June 17, 2025 • 37 mins
Nonprofit mergers and partnerships aren't just survival tactics—they're strategic opportunities to multiply impact and secure long-term sustainability. This compelling conversation with Jennifer Riha, Chief Strategy Officer, and Trent Stechschulte, Chief Legal Officer at Boundless, unveils how strategic growth has transformed their organization's ability to fulfill its mission of realizing the boundless potential of all people.
Today's health and human services organizations face a perfect storm: skyrocketing demand for services while resources and qualified staff become increasingly scarce. Against this backdrop, Boundless has pioneered a proactive approach to partnerships that challenges traditional nonprofit thinking. As Trent memorably states, "not-for-profit is a tax status with the IRS—not a business plan."
Jennifer shares how strategic mergers have expanded Boundless from serving specific populations in limited areas to reaching over 6,000 individuals annually across Ohio. Their sophisticated partnership toolkit—including scoring systems for potential partners and comprehensive integration planning—ensures these unions truly amplify impact rather than simply combining assets. The results speak volumes: when Koinonia joined Boundless in 2023, staff immediately received higher wages and better benefits, while clients gained access to specialized services previously unavailable in their region.
Perhaps most compelling is how these partnerships create the financial leverage needed for innovation. With nonprofit margins typically under 5%, organic growth alone can't generate sufficient resources for technological advancement or program expansion. Strategic partnerships create the scale necessary to invest in the future. Curious how your organization might benefit from strategic partnerships? Listen now to discover practical insights on building a more sustainable, impactful future for your nonprofit mission.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Well, hello everyone.
You've heard me and others saymany times on our podcast series
our mission is to build a worldthat realizes the boundless
potential of all people.
That's in our core DNA here andin recognition of that mission,
plus the fact that boundlesscan't do it alone, we are
closing this year's podcastseason with a three part series.
It's on mergers, acquisitionsand partnerships and how they
(00:26):
improve our services to buildthat world for all people.
Welcome everyone to theNonprofit Leader's Guide podcast
.
I'm your host, scott Light.
So today we want to discuss ourexperience building our growth
strategy toolkits, lessonslearned and what comes next.
We're really excited to sharehow our growth and partnerships
(00:46):
have multiplied Boundless'spotential by boosting innovation
, increasing access to servicesand securing our future
sustainability.
Let me introduce you to twogreat guests.
Jennifer Reha is the ChiefStrategy Officer and oversees
Boundless Advantage that's thegrowth and strategy department
here.
Jen also leads BoundlessAdvantage that's the growth and
strategy department here.
Jen also leads Boundless'sgovernment relations, marketing
(01:08):
and communications, plusresearch and innovation
partnerships.
She does a lot.
Jennifer has worked innonprofit health and human
services for nearly 20 years andhas helped lead many
organizations across our state.
She's also served as a nationaltechnical assistance provider
for grassroots and nonprofitorganizations across the country
, and she's a frequent nationalpublic speaker too.
(01:29):
Jennifer, it's good to see youWelcome.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Thank you, so happy to be here, scott.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Trent Steck-Schulte is the chief legal officer in
general counsel.
He oversees the legal andcompliance department here at
Boundless and in his role heserves as the organization's
corporate secretary, while alsooverseeing risk management,
quality improvement and training.
Trent is a corporate healthcareattorney with over a decade of
experience in legal andcompliance roles for various
(01:54):
provider types.
He is also currently an adjunctprofessor at Ohio State's
Moritz College of Law, where heteaches healthcare compliance
and assists the administrationin building a health law
curriculum.
Trent, welcome to you.
Thank you so much, scott.
It's good to be here.
So let's begin on the personalside, if I could, with both of
you.
Jen, why don't you start us off?
As I mentioned, you have workedin nonprofit health and human
(02:16):
services for more than twodecades.
You're a frequent publicspeaker on so many subjects out
there.
What drew you to this?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
work and what continues to inspire you with
this work?
Wow, what a question.
I think from a very early ageit was very clear to me that I
wanted to do something that wasgoing to make the world a better
place.
Maybe it's a little bitstretching it to say that I
think that maybe there's achance I can change the world,
or I can be a part of helpingchange the world, and so, for me
(02:52):
, boundless has really becomethat place and become that
opportunity.
I have a personal connection.
I do have a son withdevelopmental disabilities on
with developmental disabilities.
So, layered on top of that realdrive and desire to make a
difference in the world,combined with, like you
mentioned, my clinical educationand then that personal
connection, this really hasbecome an opportunity to fulfill
(03:18):
and work to achieve my life'sgoals and dreams and leave a
lasting impact.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Hey, we need folks every day who think they can
come in and believe that theycan change the world, so we love
that.
Trent, similarly to you, you'vebeen here since 2022.
Before that, at Equitas, you'rean adjunct professor, as I
mentioned, so you give back toyour profession in teaching our
next generation of lawyers andlegal scholars.
Tell our listeners more aboutyour background and again I want
(03:45):
to get to that inspirationalpart what inspires you to do
this work?
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Yeah, many times corporate lawyers.
You know they're not trained inlaw school to go into social
services and nonprofits.
So being able to demonstrate,not even in your organization
but also in your community, thatwhat you do at improving and
helping these organizationshelps them move forward.
Even today, we're talking aboutaffiliations, acquisitions,
(04:11):
mergers.
