In January, Arise Collective and Mothers and Their Children (MATCH) announced the merger of the two organizations to expand services to and address the unique needs of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated mothers, their children, and justice-impacted families.  

“The board and staff of Arise Collective deeply appreciate this opportunity to further our commitment to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated mothers and their children,” said Amy Otto, Arise Collective Board Chair. "We consider this merger ... this expansion ... a vital step to assist families as they heal, grow, and thrive within our communities and beyond.”

Prior to this announcement, Senior Advisor Staci Barfield – who had previously partnered with Arise Collective on multiple projects – was engaged to facilitate a thoughtful period of due diligence that focused on the needs of the families served, operational efficiencies, and governance considerations.

“Merging into Arise Collective will ensure the future of MATCH's programming and impact for many years to come. Armstrong McGuire and especially Staci Barfield's expertise and guidance created a thorough project framework that we referenced weekly to stay organized, focused, and ultimately successful in MATCH joining under Arise Collective's umbrella of services,” said Steph Hastings, former MATCH Board Chair.

Staci’s work in facilitating this due diligence consisted of three phases:

• Pre-Planning Assessment: After informal discussions, Staci worked with the boards of the two organizations to formalize their intentions to explore a merger. She gathered relevant materials and collected stakeholder input from board and staff members through interviews, focus groups, and surveys. These assessment findings were then shared with the Merger Committee, which consisted of the board chairs and leaders of each organization.

• Merger Planning: Staci’s focus then shifted to a deeper dive into the programs, culture, partnerships, funding sources, staff and board structure, legal implications, budget, communications, systems, vendor relationships, and other facets to be considered in a merger. After reviewing the information collected and a preliminary work plan, the Merger Committee decided to move forward with an affirmative recommendation to merge.

• Board Decision: Staci and the Merger Committee then met with each board of directors to present due diligence findings, merger considerations, and their recommendation. Each board voted unanimously to pass a resolution to enter into good faith negotiations to merge.

The committee then engaged a project manager to oversee the operational details of the merger, culminating in the two organizations joining forces.  

Armstrong McGuire is proud to have played a role in strengthening our community’s ability to support incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their families.