In this wonderful story of a very successful nonprofit merger, as reported by the Sacramento Bee, we get a sense of what type of survival strategies may need to be employed, especially during times of economic downturns and the resulting drop in donations.
An excerpt.
“For nearly 15 years, Ride & Shine offered disabled children and adults the chance to build physical and emotional strength by working with horses in El Dorado County.
“Then the economy tanked.
“Donations plummeted. Feed and veterinary costs skyrocketed. Clients cut back on what they could pay for services.
“This summer, with bills piling up, the nonprofit group's board of directors pondered closing. Instead, they turned to another charity with similar goals, and found new life.
“Ride & Shine is now part of the Grace Foundation, a horse rescue organization based in El Dorado Hills.
"We were in bad shape, but we just didn't want to let this program go," board member Ed Kaufmann said. "Grace seemed like a perfect fit."
“Across the region and the state, as nonprofit groups struggle to stay afloat, many are turning to one another for survival. Collaborations, partnerships and mergers are becoming more and more common, said Ann Lucas, executive director of the Nonprofit Resource Center in Sacramento.”
About
- David H. Lukenbill
- I am a California native, married, we have one daughter and live close to the American River with two cats and all the wild critters we can feed. I am a management consultant to nonprofit organizations and have an Associates of Arts degree in Administration of Justice from Sacramento City College, a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Public Administration degree, also from the University of San Francisco.