These organizations need legalminds and legal services to
really develop and carry throughwith that mission.
And at the end of the day, yes,what I am doing is I'm a
corporate healthcare lawyer, butI am working for an
organization, to Jen's point,that may change the world or
that serves a community thatdoesn't have a voice, serves a
(04:34):
community that doesn't have theresources that we think they
need to have a fulfilling life.
So every day I go home and Iknow that I'm working for a good
organization.
I get to work with people likeJen and her team as well, which
is incredibly personallyfulfilling, and also the job is
challenging.
The problems are challenging.
It doesn't matter if you're ahospital system or social
(04:55):
services.
The same rules apply.
So I also have a lot ofintellectual challenges that I
really wanted when I went intolaw school.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
I have a feeling with both of you and again,
disparate career accomplishmentsand all the positives that you
each bring to the table.
But to your point, trent, whenyou both go home, it's got to be
a really satisfactory feelingwhen you know you're making a
difference.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Yes, and I also think it's important that young
lawyers, people going into lawschool, understand that there
also are opportunities to workat mission-driven organizations
and that many of theseorganizations need those
resources and need thosepersonnel to really drive their
mission forward.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Jen, let me come to you with a 30,000-foot question
here out of the gate.
What's the state of play fornonprofits, not only here in
Ohio but nationally?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Well, the reality is the world is changing so much
more rapidly than it ever hasbefore, and the health and human
services sector nonprofits arenot in any way immune to that.
So we're facing huge changes,first and primarily, that the
desire and need for the servicesthat we provide and this is
(06:07):
true really, I think, for manynonprofits today are
exponentially increasing, whilethe resources and the tools,
including the workforce, to meetthose needs are becoming more
scarce and are really becomingharder to attain and retain.
So, as we really see thosesignificant changes happening in
the new challenges and maybeeven historic challenges that
(06:30):
are now compounding, I feel likeBoundless and other nonprofits,
both in the health and humanservices sector and outside of
it, really are up against a newenvironment and a new scenario
where we're having to be morecreative, we're having to be
more flexible and we're havingto be more willing to consider
(06:50):
ideas that may seem out of thebox, in order to make sure that
we keep achieving and movingtoward our missions.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Let's talk about missions plural, because there
are many of them here, so let'sdive into it.
The general public if we thinkabout it here, they largely know
nonprofits by the services thatare provided, but what is not
talked about enough in ourindustry are the things that
both of you are getting tobusiness practices, legal
prowess to enable those servicesto not only exist but to thrive
(07:20):
.
We looked at a recent articlein the Stanford Social
Innovation Review and it saidthis quote the social sector
must move beyond viewing M&A asa last resort for struggling
organizations and instead weshould recognize it as a
proactive strategy for achievinggreater impact more efficiently
.
This shift requires changes inboth mindset and practice.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
I love the idea of the fact that we are non-profits
.
The fact that we are health andhuman services sector does not
mean that we don't run withgreat efficiency and use great
best practices and greatbusiness practices.
I'll sometimes sort of jokethat not-for-profit is a tax
status with the IRS.
(08:04):
It is not a business plan, andso we really really aim to make
sure that we're running thisorganization like a great
business.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Boundless has a unique leadership team in that
regard, where we are making veryhighly strategic decisions and
we have business plans that manysocial services nonprofits
don't invest in, and they don'tinvest because they don't have
the resources or they can't findthe talent to do it, and
Boundless is doing that.
So, to Jen's point, we viewthis as a business and a
(08:37):
nonprofit as a tax status andnot a plan.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Let me follow up Again coming off that quote,
using that still as aspringboard here.
Why has the nonprofit sectorviewed M&A Trent to you first on
this one.
Why has the nonprofit sectorviewed M&A growth as a last
resort?
Speaker 3 (08:54):
that are in dire financial distress.
Merging with anotherorganization, you also have that
character of an organizationyou think will change.
You have leaders and employeessaying I'm an employee of this
(09:15):
nonprofit.
If we merge, we're going tolose that culture.
We're going to lose our abilityto serve individuals better.
However, when you back up,culture is important but you can
provide more services bygrowing and by bringing others
in, accepting that talent.
One thing Jen mentioned alittle bit was just around
(09:36):
talent.
Through a lot of ouracquisitions and mergers, we
have found amazing talent thathave come in, provided us
perspective on their culture andtheir operations that we've
used to improve the services wedeliver to our individuals.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Yeah to Trent's point .
I really think a lot of timessome of that hesitancy or the
way that that's viewed is drivenfrom fear.
Trent mentioned the talentquestion and I think oftentimes
there's a concern of, hey, thegreat people who have invested
in this mission over the decadesaren't going to be able to be a
part of this organization if wemerge or if we're acquired or
(10:14):
something like that, when thereality is to what Trent was
saying, there is no nonprofitout there that is just swimming
in an overwhelming pool ofamazing talent.
In an overwhelming pool ofamazing talent, coming together
means that we need to bring ourtalent together, that we're
actually going to be able toperhaps specialize and have more
time to do the thing or thecouple of things that we're
(10:36):
really, really good at, versusevery nonprofit leader having to
wear 15 hats.
That that's what that bringstogether.
And so I do think that a lot oftimes there's a considerable
amount of fear and aconsiderable amount of really
being afraid of both change andthe uncertainty, whether it's
the board members or it's theleaders themselves or other
(10:56):
staff.
