The boards of directors of United Way of Merrimack County, North Country United Way in Littleton and Heritage United Way in Manchester unanimously approved a Letter of Intent to merge the three United Way organizations into a single entity.
The newly formed United Way is being overwhelmingly supported by the three organizations. The resulting merger is also consistent with United Ways Worldwide desire to deliver a consistent "United Way experience."
The three organizations have formed a volunteer committee with board members from each organization to develop and oversee a significant due diligence process. The merger is expected to yield more effective fundraising in each region, reduce operating expenses, and improve program offerings. The Letter of Intent clearly ensures local governance remains in place for each region, and that all funds raised locally will continue to be invested locally.
"By combining our expertise and strengths with Merrimack County and North Country United Way we will have the ability to increase our support to the communities and agencies we serve," said Heritage United Way Board Chairman Dr. Steven Paris.
"United Way has been a tremendous supporter of our organization over the years. We are a member of most United Ways in the state and this new partnership will streamline funding and paperwork which will enable us to focus on client needs," said Child and Family Services President and CEO Michael Ostrowski.
Local and statewide programs will also find the process of applying for financial support from the unified organization to be much more efficient. All three regions expect to report very successful years for donations raised with a combined total exceeding $5,775,000, which will be distributed to over 150 non-profit programs within their respective local markets.
