Consulting Success stories
Merger by the Numbers:
The Success Story of the Williamson County United Way
One: Understand Your Context
Williamson County, just north of Austin's Travis County, is one of the fastest growing counties in the state. The tech boom of the 90s, combined with the ever-expanding Austin metro area, made Williamson County the destination of many tech workers, young families, and those who preferred the easier pace of Round Rock and Georgetown to the more "big city" feel of Austin. But, as with any metro area, quick expansion creates significant needs.
Two: Clarify Your Goal
Which is why, in mid-2004, the Greater Williamson County United Way and the United Way of Georgetown decided to merge their operations. Their goal was simple yet profound: "To create a unified United Way entity which will efficiently and effectively serve as a change agent and support the greater good for all residents in Williamson County." On paper, it seemed like a natural and obvious strategic move: by streamlining the operations of these two vital nonprofits, more people would be served, money could be better utilized, and more efficient processes could be established. The problem, of course, is that everything looks easier on paper.
So with the help of Greenlights’ Consulting Services, and affiliate consultant Jan Berger, the two United Ways went about the business of uniting their ways. With such established traditions and strong community ties, deciding the "how" of the merger was significantly more tricky than the "why."
Three: Set Your Timeframe
The two organizations began by immediately establishing a timeline, including a final date by which they wanted this merger to be complete—July 1, 2005—a mere six months after the work began in earnest. Over the course of the merger process, timelines proved to be a vital tool. By constantly laying out strict dates by which certain steps should be completed, the merger process gained a momentum of its own and benchmarks could be checked off along the way.
Four: Pay Attention to the Details
The nuts-and-bolts of the merger process were handled by the Integration Team, which comprised six total members, three selected by each board of directors. Soon after the Integration Team and Greenlights' affiliate consultant met for the first time, it became apparent that a merger of this size and community impact required an dizzying number of steps. Previous attempts at merging their operations had taught the organizations that, if they were to be successful, no single step along the path was too small to be overlooked. Legal counsel had to be retained, accountants had to be hired, Boards had to decide on myriad details of the new entity, etc.-and all of it had to be scheduled around the regular, work schedules of the Integration Team and board members. But with Jan Berger's facilitation, detailed timetables, and the steadfast commitment of both organizations to see the task through to completion, the process continued along at a steady pace.
Five: Expect Unexpected Challenges
Merging two large organizations isn’t a case of simply mashing up two teams; it requires thinking bigger, trying to "see" what the new organization would look like, how it would run, what it would be called, and how it would be uniquely defined from its two preceeding organizations. To this end, many of the initial Integration Team meetings focused on the "prototype entity." Various details of the prototype entity were discussed, re-arranged, and agreed upon by consensus before being presented to the two boards for approval.
And this is where another unanticipated challenge arose: Even with helpful timelines in place, when the two United Way boards signed the Letter of Intent—essentially saying yes, let's do this—the pace of the necessary tasks picked up at the same time as the nature of the tasks shifted greatly. The focus went from “How would we do this?” to “How are we doing this?” A marketing plan was developed to help inform the boards, the public, and the UWs’ partners of the process. A detailed organizational structure was drafted so all interested parties could see clearly how the new organization would operate. Tough decisions about staffing had to be made. And a new board had to be installed so that the final transition could happen smoothly.
Six: Publicly Celebrate Your Success
Perhaps one of the most important contributing factors to this successful merger was the unwavering commitment to the end goal on the part of the United Way integration team. The desire to see the new United Way take shape was greater than any difficulties that arose in the process. And on June 23, a good week before their initial deadline for the merger completion, the newly established United Way of Williamson County signed its bylaws in front of excited volunteers, board members, community partners, and the press. Williamson County—whose population is expected to more than double in the next 30 years-now has a single, stronger, more efficient United Way to help serve the health and human services needs of all of its citizens. And that is certainly something to celebrate!