And the truth is, when you lookat the vast majority of
nonprofit mergers andacquisitions, and certainly the
ones that Boundless has beeninvolved in.
That's simply not reality.
The reality is we need all thetalent we can get.
That coming together does notmean that we don't need great
talent.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Let's pick up on where you both were leading
there, and that is what'shappening here at Boundless.
So how does Boundless view M&Aand why is it such an important
part of our strategy here?
Speaker 2 (11:27):
You know, one of the things that is happening right
now in this sector is that we'reseeing a lot of for-profit,
especially with the privateequity money.
The goal is to invest for threeto five years, bundle together
(11:51):
a number of providers that theybuy or invest in and then resell
them.
Now this is having a hugeimpact on our sector.
We see it a lot, especially inthe autism and the substance use
disorders treatment space, andit really is making it extremely
difficult for many of thehistoric nonprofits to sustain
(12:11):
and to compete.
When we add on top of that therapid technological advancements
all around us, including theincreasing use of AI and
therapeutic interventions, butthen also the very real changes
in what families and individualsthat we serve expect for their
lives and want from providers,that's just a huge amount of
(12:34):
change, and nonprofits have to,today and right now, be able to
evolve, adapt and invest to makesure that our missions continue
long into the future.
And most health and humanservices organizations,
including Boundless, operate onvery slim profit margins every
year.
It's almost always less than 5%, and so that leaves very little
(12:58):
room for most providers toinvest in that evolution and
that adapting that we all reallyneed to do.
Reality is organic growth.
Growing programs from scratch isreally hard, really slow and
really expensive, but we havefound that if we can come
together with like-missionedorganizations to create that
(13:19):
larger pool of revenue, then thesame 5% is a bigger number and
can become a big enough numberto be actually able to afford
the investments that nonprofitsneed to be making.
So that's really the bottom linefor why we're putting so much
time and energy and intentionalresources behind looking for
(13:42):
partners because we see thesechallenges around us now, we see
the ones in front of us overthe next decade and we're really
committed to making sure wefind a way to ensure that
Boundless's mission is here,it's thriving for the future
generations, and so we're reallylooking for those partners that
allow us to create theefficiencies, to make sure that
(14:04):
that profit margin at the end ofthe year is large enough to
invest in our workforce, toexpand new programs into new
communities, to launch newservices, make sure our programs
are based on the best latestresearch, and then also to
invest in the technology toolsthat can extend the impact of
our workforce.
So, as we look around, wereally see partnership, m&a,
(14:29):
these kinds of opportunities asa tool, if not the tool that's
going to be most effective ingetting us to the investments
that we need to make to be ableto make sure that our services
continue and are here.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
And Jen and her team do a good job of vocalizing and
helping other partnersunderstand that investment
Technology is not oh, if we buythis system or we buy this
support for individuals, theircare will be improved.
That's not.
The conversation is more how dowe build a team of
professionals that can develop aprocess that then can put this
(15:04):
technology to use, that candevelop a process that then can
put this technology to use?
That's expensive and it'sexpensive for all health care
providers and that includes IDDand social services.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Well, I think it really comes back to in order to
deliver services, and greatservices you need to have the
resources to invest, and so,whether we're talking about
additional talent as theresource and so we talked about
this a little bit earlier thatwhen you've got multiple
fantastic managers, leaders,people delivering services so
(15:36):
that's you know, you'veinterviewed and talked to so
many over the years on thepodcast but having more
fantastic speech therapists ormore fantastic intervention
specialists, those things helpto make everyone involved better
.
They bring new opportunities toour partners.
In some cases, when we'vemerged with another organization
(15:59):
, services that Boundless hadthat that other organization had
not been able to build, we'vebeen able to take those now to
those new parts of the state andoffer those services to the
people they were serving,enhancing their quality of life,
and so we really see theseopportunities as a chance to
(16:20):
give all of the great thingsthat Boundless has been able to
develop to those otherorganizations and the people
they're serving, but also to getfrom those other organizations
the incredible things that theyhave learned, the incredible
talent that they have.
They have unique programs thatwe don't have.
We really see thesepartnerships as an incredible
(16:43):
marriage and give and take thatultimately benefits all of the
people working for us, but alsoall of the communities we're
serving, all of the individualsand families that we're serving.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Jen, you mentioned partnerships.
Let's explore that.
Some here, boy, you guys arereally making my job easy.
I just have to tee up thequestions and follow your
conversation here.
This is fantastic.
When partners are consideringbecoming part of Boundless Trent
to you, how does leadership tryto ease those concerns of
fellow partner organizations andensure that that partnership is
(17:14):
indeed a great idea?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
The leadership team's first consideration really is
always the culture of theorganization we're talking to.
That means getting to know theleaders of the organization and
getting to know their board ofthe organization and getting to
know their board.
So when I say leadership team,I know that can sound just a
little bit amorphous.
There are a lot of leadersinvolved in any sort of merger,
(17:37):
acquisition or affiliationprocess, but it's those that are
really making the decision,including the board of trustees
of the partner organization.
So understanding theorganization's leadership is
important because the decisionsabout coming together involve
not just the executives butthose board members as well.
So that's why when we startthis whole process from a legal
(18:00):
perspective, the first step isan NDA.
