Partnerships, Collaborations and Mergers

Challenge
Two of the Louisville’s oldest nonprofit performing arts organizations approached Ashley|Rountree for assistance in exploring a merger of staff and programs in order to achieve greater impact for their mission to serve children with education, training and performance.

How We Helped 
After initial meetings with the board chairs and key staff leaders, Ashley|Rountree consultants met with representatives of both staffs and boards to create a roadmap that would include all stakeholders, identify assets and challenges, and to build consensus for a final strategy. The complexity of the two organizations, their programs, finances and facilities, would necessarily require an extended timeline to thoughtfully integrate all changes in advance and ensure that all parties were on board all the way.

Outcome
The merger of the two agencies was approved and eventually the newly joined boards and staffs worked to create a new identity. One anticipated benefit of the merger process has been especially helpful for the newly merged entity: the different net-revenue stream strengths of each partner (earned vs. unearned income) has helped to provide more stability to the new organization.

Challenge
After a combined 170 years of service to the community, two independent human service organizations with similar missions, a common constituency and complimentary services were struggling.  One provided residential care for children in need, the other was an agency that provided an assortment of child and family services to their clients.   They agreed that some partnership may be a way to sustain their organizations and continue to advance their mission.  They reached out to Ashley | Rountree for assistance.

How We Helped 
For more than 12 months, two Ashley|Rountree consultants guided these sizable and complex organizations through a merger process to become one of the largest youth-caring organization in Kentucky.  By facilitating a number of meetings among the full Boards and task forces, Ashley|Rountree was able to bring about a comprehensive merger agreement. 

Outcome
The combination of these agencies created a much more stable financial situation and created a comprehensive continuum of care with services including residential services, counseling, therapy and foster care to young people from infancy to age 22.  By seamlessly integrating this full continuum of care Ashley|Rountree enabled the agency to continue to manage and treat mental health disorders, teach basic and advanced social skills and build self-esteem, communication skills, self-awareness and healthy relationships.

Challenge
A large nonprofit organization was seeking to expand their scope of services during a period that a number of smaller nonprofits were in the midst of life-threatening financial crises.  Funding and donations to support these smaller nonprofit organizations was dramatically decreasing while demands for their services were increasing.  The potential threat of losing much needed services throughout the region was real and imminent.

How We Helped 
Ashley|Rountree rapidly completed leadership discussions with the client to determine the criteria for a “good fit” with their organization.  Also, through comprehensive research we developed an in-depth understanding of the organization’s mission, scope of services, culture, financial objectives and vision for the future. Using Ashley|Rountree’s wide and deep network of nonprofit organizations and key leader contacts, years of familiarity with fact finding about nonprofit organizations and financial acumen our consultants were able to quickly identify “at risk” organizations and rapidly match the right partners.

Outcome
The client organization was able to expand its reach in the region and expand their portfolio of services.  Key services were maintained in underserved areas throughout the region, the partnerships sustained the existence of these critical agencies, and employment was maintained by keeping the services in these areas hard hit by the financial crisis.