A Practical and Mission-Based Approach to Assessing and Managing Mergers,
Reorganizations and Dissolutions
September 2009 - Todd Fahey of Orr & Reno has given his permission for us to provide you with a copy of his recent article that appeared in the NH Bar Journal. This article is "a practical guide for counsel called upon to assist a faltering New Hampshire nonprofit organization that is considering some type of restructuring, including a reorganization, merger or dissolution," and should be helpful for nonprofit board members and executives to answer questions they may have as they consider these options.
Download the article...

IRS Facts About Terminating or Merging Your Exempt Organization
May 2009 - Most tax-exempt organizations that end their operations, either through shutting down, transferring their assets or merging with another tax-exempt organization, must inform the IRS about the details of the action. The IRS released this publication to answer some of the questions about those reporting requirements.
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4779.pdf

Merger Myths
April 2009 - As the interest in nonprofit mergers grows, so do the myths surrounding them. While the downturn is making mergers seem like a logical choice, This article proposes that the economy is only a catalyzing agent for trends that were already under way.Author Thomas A McLaughlin looks at 6 myths about mergers.
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Bay Area Charities Unite, Share Aid to Survive
April 2009 - This article from the San Francisco Chronicle explores how the economy has prompted nonprofit executives "to be courageous and open up the conversation about whether they should be running a program or giving it to another agency."  In April, the San Francisco Foundation set aside $1 million in emergency funding to help nonprofits restructure.
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Nonprofit Mergers & Acquisitions: More Than a Tool for Tough Times
February 2009 - In this economy, mergers and acquisitions are getting more and more attention. This article from the Bridgespan Group probes the ways that these tools can be more than just a reactive solution to the economy by strengthening effectiveness.
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New Back Office Solutions
Fall 2008 - In part one of this two-part series, organizations share how they are responding to the many challenges facing small to mid-size nonprofits, offering their solutions for improving cost-savings and promoting efficiency through back office consolidation.
http://www.alliance1.org/Magazine/Fall2008/back-office.pdf

Collaboration Builds Capacity, Puts Focus on Mission
Winter 2009 - Part two of the series studies a collaborative among nonprofit human service agencies in Minnesota’s Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul that is offering new solutions to the challenges posed by a tumultuous economy and the need for advanced technical expertise.
http://www.alliance1.org/magazine/2009_1/bo2_p33-37.pdf

Tying The Knot: Why associations don’t merge, and why they should
October 2008 - Nonprofit associations are not immune to the forces that are causing their members to consider mergers in the face of a down-turned economy.Yet associations, in general, have been slow to consider mergers in most sectors.Thomas A McLaughlin explores some of the reasons for this slowness of response.
http://www.nonprofitfinancefund.org/docs/2009/10-2008NPTimes.pdf

Power in Numbers
December 2008 - By Community Wealth Ventures In Consultation with Stan Birnbaum, President, MACC CommonWealth, Inc.
This article from Community Wealth Ventures In Consultation with Stan Birnbaum, President, MACC CommonWealth, Inc.looks at both the benefits of the collaboration known as the MACC Commonwealth and the lessons learned.
http://www.communitywealth.com/Newsletter/December%202008/Power%20in%20Numbers.htm

Nonprofit/Nonprofit Collaboration in Boston
November 2006 - In this research project, they ask - and propose answers - to these questions:

• Can Boston’s nonprofits realize greater outcomes (i.e., effectiveness) by working together in new structures or alignments, and, if so, what is preventing that from happening?
• What can foundations and support organizations do to overcome barriers, incent, catalyze, seed, provide tools and resources or otherwise nurture the development of these new ways to work?

http://www.barrfoundation.org/resources/resources_show.htm?doc_id=436183

Making a Merger Go Smoothly for Nonprofit Workers
June 2002 - This article explores the anxiety experienced by staff during a merger and explores ideas for managing that stress to make the process go more smoothly for everyone.
http://philanthropy.com/jobs/2002/06/13/20020627-388063.htm

Bridging The Organizational Divide - The Making Of A Nonprofit Merger
This article from 2002 explores the merger of two nonprofit housing development corporations in Nashua, New Hampshire.
http://www.nw.org/network/pubs/studies/documents/makingOfNonprofitMerger.pdf

Navigating a Nonprofit Merger: Participatory Tools for Success - The Lifeworks Story
This article from 2000 reviews highlights of how four groups in Austin, Texas merged in 1998 to become LifeWorks story. It discusses the methods that were employed to facilitate the merger and subsequent planning process.
http://www.meetingsolution.com/Files/6b.NavigatingMerger.pdf

Is Your Organization Ready for the Road?
This article from 2000 proposes that before embarking on any plan to form a partnership with another organization, it is wise to undertake a thorough assessment of your organization's readiness to be a partner and offers some points to consider.
http://www.tgci.com/magazine/Nonprofit%20Mergers-%20Ready.pdf

Fiscal Sponsorship as a Nonprofit Merger Alternative
Third Sector New England’s Executive Director Jonathan Spack reflects some of the problems inherent in nonprofit mergers and proposes fiscal sponsorship as an alternative option.
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The Foundation Center has a list of books and articles related to Nonprofit Collaboration
http://literature.foundationcenter.org/2009/01/nonprofit-collaboration.html