Nonprofit mergers are on the rise. Executive directors and board members are discovering the advantages: comprehensive service delivery, better finances, more powerful fundraising, increased market share. Bottom line, mergers make more mission possible. From assessing reasons and readiness, to finding a partner, to negotiating the best path, to budgeting and implementation, author David La Piana guides you through the maze of options with a steady hand. Based on experience with more than sixty mergers, this handbook is the perfect starting point for any nonprofit exploring a possible merger and a basic resource for all nonprofit managers. You'll find: how to decide what kind of structure from collaboration to merger meets your goals; how to know your own motivation and keep your mission forefront; what kind of merger best fits your goals, structure, and financial situation; how to seek merger partners and objectively assess the pros and cons of each; how to manage the boards essential role in merger considerations; how to exercise due diligence and write the merger agreement; how to deal with the rumor mill; what you can do yourself, when to call in attorneys and consultants, and how to select them; typical roadblocks and how to beat them; how to move past old history and build new traditions as you integrate staff, management, boards, systems, and corporate cultures; how to budget for and raise funds to implement the merger; and much more! Full merger case studies, decision trees, twenty-two worksheets, checklists, tips, milestones, an extensive resource section and many samples including the minutes of a completed merger negotiation give you concrete assistance with your own merger plans and implementation. A special chapter written for nonprofit organizational consultants explains their roles and responsibilities in assisting clients interested in merger.