Nonprofit mergers aren’t a last resort—but a strategic first choice 

In a sector that prizes collaboration and shared impact, nonprofit mergers remain rare. Even raising the idea can trigger concerns about organizational health and brand identity. What if we flipped the script—and started with the assumption that nonprofits should merge unless there’s a compelling reason not to?

Why nonprofit mergers are rare 

Why do a mere ​​​​1% of nonprofits merge each year? Mergers raise deep questions about organizational purpose, strategy, and brand that can become divisive if leaders and boards aren’t aligned. Staff are understandably attached to programs, roles, and ways of working. And programs can’t simply be paused while organizations do the complex work of blending teams, systems, and culture. Merger activity must happen while nonprofits are serving communities at full speed, stretching already-thin capacity.  

Mergers also incur significant one-time expenses related to planning, legal review, data migration, team facilitation, website relaunch, and change management. Short grant cycles, restricted funding, and metrics that favor quick wins over long-term results don’t support those expenses. Add the misperception that a merger signals weakness rather than strategic foresight—and many leaders are understandably cautious and stop at project-level collaboration instead of considering a full structural partnership.  

What benefits nonprofit mergers unlock 

When the fit is right, mergers deliver more than efficiency. They combine complementary program strengths, so program participants experience one coherent pathway rather than a patchwork of projects. With a unified plan for evaluation and learning, the result can be stronger outcomes, steadier revenue, and a clearer platform for partnerships with government agencies and peer organizations. When nonprofit mergers do occur, the data shows consistently strong outcomes: 

• La Piana Consulting reported that out of 62 nonprofits they surveyed that had merged, 92% consider the move successful one year after completion.
• A 2016 study by Mission + Strategy analyzed 25 nonprofit mergers and found ​​​​88% reported a stronger post-merger entity. 
• A study by Kimberly M. Reeve  and K. Matthew Wong  found that among 102 nonprofits that merged between 2010 and 2017, revenue grew a median 167% and volunteer numbers increased 61% the year the merger was completed.  

Why Girl Rising and She’s the First are merging 

We are the leaders of Girl Rising and She’s the First, two nonprofits with aligned missions that have decided to merge. 

Our organizations were born 15 years ago, when the needs of adolescent girls finally became a mainstream topic, with the help of best-selling books and documentaries and global ​leaders ​like Malala Yousafzai, and White House initiatives to improve girls’ access to education. Between 2012 and 2017, the growing movement saw the number of organizations focused on women and girls increase about 35% and giving to those organizations increase 36.4%.  

Ten years later, amid backlash against gender equity and deep cuts to international aid—the landscape looks very different. This is a time to join forces, align resources, and combine complementary programs to become a stronger force for girls.  

For example, our merger will allow us to test, refine, and then scale an integrated model for improving girls’ agency, education retention, and leadership aspiration outcomes. We can bring our respective entities in Kenya and India together with a single 501(c)(3), accelerating our visions of shifting leadership power outside the United States. We can combine our networks of community-based organizations, teachers, and families in a shared approach to supporting girls in and out of school. 

We believe nonprofit mergers are most effective when they reflect strategic clarity, not a last-resort response to a fundraising crisis. They can be a proactive choice—in our case, to be a more powerful antidote to authoritarianism and the long-term damage it can have on girls’ lives. We are betting that integration will unlock a deeper, more efficient impact than project-based program collaboration, making us a stronger partner to underserved communities as well as funders.  

How funders can support nonprofit mergers 

When nonprofit mergers proceed, funders can make a critical difference by providing resources for exploration, planning, and due diligence; time-bound funding that covers one-time integration costs without diverting from programs; flexible support that protects quality while the organizations align cultures and metrics; and opportunities to share lessons learned so the sector can benefit. Think of it as infrastructure to facilitate collaboration for deeper impact, increased resiliency, and cost efficiency.  

At a time when the international nonprofit sector has been hit hard by policy and funding changes, funders can play a key role in supporting radical collaboration, including mergers. We are not blind to the ways mergers can go wrong, but we strongly believe it’s time for the courage to unpack the ways they can go right.  

Photo credit: Atieno Muyuyi