Research Report: Nonprofit Mergers & Alliances (M&A): A Strategy for Tough Economic Times

Washington, DC, June 16, 2009 — With nonprofits suffering from a drop in giving and looking for ways to leverage reduced funds, talk of M&A in the nonprofit community (where "M&A" stands for mergers & alliances rather than mergers & acquisitions) is growing, and it could even signal a spate of mergers to come. To assist philanthropists in addressing this emerging trend, Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors, a national philanthropy advisor, has released its latest issue brief: Investing in Nonprofit M&A. The research report reviews current trends and discusses the most important considerations about nonprofit M&A for philanthropists.

"Mergers in the nonprofit world are already almost as common as in the corporate world, but most nonprofits don't have the internal capacity to consider or manage mergers," says Bruce Boyd, Principal and Managing Director of Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors and an expert on nonprofit mergers and alliances. "The recession has hit nonprofits hard in two ways - with increased demand for their services and a simultaneous decrease in funding. This crisis increases the need for organizations to consider all options - from back-office collaboration to alliances to full-on mergers."

Boyd continues, "In tough times, you expect more M&A activity. It's certainly not a universal solution, but for innovative philanthropists and nonprofits, understanding M&A as a strategy is crucial."

The report Investing in Nonprofit M&A provides:

* guidelines for understanding key factors of nonprofit M&A success
* analysis of top trends in nonprofit mergers and alliances
* resources for nonprofits seeking advisement and funding for M&A, and
* considerations for donors involved in nonprofit mergers and alliances.

Investing in Nonprofit M&A can be accessed by visiting:
http://arabellaadvisors.com/pages/IssueBriefs.html

Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors (www.arabellaadvisors.com) is a national strategic philanthropy advisor that serves institutional, corporate, and family foundations, as well as high-net worth individuals, with insights on how to transform philanthropic dollars into results. Arabella serves a diverse group of national and international philanthropists, including The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Hyatt, Microsoft, Pew Charitable Trusts, and many others.