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2009-02-15 16:56:24 You edited a page on Wiki Spot and replaced the content with the following. The page was restored. Maybe you want to Create a Wiki for this content? —JasonAller
Charting a New Path to Success for Charlottesville/ Albemarle Non-Profits
"uncontolled change [the reason nonprofits fail] is a consequence of nonprofit managers' inability to resolve problems effectively, whether the problems are between individuals, teams, departments or organizations."
A White Paper –
Executive Summary
Clarlottesville/ Albemarle nonprofits benefit the daily lives of City and County residents in ways that can’t easily be quantified. Over the past decade the number of non-profit organizations has grown exponentially. However, many of the causes that non-profits were created to improve or eradicate have not significantly changed. For example missions centered around sustainable healthcare, poverty, affordable housing and eliminating financial and academic achievement gaps have not been successful in the eyes of the community. One problem within our non-profit community stems from the duplication of services that challenge both organizations and potential client identification of where to go for help.
Recently a group of nine civic leaders came together to discuss the current state with interest in identifying a new paradigm that might realign the funds committed by the donors to non-profits with bonafide mission statements and goals that would make a difference. Discussions of the group of nine focused primarily on three specific matters. The donors of non-profits need to be better connected and coordinated to work together around common deliverables and must demand accountability for measurable outcomes related to the missions of non-profits. Secondly, non-profits should be compelled to work together and where significant overlap in purpose and mission are apparent mergers should be encouraged to produce positive desired outcomes. Third, communications between both non-profits and other non profits along with communications between funders must occur for better coordination of service and the elimination of wasteful overlap that is not making a difference in the desired outcomes. The most important is appears to center around the need to create mergers of non-profits within our community.
Today there is a compelling need for mergers and acquisitions of programs or organizations that have solid missions and leadership in our community. Duplication is a major issue for programs dependent upon foundation or individual donor grants. Non-profits in our community need to discover the advantages that could be achieved by mergers: comprehensive service delivery, better finances, more powerful fundraising, and increased market share, to name but a few. Bottom line: mergers make more missions possible. But nonprofit leaders often dread the thought.
Merger is not a last ditch survival move but an important strategic tool for local non-profit 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. Non-profits today may be reluctant to merge, fearful of alienating both loyal donors and longtime employees. But with the number of nonprofits increasing in our community rapidly and donors growing weary of the rise in solicitations, and the lack of significant gains toward fulfilling mission statements, the need to experiment with mergers as a way to cut costs, reduce duplication of services and increase their reach will create a new paradigm for service delivery within our community.
