Mergers
Combine your efforts with another charity to broaden your reach. Our charity solicitors can help you to navigate the complex field of charity mergers to find an optimal outcome for everyone.
The process of merging multiple charities is not always straightforward. Our charity solicitors can help to facilitate a merger that brings together your core aims while helping to overcome any legal issues you might encounter.
Charity mergers can help to focus efforts in the same direction, allowing two or more charities to pool their resources and achieve greater impact. A merger often happens by one charity acquiring the resources of another that ceases their activities. This can help to avoid duplication of services and stop two or more charities from competing for limited resources.
Our charity solicitors are here to guide you through the merger process to ensure best practice is followed every step of the way. By creating a clear plan for the merger from the start, we can help to avoid conflicts and disputes further down the road.
Merging charities in a crisis
Not all mergers are a strategic move to help improve the use of resources. We have worked with charities dealing with financial crises that would leave them unable to continue operating. Seeking a rescue merger for a struggling charity can be a troubling time for passionate charity trustees. We can help you to understand your situation and assess the options available, including a full merger by asset transfer or a merger by a change of control.
Our charity specialists involved with charity law can help you with:
Buying and selling property
Commercial property transactions
Extending leases
Drafting leases
Rent reviews and more
Frequently asked questions
Why do charities merge?
When charities are competing for funding, they may find that they need to merge in order to pool their resources. This cuts back on the duplication of work and helps to make better use of their resources. Mergers may also occur to help rescue a struggling charity.
What are the risks of a charity merger?
As with any merger, there is always the risk of conflicts between leading voices and difficulties in defining the aims of the new charity. Attempting to merge charities with different structures can also present problems.
How do you notify the Charity Commission of a merger?
The Charity Commission has an online form that will allow you to notify them of a merger. You don’t have to ask permission before merging and not all mergers need to be registered. The Charity Commission recommends that all mergers are registered to ensure consistency in messaging.
Who is responsible for due diligence in a merger?
The trustees are responsible for due diligence in a merger and this should be completed for all charities involved. This will help to prevent any surprises once the merger is completed.
Our specialists in Mergers
Graham Pearce
Director and Head of Department for Conveyancing, Commercial and Charity
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