There are many reasons why voluntary sector organisations decide to work together. It could be to achieve a similar aim, jointly working on a specific campaign, or to save costs. You need to be aware of the potential advantages and risks associated with working with another organisation before you take any decisions. Each organisation should undertake their own risk assessment and seek professional advice before entering into an agreement with another. Outlined below are some of the issues to take into consideration: Potential advantages: reduced costs for both organisationsimproved services, avoids duplicationstrength in numbersaccess to new and/or increased service usersshared riskshared knowledge Potential risks: damage to your reputationconfusing to users and other stakeholderswasted time and resourcesliability, if things go wrongdecision making becomes more complicatedresistance to change Different methods of collaboration Here are some of the main ways in which voluntary sector organisations can work together: separate organisations working together on activities or functionsorganisations with expertise or resources offering help to other organisationsnew organisation created to carry out joint work on activities or functionsgroup structure, parent organisation governs subsidiary organisationsmerger into a completely new organisation. Thinking About Merger? The Institute for Voluntary Action Research have produced a guide Thinking about Merger during Covid 19 for senior staff and trustees of small and medium-sized voluntary organisations, bringing together the experiences of a wide variety of voluntary organisations and advisers that have contemplated or carried out merger. Burness Paull, partners in SCVO's Free Legal Advice Service, covered Mergers and Consortia in a recent webinar. {{>global_lateral-buttons }}