In a recent article, Bloomerang Chief Officer Jay Love shares why he believes more non-profits should come together through consolidation. He puts forth strong arguments for economies of scale, overlapping missions and how charities could benefit from the merger trend. One of the reasons many organizations have not considered a merger is their complex and nuanced approaches to contracts, grants and other sensitive data that are crucial to those they serve.

In 2012, more than 30 counties in New York realized a widening gap between the care offered and the demand for assistance in family services. Their novel solution was to merge three different non-profits with similar visions and values. Northern Rivers Family of Services now offers over 80 programs with 1,400 employees serving more children and adults than ever before. The system that manages their contracts, grants and vendors enables them in this monumental undertaking.

Northern Rivers’ Chief Officer of Business Development Sharon Valiquette shares, “Our strategy wasn’t just to go out and buy something; we wanted to change the culture and our policies. We needed a solution that could reflect the nuances of that shift. We wanted to be sure that we were making the right choice and that the investment was justifiable.”

With help from a readiness grant, Northern Rivers implemented a dynamic and flexible solution that could accommodate the unique requirements of its growing non-profit. Agiloft Implementer Jack Wicks elaborates, “With the corporate structure of three companies within a parent company, a user’s division and program roles determines their access within the system. Certain contract creators and managers can see everything in their division, while another user can just see those within their program. The approvals also require a higher degree of sophistication. Any time a contract enters the system, it has different approvers based on a number of factors.”

Agiloft supports non-profits by offering substantial discounts to invigorate contract management. There’s no reason why these organizations, merged or distinct, should put off improving their processes, accountability and culture.

To read more about Northern Rivers and how it saved 50% of its initial implementation budget, check out our case study here: https://www.agiloft.com/northern-rivers-case-study.pdf