Stronger together
trusted support for systemic collaboration, Mergers & Sunsets
A sector in crisis
65% of nonprofits
Have reported an increase in demand for their services
almost 70%
noted a decrease in funding in 2025
as a result
nearly 1 in 3 nonprofits have had to reduce their service delivery
and nearly 50%
have expressed concern they will have to merge with another organization or cease operations entirely
Data Gathered from the 2026 Center for Effective Philanthropy Report
A Crucial Moment in Time for the Nonprofit Sector
We need to be honest about what is happening to nonprofits.
The sector is facing a trifecta of tensions:
1. Rising costs of living coupled with inadequate holistic compensation and succession planning.
2. Employee burnout at all levels, especially Executive Directors that have held their roles for 5+ years.
3. Unprecedented funding cuts across issue areas, with an explicit focus on already underserved communities.
Many nonprofits, especially smaller ones in crowded markets, are struggling to find paths towards sustainability. Layoffs and reductions in workforce are rampant. Executive Directors are burning out like never before. Many nonprofits are unable to offer compelling benefits packages and invest in employee growth and retention. With costs of living continuing to rise, the sector’s workforce is fragile.
This is a moment to redesign and incentivize collaboration and consolidation.
Funders are stepping up in some important ways; they will be an important catalyst in advancing more collaboration and resource sharing at scale.
We have convened the leaders. We have done the research. We have seen it firsthand.
Now is the time to be proactive about nonprofit mergers, sunsets, and collaboration at scale. We see so many organizations struggling to become sustainable given recent policy changes that negatively impact the sector at large. We also see many organizations with similar core missions competing for a limited and increasingly focused pool of funds (Giving Tuesday, anyone?). At the same time, CEOs and Executive Directors are burning out, and less resources are going towards leadership development and capacity building.
Innovation and new approaches can happen within existing backbone organizations. We need to reenvision nonprofits in a manner that best leverages their assets and minimizes duplication of efforts. We have started to see a movement of shared administrative services, physical spaces, employee benefits and the like. Lifting up these success models will inspire other organizations to pursue similar collaborations.
Nonprofits need support navigating these existential questions. A trusted resource is needed to help guide these collaborative efforts.
We have designed an overarching process to support organizations and their boards to assert their path forward.
Outcomes of our partnership could include:
A new business model is advanced within an existing organization.
A merger with an appropriate partner organization reaching similar stakeholders.
A reorganization while keeping mission at the center — elevating fiscal sponsorship as an efficient model where possible.
A strategy to sunset from a position of strength and partnership.
Less umbrellas will help programs survive, let alone thrive.
Our approach
Our approach to guiding nonprofits through these sensitive scenarios is grounded in candor and compassion.
We understand complex organizations and ecosystems. We will be direct with you and efficient with your time and resources. Our process ensures that all voices impacted by ultimate decisions are valued.
We also come to this work with much empathy; as we have held CEO and Executive Director roles at nonprofits. We have guided mergers and collaboration at scale as board members and consultants. We have overseen large-scale fiscal sponsorship, collaborative funding efforts, and cross-sector collaboration spanning workforce development to civic engagement.
Ideal for organizations that:
Have experienced funding cuts amounting to 20% of your operating budget over the last few years;
Operate in a “crowded” space in terms of funding and mission-aligned organizations
Have engaged Boards that have begun to align around needing to find a future path
