to manage the board’s essential role in merger considerations
• How to exercise due diligence and write the merger agreement
• How to deal with the rumor mill
• What you can do yourself, when to call in attorneys and consultants, and how to select them
• Typical roadblocks and how to beat them
• How to move past old history and build new traditions as you integrate staff, management, boards, systems, and corporate cultures
• How to budget for and raise funds to implement the merger
• And much more!

Full merger case studies, decision trees, twenty-two worksheets, checklists, tips, milestones, an extensive resource section and many samples — including the minutes of a completed merger negotiation — give you concrete assistance with your own merger plans and implementation. A special chapter written for nonprofit organizational consultants explains their roles and responsibilities in assisting clients interested in merger.

Luis Vergara, Senior Associate, cautions readers not to undervalue your organization’s marketing and communications plan, particularly if your organization is facing a budget crisis.  Whether your organization is just launching an email newsletter or considering a Twitter account, his article includes helpful tips for crafting a comprehensive communications plan.

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This case study is one in a series of snapshots about The Collaboration Prize 2009 Finalists. Written by Lindsay Vignoles, with Jo DeBolt, Melissa Mendes Campos, and Robert Harrington, this resource describes Ready, Set, Parent!, a joint programming effort of EPIC-Every Person Influences Children and Baker Victory Services. The Collaboration Prize is designed to inspire cooperation among nonprofit organizations. La Piana Consulting managed the design and implementation of the 2009 Collaboration Prize for the Lodestar Foundation.

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Written by La Piana Consulting and published by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) in November 2010, Due Diligence Done Well: A Guide for Grantmakers has updated information to reflect new learning about effective due diligence and is accompanied by a new supplemental online toolkit for GEO members with detailed research questions, assessment criteria and more resources for grantmakers. The guide is based on The Due Diligence Tool, written by La Piana Consulting and published by GEO in 2004.

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