It's an NDA so leaders can becandid with the other
organization around what theirintent is coming together.
We've talked a lot extensivelyalready on this podcast just
about all of the benefits.
We want to know whether thoseleaders are aligned with our
culture.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
You know.
I would also add that thecultures of the two
organizations do not have to beidentical, and the reality is
they're probably not going to bebut what we have found is that
everybody needs to be clearabout how they are different,
and then that we need to have avery candid and clear
conversation about how thosedifferences are going to be
(18:42):
taken into account if our twoorganizations integrate, and so
that means having a lot of timeat the beginning of the
conversation around expectations, but then also talking about
what is really important in yourperspective to make sure
continues or endures from yourorganization.
(19:03):
So is it a particular program?
Is it a particular way ofviewing the world?
But having really open,in-depth conversations about
those pieces really help to makesure that the aspects of the
cultures of both organizationsthat we want to endure, that we
can make a plan for that tohappen, and we can make a plan
(19:25):
for places where there'sdifference.
So if there's different waysthat we view how work is
assigned, how decisions are made, views of independent work
versus teamwork, all of thosethings are unique to an
organization's culture, and soit's really about understanding
the differences and then makinga plan for how do we bring the
best of both together.
(19:45):
And then how do we create a newculture collaboratively?
And the truth is, whether it'sa big organization and a little
one, or two big ones, two littleones coming together, the
outcome, on the other end, isthat it's always a new culture.
The blending of twoorganizations ultimately always
changes things.
So, trying to be intentionaland trying to be proactive, to
(20:09):
plan out what we want this tolook like on the other end, and
that makes sense, scott, justfrom the standpoint of when
employees of an organizationknow there's an organized,
structured integration process.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
It eases a lot of the anxieties that come with change
.
Some folks are very energizedby change in an organization,
some are not.
So, having that structuredprocess around, we are
discussing the possibility andthe intentions with this
organization.
We are moving to a letter ofintent where we further want to
understand due diligence.
(20:43):
We want to vocalize and figureout whether this makes financial
sense but also whether itimproves the services we're
providing across the carecontinuum right.
And then we include our board.
The board is a disinterestedparty with a fiduciary duty of
care to ensure that we're actingin our best interest.
And this membershipsubstitution acquisition comes
(21:05):
from the board, a formal legalprocess that must be approved by
the board.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
I'd love to ask at this point in this episode.
I'd love to ask each of you aperspective of your learning
over the years.
Now to our audience.
I'm the only one here at thetable that has any gray hair, so
I've got both of our guests byage here and probably at least a
decade or so.
But as you heard their biosfrom the beginning, jen and
(21:31):
Trent have been around.
They've done a lot with theircareers so far.
What have you learned overthese years about how M&A,
acquisitions and other thingswhen it comes to being really
efficient on the resourceplanning side and then using
those resources wisely once theyall come under one umbrella?
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Well, first, Scott, I will pass along your compliment
to my hairdresser.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
I'm not showing any gray today, that's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
You are so right.
These conversations, thesetypes of initiatives, cost a lot
, both in terms of time andresources, but it also
eventually has financial cost.
So making sure that we're beingvery responsible and efficient
in how we're assessing apotential partner is really
(22:23):
important to us.
So we've actually learned a lotover the years from decisions
and things that we probablywouldn't do again, but what
we've built now is a scoringsystem that's actually specific
to Boundless.
That helps us score specificstates, geographies, as well as
different provider types in aparticular state to make sure
(22:45):
that we're really focusing ourlimited time and resources on
partnerships that are going tobe most likely to result in the
efficiencies and the opportunityto reinvest that I talked about
earlier.
We've also built a toolkit, andthis is based on M&A best
practice from other sectors.
We've done research fromHarvard Business Review and
(23:05):
Forbes and, again, reallygetting back to that whole idea
of being a non-profit does notmean that you can't be a great
business, and so what we've puttogether is an entire toolkit
for partnership, merger andacquisition activities that
involves laying out the dealfundamentals, laying out the
(23:28):
actual non-binding letter ofintent, our due diligence
process and then, maybe mostimportantly, we've invested in
being able to have people whospecifically project, manage
this whole process and thenbring the organizations together
before the deal is closed to,as Trent referenced, put
(23:49):
together what we call a masterintegration plan, and so this is
not the flashier, exciting partof the process, but it's very
detailed and it literally goesthrough the plans for IT, for
people in culture, for qualityand compliance and really walks
through.
If these two organizations cometogether, how are we going to
(24:13):
integrate these pieces?
What is going to be a priorityto work on first?
How are we going to make surewe don't overwhelm people?
How are we going to make surethat staff feel supported and
that everybody understands thetimeline and that we are
monitoring our progressthroughout the whole piece?
And that level of rigor anddiscipline around how to
(24:36):
integrate organizations isreally what we are finding makes
all the difference.
On the other end I talked aboutthat a new culture will come
out on the other side, and notpaying sufficient attention to
the integration and the planningis really what can mess that up
and get you a culture you didnot want or you were not
(24:57):
intending to have come out onthe other side.
But for us, that's really whathas been most important for us
in making sure that we'reefficient and that we're really
working with partners that,ultimately, are going to make it
to the point where we trulycome together.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
Just outside of what Jen just said, with the internal
team, there's also a lot ofexternal players we have to
think about.
