Answers to Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Our Merger

Why have MACC Alliance and MACC CommonWealth merged?

As both organizations underwent strategic planning in 2013-2014, it became apparent that if we joined forces, there could be many strategic benefits for both organizations. The boards of both organizations agreed to begin a due diligence process to understand potential alignments, risks and opportunities that could present themselves if a merger took place.

On June 19, 2014 the Boards of Directors of the Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities and its subsidiary, MACC CommonWealth Services, Inc. announced that the organizations will merge into a single entity, effective January 1, 2015.  The combined nonprofit entity will be a membership organization whose purpose will be to provide quality services, collaborative programs, and powerful connections for its member organizations, that empower them to excel in helping communities, families, and individuals thrive.

Combining the best of MACC Alliance- the programming and relationships that allow partnerships & collaborations to grow, with the best of MACC CommonWealth- the administrative platform and expertise that allows organizations to better focus on their missions, we believe our members will be strengthened in their ability to make a positive impact in their communities.

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What work is left to do in the merger process?

Now the technical and legal side of our merger is complete, our strategic planning process begins in May 2015. Through that planning process, we'll be working on our brand identity (our niche, name, logo etc.) and working to deepen the member value proposition. We've got some work to do to co-create the future of our merged organization, and we're excited to embark on this process with our members.
  • May 2015- strategic planning begins
  • Summer 2015- strategic planning organizational assessments, environmental assessment, member input and insights, brand refinement
  • Fall 2015- strategy development, brand identity, strategic plan implementation begins

We have other merger integration processes happening simultaneously as well:

  • Winter 2015- transitional co-branding to include both MACC Alliance & MACC CommonWealth, relationship-building among staff and member leadership
  • Winter/Spring 2015- members begin orientation to new member benefits, invitations to participate in MACC programming such as affinity teams
  • Spring/Summer 2015- pilot new member benefits, pilot additional collaborations to Service Network
  • Spring 2015- promotion of member access to member benefits through Alliance for Strong Families and Communities
  • June 2015- communications & website integration begins, development of joint "Report to Members"
  • Late Summer/ Fall- staff engagement assessment, engagement & staff development activities launched
  • Fall 2015- relaunch of MACC innovation dialogues, joint convening with Alliance for Strong Families and Communities
  • Late Fall 2015- annual member satisfaction and insights survey for merged organization
  • Early 2016- member intranet redesign for merged organization

What is different for MACC Alliance and MACC CommonWealth members, respectively, as a result of the merger?

Through our merger, we’ll focus on providing quality services, collaborative programs, and powerful connections for our member organizations. MACC CommonWealth members will continue to receive high quality collaborative administrative services and MACC Alliance members will continue to build connections with other members & capitalize on partnership and collaboration opportunities.
 
Together, the merged organization will have greater capacity to represent members’ collective voice, harness the purchasing power of a larger membership base, and develop innovative and impactful programs and member benefits.
 
This merger is like a rejoining of two branches of a family. While we haven’t been operating completely separate from one another- truly joining forces and working as one will enable us to have a much greater impact in our community.
 

What does being a member of the new organization mean?

Combining the best of MACC Alliance- the programming and relationships that allow partnerships & collaborations to grow, with the best of MACC CommonWealth- the administrative platform and expertise that allows organizations to better focus on their missions, we believe our members will be strengthened in their ability to make a positive impact in their communities.
 
Members of the new organization (the combined memberships of Alliance and MCW) will have access to programming that supports their mission as well as access to the opportunity to subscribe to our collaborative administrative services. Our services and programs remain a la carte- members can subscribe to any services they feel would be beneficial or participate in any programming they feel would be beneficial.
 
The new organization will provide members with new and enhanced member benefits that will grow the connections between members, increase the staff development and learning opportunities available, and support collaborative projects among members.
 
Our membership is larger in scale and larger in scope- we can have a greater impact and voice in our community.

What is the mission and vision for our new organization?

The merger team and boards began the process of refining the focus of our new organization and developed some language to define our purpose as a merged organization. Through our strategic plan we’ll affirm and/or refine these messages based on input from staff and members along the way.
 
MACC (MACC CommonWealth & MACC Alliance) is a membership organization serving and supporting nonprofit human service organizations. Our purpose is to provide quality services, collaborative programs and powerful connections for our member organizations that empower them to excel in helping communities, families and individuals thrive.
Formative Purpose Statements
*will be affirmed/refined in strategic planning

How We Do Our Work
We create opportunities for nonprofit organizations to thrive by providing outstanding management and administrative services, inter-organizational collaborations and a collegial, sharing association that empowers our members to focus on their missions and create a powerful impact in their communities. We focus on providing our members with tools and value-added solutions that result in high impact performance and sustainable outcomes.
 
