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Nonprofit mergers: Assessing the motivations and means
Author(s) -
Pietroburgo Julie,
Wernet Stephen P.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of leadership studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.219
H-Index - 14
eISSN - 1935-262X
pISSN - 1935-2611
DOI - 10.1002/jls.20136
Subject(s) - business , capital (architecture) , social capital , nonprofit organization , public relations , association (psychology) , marketing , political science , psychology , law , archaeology , history , psychotherapist
As nonprofit organizations seek to remain viable in an increasingly competitive environment, merger is an attractive (albeit complicated) option. This case study of the largest nonprofit association merger in U.S. history, involving three bowling associations, demonstrates the critical role of leadership in consummating a merger. The case illustrates a number of factors necessary to merger success: existence of a catalyst leader and a nucleus of like‐minded individuals who can serve as the impetus for change, sufficient time to accommodate the psychological and practical aspects of merging, opportunities for building social capital among the people involved in the merger, and preservation of cultural remnants that are carried over from the predecessor organizations to the newly merged entity.