So, first and foremost, legalcounsel.
As all nonprofits andbusinesses know, legal counsel
for organizations can beexpensive, and one of the most
important things I can say,without providing legal advice,
(25:35):
is, in the legal world, you getwhat you pay for.
So it's critical that youinvest in quality, experienced
lawyers who have the resourcesand expertise in this area to
help an organization across thefinish lines.
Additionally, there's more thanjust agreement management when
it comes to merger andacquisitions.
In this space, you have billing,grants, certifications,
(25:59):
licensure.
You have particularorganizations that may have
governance expectations when itcomes to coming together, like
certified behavioral healthclinics, federally qualified
health centers, qualified healthcenters, and you need
experienced folks internallythat understand that, or
consultants or lawyersexternally to help you, because
(26:20):
if you do not make the expenseup front, you will pay for it in
the long run, and so you know.
Other areas of expense caninclude human resources,
consultants, but also doingthose due diligence around your
risk management, around yourinsurance right, and then
understanding, from a purelyfinancial standpoint, of your
two organizations comingtogether.
(26:40):
How does coming together impactyour debt obligations, your
credit right, and so those aresome of the things that, again,
that's just the tip of theiceberg when it comes to
external players involved in amerger and acquisition, when it
comes to external playersinvolved in a merger and
acquisition, but understandingthat, with these shared vendors,
these shared external companies, you have a lot of savings in
(27:01):
the long run.
If you're bundling yourbenefits, if you're bundling
your insurance right, you savemoney in the long run.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Any time, as host of these episodes, I try to put
myself in the place of listenersand I'm wondering if we have
some listeners out there goingOK, hey, what you're saying is
great, but I want some concreteexamples of how the Boundless
model has positively impactedstaff services culture.
The list goes on for this onebecause I think back to the
(27:35):
times.
I've heard our CEO Patrick outthere talking to various groups
and he gets really impassionedtalking about the earliest days
of Boundless, and that's reallywhere we can trace this thing
right.
We can trace those positiveexamples back to the partnership
that created Boundless just afew years ago.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
That's exactly right, scott.
So back in 2017, theorganization at that time was
Franklin County ResidentialServices and it was truly a
residential servicesorganization that primarily
served only adults and onlypeople with intellectual or
developmental disabilities inFranklin County, and it was
(28:10):
through an M&A partnership withwhat at that time was
Step-by-Step Academy and theyprimarily served children and
youth with autism and providingbehavioral health care that the
seeds for growth throughpartnership were planted.
So when Step-by-Step Academycame together with Franklin
County Residential Services,shortly after that, monco out of
(28:33):
Montgomery County joined aswell, and that's really the
organization that became what wenow think of as Boundless, and
that first partnership and theimpact of that has spread across
the entire state and now servesover 6,000 people and their
(28:53):
families every year, with thehuge range of services that we
know Boundless now has.
And so when we think back toreally less than 10 years ago,
the work that Step-by-Step wasdoing was fantastic, the work
that Franklin County ResidentialServices was doing was
fantastic and it absolutely wasmaking a difference in the lives
(29:13):
of the people that bothorganizations were serving.
But when we think about whathappened when they came together
and how many more people noware served across the entire
state, not just Franklin County,not just Central Ohio.
I really can't overstate howimportant that initial, really
(29:34):
quite small deal was when welook at how it's blossomed and
how it's transitioned over theyear, over the years.
The other thing that immediatelycomes to mind for me is our
most recent partnership withKoinonia.
So in 2023, koinonia, out ofCuyahoga County, which was a
large intellectual anddevelopmental disability
(29:54):
provider, joined Boundless, andwhen the two organizations came
together, it immediatelyimpacted Koinonia staff.
They had raises in their wages.
They also immediately hadbetter access to health benefits
at a much lower cost, and itcreated so many new advancement
opportunities for many of theirleadership staff.
(30:16):
And it has, as I mentionedearlier, now resulted in our
being able to add new services,such as specialized behavioral
health care, open up new,improved facilities and serve
many more people all throughoutNortheast Ohio because of the
two organizations comingtogether.
So I think those are just tworeally practical examples of how
(30:41):
two organizations come togetherand that it's not one plus one
equals two.
These have been scenarios whereone plus one equals 20.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
Just to Jen's point around leaders and employees
from the mergers andacquisitions having a huge
impact.
So when the organizations docome together, like Jen
mentioned, they bring theirideas, their strengths, their
talent and since we have beenvery intentional about
integration, we can create newopportunities for staff
(31:11):
development and internalpromotions.
Our director of governmentaffairs is the product of a
merger.
Our VP of programs is a productof a merger.
Our senior director ofcompliance, quality and training
is a product of a merger.
That's just naming a couple ofexamples, but there's many more
(31:33):
across our organization and howfortunate we are to have that.
And just having those sorts ofintegration and talent at our
organization helps us then sayhow did you run your business so
well, how do you bring that toBoundless and how can we improve
because of that?
Those are some of the examplesI have seen.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Let's close with a broad question to both of you,
and I want to come back to thenonprofit sector as a whole,
because one word that we talkedabout at the very beginning was
successful sustainability.
We want to be here, not justtwo years down the road.
We want to be here 100 yearsdown the road.
Jen, you talked about thisearlier.
(32:16):
Ai is changing just about everysector of our lives.