How We Measure Our Success
We know we are successful when the capacity, strength and sustainability of our members enhances their ability to accomplish their missions and directly benefits the families and communities they serve.
 
Our Values
Innovation
Integrity 
Inclusion   
Trust
Collaboration

Why should the merger matter to our community and to our stakeholders?

For our community, our new organization will showcase the power and potential of new ways that nonprofits can work together to maximize their effectiveness and deepen their impact in the community.
 
The combined organization represents a group of members that operate at more than 100 locations in the Twin Cities metro area, with combined operating budgets of over $100M per year, and employing more than 1,500 people. Our member organizations serve over 350,000 people annually through a diverse array of program and services.
 
We’re excited by the promise this new organization holds and we’re delighted to be taking next steps together to strengthen our community.

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What benefits are there for members? How do the MACC Alliance and MACC Commonwealth member benefits fit together in the new organization?

Formative Member Benefits 
  *will be affirmed/refined in strategic planning

1. Collaboration: An administrative platform & the partnerships that make collaboration possible
  • Members can tap into the potential for cross- organization collaborative approaches to service delivery
  • Members can step up as a part of our affinity teams designed for member organizations to discover shared interests and best practices
  • Members can be a part of developing joint fundraising opportunities that can deepen our collective impact
  • Members can take advantage of the option to access our common administrative platform that lowers the barriers and risks associated with collaboration
2. Talent Development: Cost effective, collaborative solutions for developing your staff
  • Members can take advantage of our scalable/affordable training opportunities for members
  • Members can contribute as we work together to identify needs and design our training catalog, offerings such as:
Leadership development training
People manager training
Program-specific best practices workshops
Job function-specific best practices workshops
Project management training
  • Members can take advantage of the option to access our collaborative Human Resources services which provide strategic HR expertise in talent management.
3. Connections & Learning: Networking with intentionality, committing to organizational learning
  • Members can connect with others doing similar work to share best practices
  •  Members can engage in an Affinity Team designed to foster relationships between members and deliver high impact learning opportunities. Current Affinity Teams include:
Volunteer Management Affinity Team
Youth Service Team Affinity Team
Food Shelf Affinity Team
Early Childhood Affinity Team
Social Media Affinity Team
Public Policy Affinity Team 
Seniors Affinity Team
Economic Opportunities Affinity Team
4. Program Effectiveness & Organizational Impact: Tap into a network of like-organizations & access evaluation and data expertise
  • Members can tap into the knowledge of others and understand how they evaluate their program effectiveness
  • Members can share expertise and best practices for utilizing organizational data
  • Members can take advantage of “Data Discovery” sessions designed help them understand their data
  • Members can take advantage of the option to access our Evaluation Services, common database and Client Data Management services
5. Collaborative Administrative Services: Quality and expertise beyond what they could access on their own.
  • Members have the opportunity to subscribe to any of our administrative services a la carte and experience the benefit of expert administrative services- services that can empower them to focus on what they are good at- their mission, not the administrative details.
Financial Services
Human Resources Services
Data Management & Evaluation Services
Facilities Services
IT Services
Medical Billing Services
6. Collective Voice & Operating Scale: Amplifying our members’ voice and bargaining power
  • Join forces with other members to achieve a more powerful presence advocating for public policy issues affecting our communities.
  • Join forces with other members to access our opportunities for cooperative purchasing and negotiated goods and services available to us due to our size and scale.
  • Together our members:
Operate at more than 100 locations in the Twin Cities metro area
Maintain combined operating budgets of over $100M per year
Employ more than 1,500 people
Serve over 350,000 people annually through a diverse array of programs and services

I'm concerned about this merger and what it may mean for my organization's participation or the services we currently receive. How do I get more information?

You can contact MACC member services if you have any questions or concerns. Mergers can be confusing to all stakeholders and while there is a lot of exciting work underway, we understand the confusion that a change like this can create.

We're working to reach out to each one of our member organizations over the coming months and work together to discover your needs, interests, and the potential you see for our merged organization.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. You can reach Trisha Reinwald, VP of Member Advancement at trisha.reinwald@mcwmn.org or 612-341-1601.

So what's next? How can my organization get involved in what comes next for the merged organization?

As a merged organization, we remain committed to being member-driven and member-centric. Being member-driven has always been at the heart of MACC Alliance and MACC CommonWealth's and  work. As such, we will be engaging our members in strategic planning for the merged organization.

Over the course of 2015- please look for opportunities to provide feedback and engage- we need your help shaping what is possible for our new organization!

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Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities
3433 Broadway St NE, Ste 230, Minneapolis, MN 55413

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