Nonprofit Merger and Launch

Challenge: Two affordable housing organizations, the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness (VCEH) and the Virginia Housing Coalition (VHC), were at a crossroads. Both groups provided a variety of support and advocacy for organizations and individuals committed to affordable housing development and homeless services. After separate strategic reviews, the groups recognized that a merger could ensure their ability to leverage additional resources to meet their missions and make a more substantial impact. Among the top considerations for a potential merger was a smooth transition. How to position the new organization would be crucial to its future success. The newly merged group would need to reflect both VCEH and VHC while charting a new, unified path forward. How this change and the vision for a new organization were communicated to members, supporters, funders, elected officials, and other was paramount.

Solution: The committee tasked with implementing the merger recognized the importance of strategic communications to support this process. They tasked Gray Ryan Communications to take the lead on this effort. Gray Ryan provided strategic consulting throughout the merger process and identified a new name, branding, and messages to help the new organization not just retain all current members but grow. Additionally, Gray Ryan developed a comprehensive communications plan to announce the merger to key stakeholders. Components included coordinated email communications, social media, website updates, newsletter articles, FAQ documents, tailored messages for members, and media relations.

Bottom Line: The new organization, the Virginia Housing Alliance (VHA), navigated the merger process successfully and launched with much excitement. The merger announcement and transition process were smooth and members indicated that they felt informed and invested in the decision. Furthermore, VHA received multiple media placements, including national press and a local profile piece. Membership increased immediately. Almost a decade later, VHA has grown and continues to serve as a powerful, statewide advocate to expand affordable housing and homeless services.