Whether we realize it or not,change is happening really,
really fast right now.
So question to you both how cannonprofits be more nimble, be
more ready to embrace change forthat more sustainable future?
Speaker 2 (32:35):
I think that the piece that comes to mind first
for me is willingness, and bywillingness what I mean is it is
a choice to be willing to beopen to the idea that what you
have been doing, what we havebeen doing, may not be what we
(32:58):
can do in the future, whetherit's because of resources,
whether it's because oftechnology has changed what we
use humans to do versus machines, or it's because the market,
the people we are serving, arelooking for and demanding
something different.
And I think in nonprofits, inhealth and human services, it
(33:21):
can be really hard to acceptthat the way we have done things
, or even the things we havebeen doing, may have to change.
And let me be clear I'm notsaying that our missions change,
but the things we do to achievethat mission may need to evolve
.
And so I feel as though thenumber one task for all of us in
(33:46):
this space is to make a choice,to be willing to consider that
we may have to change.
We may have to change how we dowhat we, to consider that we
may have to change.
We may have to change how we dowhat we do.
We may even have to change whatwe do in service of our mission
.
And the truth is, even those who, as Trent mentioned, are
excited or energized by changewhich I think people probably
(34:12):
think I'm overly energized bychange, but even for me change
is scary.
Change is hard for everybody,and so one making the choice to
be willing to consider, but thenmaking the choice to go a step
further and say I am actuallygoing to think outside the box,
I am going to do strategicplanning or do visioning,
(34:33):
however you want to think aboutit in an open mind, in a blue
sky sort of approach, and reallybe willing to focus on the
mission, not the how.
That is so hard but I think isabsolutely what every nonprofit,
every health and human servicesorganization needs to be doing
(34:56):
today.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
And Jen does a really good job of you know reframing
willingness, where not making achoice is a choice.
Not deciding is a choice.
Not considering how M&A canimprove services for individuals
is a choice.
Not seeing how Medicaidreimbursement is the math is not
(35:18):
mathing right I became a lawyerso I didn't have to do math
right.
But social services, iddproviders seeing that, not
understanding or realizing thatthe talent pool is shrinking,
but the complexity and thechallenges with regulations and
caring for individuals continuesto march on that's a choice.
So when you think about change,when you think about whether it
(35:41):
be AI, it's you know AI was nodifferent than electronic
medical records.
Electronic medical records isno different than telehealth.
There are different ways to youknow, to what Jen said fulfill
the mission and not looking atthose and not balancing how
those can improve services andfulfill your mission.
That's the strategy, that'syour mission.
(36:02):
That's a choice.
So willingness is, I think, aperfect encapsulation of that.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
That's a great, great word to end on great word to
end on Just a great conversationthat hopefully lifted the
curtain a little bit on what wedo here and what nonprofits
broadly can do to increase theimpact on people and communities
that they serve.
Jennifer and Trent, thanks somuch for joining us.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
Thank you, scott, it was a pleasure.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
Thank you, scott, great meeting.
You Join us next month for ourspecial guest, diane Bistrom,
former CEO of Koinonia andcurrent Boundless executive.
She's going to be here anddiscuss how merging with
Boundless helps secure theirfuture and also how it affected
the things that we talked abouttoday, those things like
affecting staff, culture,services and the broader
(36:49):
community.
This is the Nonprofit Leader'sGuide podcast brought to you by
Boundless.
Well, hello everyone.
You've heard me and others saymany times on our podcast series
our mission is to build a worldthat realizes the boundless
potential of all people.
That's in our core DNA here andin recognition of that mission,
plus the fact that boundlesscan't do it alone, we are
closing this year's podcastseason with a three part series.
It's on mergers, acquisitionsand partnerships and how they
(00:26):
improve our services to buildthat world for all people.
Welcome everyone to theNonprofit Leader's Guide podcast
.
I'm your host, scott Light.
So today we want to discuss ourexperience building our growth
strategy toolkits, lessonslearned and what comes next.
We're really excited to sharehow our growth and partnerships
(00:46):
have multiplied Boundless'spotential by boosting innovation
, increasing access to servicesand securing our future
sustainability.
Let me introduce you to twogreat guests.
Jennifer Reha is the ChiefStrategy Officer and oversees
Boundless Advantage that's thegrowth and strategy department
here.
Jen also leads BoundlessAdvantage that's the growth and
strategy department here.
Jen also leads Boundless'sgovernment relations, marketing
(01:08):
and communications, plusresearch and innovation
partnerships.
She does a lot.
Jennifer has worked innonprofit health and human
services for nearly 20 years andhas helped lead many
organizations across our state.
She's also served as a nationaltechnical assistance provider
for grassroots and nonprofitorganizations across the country
, and she's a frequent nationalpublic speaker too.
(01:29):
Jennifer, it's good to see youWelcome.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Thank you, so happy to be here, scott.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Trent Steck-Schulte is the chief legal officer in
general counsel.
He oversees the legal andcompliance department here at
Boundless and in his role heserves as the organization's
corporate secretary, while alsooverseeing risk management,
quality improvement and training.
Trent is a corporate healthcareattorney with over a decade of
experience in legal andcompliance roles for various
(01:54):
provider types.
He is also currently an adjunctprofessor at Ohio State's
Moritz College of Law, where heteaches healthcare compliance
and assists the administrationin building a health law
curriculum.
