MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
F — FIT
Fit
Do these organizations belong together? An honest test of mission, culture, community, and constituency fit — before anything else moves.
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Stronger together, on purpose.
Sometimes the most faithful move a ministry can make is not to build alone. When two congregations or nonprofits serve the same community, combining efforts can pool resources, end duplication, and extend reach — but mergers fail when they are driven by desperation instead of discernment. We guide boards and leaders through the entire discernment and combination process.
THE FRAMEWORK
The FABRIC model.
Six tests that turn a merger conversation into a discernment process boards can stand behind.
A — ALIGNMENT
Alignment
Alignment of vision, values, theology, and governance. Can the boards, leaders, and congregations actually walk together?
B — BENEFITS
Benefits
The concrete case for combining — shared overhead, stronger programs, greater reach, deeper reserves.
R — RISKS
Risks
Financial, legal, cultural, and reputational risks, named early and managed deliberately — never discovered after the vote.
I — INTEGRATION
Integration
The plan for bringing operations, staff, systems, finances, and cultures together after the decision is made. This is where most mergers are won or lost.
C — COMMUNICATION
Communication
Clear, timely, honest communication with congregations, donors, staff, and the community at every step — because trust is the currency mergers run on.
HOW THE WORK UNFOLDS
Four steps, in order.
Each engagement is scoped during a discovery call. The pace depends on the organizations involved and the decision in front of them.
STEP 01
Explore
Confidential preliminary conversations and fit screening.
STEP 02
Assess
Full FABRIC analysis with interviews, financial review, and cultural assessment.
STEP 03
Decide
Board-ready findings and decision support; a clear-eyed recommendation.
STEP 04
Integrate
Post-decision integration planning and support through the first year.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Boards weighing a real decision.
Boards and executive leaders of congregations and faith-based nonprofits considering merger, consolidation, asset transfer, or formal strategic partnership — especially when decline, duplication, or opportunity makes going it alone the riskier path.