Social Value Blog

60 Ways to Leave your Merger Partner or When a Board Just Can't Say 'I Do'

Submitted by Jean Butzen on March 26, 2008 - 03:54

60 Ways to Leave your Merger Partner or When a Board Just Can't Say 'I Do'


I collect lots of stories from the web about nonprofits that have successfully completed mergers, but only rarely do I find stories about two nonprofits that fail so miserably at a merger attempt that it makes the news. One such case came to my attention last month and makes for a great opportunity to talk about all the reasons people leave their merger partner.

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A Poem For February 6, 2008

Submitted by Jean Butzen on February 6, 2008 - 09:24

A Poem For February 6, 2008

Hello! It is snowing quite heavily here in the Midwest as I write this to you the morning after Super-Duper Tuesday. The trees outside my window are sagging with the weight of the wet snow...
As you know, I like to share poems that help restore the spirit for people who are doing the difficult work in the nonprofit sector. Here is a favorite writing that was given to me by a former board chair when I left a leadership position.  I hope it brings you the same joy as it has brought me.

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Mergers Are Better for Growth than Economic Gain

Submitted by Jean Butzen on January 17, 2008 - 06:21

Mergers Are Better for Growth than Economic Gain

One of the best ways to learn about nonprofit mergers is to read about other people's experiences. One very thoughtful piece I have recently read is called From Corner Cafe to Corporation: The Inspiration Corporation Merger Experience,  which highlights the benefits of a merger as a strategy for growth.

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More on Mergers, Ms. Miller!

Submitted by Jean Butzen on December 17, 2007 - 14:20

More on Mergers, Ms. Miller!

"Let's go for two, Clara Miller," I said to myself, paraphrasing the famous words of legendary Cubs first baseman Ernie Banks. Ms. Miller, CEO of the Nonprofit Finance Fund and featured speaker at a luncheon sponsored by the Donors' Forum of Illinois, was advocating for one change: foundations should stop funding line items on nonprofit budgets and start funding results. I agreed with Ms. Miller but that one change wasn't enough. A second change she could have added was: foundations should start funding alternative strategies to increase results.

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A former CEO's view of merging two nonprofits: 1+1=3

Submitted by Jean Butzen on November 3, 2007 - 11:50

A former CEO's view of merging two nonprofits: 1+1=3


After leading a wonderful nonprofit
organization for almost 19 years, I concluded that in order to grow, we would
need to merge with a larger nonprofit. That merger between Lakefront Supportive
Housing and Mercy Housing, Inc., was completed in December 2005.   A press release about the merger is found here (in Microsoft Word format).
I made the
decision to leave Lakefront and the merged entity before we concluded the

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