Trent, welcome to you.
Thank you so much, scott.
It's good to be here.
So let's begin on the personalside, if I could, with both of
you.
Jen, why don't you start us off?
As I mentioned, you have workedin nonprofit health and human
(02:16):
services for more than twodecades.
You're a frequent publicspeaker on so many subjects out
there.
What drew you to this?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
work and what continues to inspire you with
this work?
Wow, what a question.
I think from a very early ageit was very clear to me that I
wanted to do something that wasgoing to make the world a better
place.
Maybe it's a little bitstretching it to say that I
think that maybe there's achance I can change the world,
or I can be a part of helpingchange the world, and so, for me
(02:52):
, boundless has really becomethat place and become that
opportunity.
I have a personal connection.
I do have a son withdevelopmental disabilities on
with developmental disabilities.
So, layered on top of that realdrive and desire to make a
difference in the world,combined with, like you
mentioned, my clinical educationand then that personal
connection, this really hasbecome an opportunity to fulfill
(03:18):
and work to achieve my life'sgoals and dreams and leave a
lasting impact.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Hey, we need folks every day who think they can
come in and believe that theycan change the world, so we love
that.
Trent, similarly to you, you'vebeen here since 2022.
Before that, at Equitas, you'rean adjunct professor, as I
mentioned, so you give back toyour profession in teaching our
next generation of lawyers andlegal scholars.
Tell our listeners more aboutyour background and again I want
(03:45):
to get to that inspirationalpart what inspires you to do
this work?
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Yeah, many times corporate lawyers.
You know they're not trained inlaw school to go into social
services and nonprofits.
So being able to demonstrate,not even in your organization
but also in your community, thatwhat you do at improving and
helping these organizationshelps them move forward.
Even today, we're talking aboutaffiliations, acquisitions,
(04:11):
mergers.
These organizations need legalminds and legal services to
really develop and carry throughwith that mission.
And at the end of the day, yes,what I am doing is I'm a
corporate healthcare lawyer, butI am working for an
organization, to Jen's point,that may change the world or
that serves a community thatdoesn't have a voice, serves a
(04:34):
community that doesn't have theresources that we think they
need to have a fulfilling life.
So every day I go home and Iknow that I'm working for a good
organization.
I get to work with people likeJen and her team as well, which
is incredibly personallyfulfilling, and also the job is
challenging.
The problems are challenging.
It doesn't matter if you're ahospital system or social
(04:55):
services.
The same rules apply.
So I also have a lot ofintellectual challenges that I
really wanted when I went intolaw school.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
I have a feeling with both of you and again,
disparate career accomplishmentsand all the positives that you
each bring to the table.
But to your point, trent, whenyou both go home, it's got to be
a really satisfactory feelingwhen you know you're making a
difference.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Yes, and I also think it's important that young
lawyers, people going into lawschool, understand that there
also are opportunities to workat mission-driven organizations
and that many of theseorganizations need those
resources and need thosepersonnel to really drive their
mission forward.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Jen, let me come to you with a 30,000-foot question
here out of the gate.
What's the state of play fornonprofits, not only here in
Ohio but nationally?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Well, the reality is the world is changing so much
more rapidly than it ever hasbefore, and the health and human
services sector nonprofits arenot in any way immune to that.
So we're facing huge changes,first and primarily, that the
desire and need for the servicesthat we provide and this is
(06:07):
true really, I think, for manynonprofits today are
exponentially increasing, whilethe resources and the tools,
including the workforce, to meetthose needs are becoming more
scarce and are really becomingharder to attain and retain.
So, as we really see thosesignificant changes happening in
the new challenges and maybeeven historic challenges that
(06:30):
are now compounding, I feel likeBoundless and other nonprofits,
both in the health and humanservices sector and outside of
it, really are up against a newenvironment and a new scenario
where we're having to be morecreative, we're having to be
more flexible and we're havingto be more willing to consider
(06:50):
ideas that may seem out of thebox, in order to make sure that
we keep achieving and movingtoward our missions.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Let's talk about missions plural, because there
are many of them here, so let'sdive into it.
The general public if we thinkabout it here, they largely know
nonprofits by the services thatare provided, but what is not
talked about enough in ourindustry are the things that
both of you are getting tobusiness practices, legal
prowess to enable those servicesto not only exist but to thrive
(07:20):
.
We looked at a recent articlein the Stanford Social
Innovation Review and it saidthis quote the social sector
must move beyond viewing M&A asa last resort for struggling
organizations and instead weshould recognize it as a
proactive strategy for achievinggreater impact more efficiently
.
This shift requires changes inboth mindset and practice.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
I love the idea of the fact that we are non-profits
.
The fact that we are health andhuman services sector does not
mean that we don't run withgreat efficiency and use great
best practices and greatbusiness practices.
I'll sometimes sort of jokethat not-for-profit is a tax
status with the IRS.
(08:04):
It is not a business plan, andso we really really aim to make
sure that we're running thisorganization like a great
business.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Boundless has a unique leadership team in that
regard, where we are making veryhighly strategic decisions and
we have business plans that manysocial services nonprofits
don't invest in, and they don'tinvest because they don't have
the resources or they can't findthe talent to do it, and
Boundless is doing that.
So, to Jen's point, we viewthis as a business and a
(08:37):
nonprofit as a tax status andnot a plan.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Let me follow up Again coming off that quote,
using that still as aspringboard here.
Why has the nonprofit sectorviewed M&A Trent to you first on
this one.
Why has the nonprofit sectorviewed M&A growth as a last
resort?
Speaker 3 (08:54):
that are in dire financial distress.
Merging with anotherorganization, you also have that
character of an organizationyou think will change.
You have leaders and employeessaying I'm an employee of this
(09:15):
nonprofit.
If we merge, we're going tolose that culture.
We're going to lose our abilityto serve individuals better.
However, when you back up,culture is important but you can
provide more services bygrowing and by bringing others
in, accepting that talent.
One thing Jen mentioned alittle bit was just around
(09:36):
talent.
Through a lot of ouracquisitions and mergers, we
have found amazing talent thathave come in, provided us
perspective on their culture andtheir operations that we've
used to improve the services wedeliver to our individuals.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Yeah to Trent's point .
I really think a lot of timessome of that hesitancy or the
way that that's viewed is drivenfrom fear.
Trent mentioned the talentquestion and I think oftentimes
there's a concern of, hey, thegreat people who have invested
in this mission over the decadesaren't going to be able to be a
part of this organization if wemerge or if we're acquired or
(10:14):
something like that, when thereality is to what Trent was
saying, there is no nonprofitout there that is just swimming
in an overwhelming pool ofamazing talent.
In an overwhelming pool ofamazing talent, coming together
means that we need to bring ourtalent together, that we're
actually going to be able toperhaps specialize and have more
time to do the thing or thecouple of things that we're
(10:36):
really, really good at, versusevery nonprofit leader having to
wear 15 hats.
That that's what that bringstogether.
And so I do think that a lot oftimes there's a considerable
amount of fear and aconsiderable amount of really
being afraid of both change andthe uncertainty, whether it's
the board members or it's theleaders themselves or other
(10:56):
staff.
And the truth is, when you lookat the vast majority of
nonprofit mergers andacquisitions, and certainly the
ones that Boundless has beeninvolved in.
That's simply not reality.
The reality is we need all thetalent we can get.
That coming together does notmean that we don't need great
talent.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Let's pick up on where you both were leading
there, and that is what'shappening here at Boundless.
So how does Boundless view M&Aand why is it such an important
part of our strategy here?
Speaker 2 (11:27):
You know, one of the things that is happening right
now in this sector is that we'reseeing a lot of for-profit,
especially with the privateequity money.
The goal is to invest for threeto five years, bundle together
(11:51):
a number of providers that theybuy or invest in and then resell
them.
Now this is having a hugeimpact on our sector.
We see it a lot, especially inthe autism and the substance use
disorders treatment space, andit really is making it extremely
difficult for many of thehistoric nonprofits to sustain
(12:11):
and to compete.
When we add on top of that therapid technological advancements
all around us, including theincreasing use of AI and
therapeutic interventions, butthen also the very real changes
in what families and individualsthat we serve expect for their
lives and want from providers,that's just a huge amount of
(12:34):
change, and nonprofits have to,today and right now, be able to
evolve, adapt and invest to makesure that our missions continue
long into the future.
And most health and humanservices organizations,
including Boundless, operate onvery slim profit margins every
year.
It's almost always less than 5%, and so that leaves very little
(12:58):
room for most providers toinvest in that evolution and
that adapting that we all reallyneed to do.
Reality is organic growth.
Growing programs from scratch isreally hard, really slow and
really expensive, but we havefound that if we can come
together with like-missionedorganizations to create that
(13:19):
larger pool of revenue, then thesame 5% is a bigger number and
can become a big enough numberto be actually able to afford
the investments that nonprofitsneed to be making.
So that's really the bottom linefor why we're putting so much
time and energy and intentionalresources behind looking for
(13:42):
partners because we see thesechallenges around us now, we see
the ones in front of us overthe next decade and we're really
committed to making sure wefind a way to ensure that
Boundless's mission is here,it's thriving for the future
generations, and so we're reallylooking for those partners that
allow us to create theefficiencies, to make sure that
(14:04):
that profit margin at the end ofthe year is large enough to
invest in our workforce, toexpand new programs into new
communities, to launch newservices, make sure our programs
are based on the best latestresearch, and then also to
invest in the technology toolsthat can extend the impact of
our workforce.
So, as we look around, wereally see partnership, m&a,
(14:29):
these kinds of opportunities asa tool, if not the tool that's
going to be most effective ingetting us to the investments
that we need to make to be ableto make sure that our services
continue and are here.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
And Jen and her team do a good job of vocalizing and
helping other partnersunderstand that investment
Technology is not oh, if we buythis system or we buy this
support for individuals, theircare will be improved.
That's not.
The conversation is more how dowe build a team of
professionals that can develop aprocess that then can put this
(15:04):
technology to use, that candevelop a process that then can
put this technology to use?
That's expensive and it'sexpensive for all health care
providers and that includes IDDand social services.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Well, I think it really comes back to in order to
deliver services, and greatservices you need to have the
resources to invest, and so,whether we're talking about
additional talent as theresource and so we talked about
this a little bit earlier thatwhen you've got multiple
fantastic managers, leaders,people delivering services so
(15:36):
that's you know, you'veinterviewed and talked to so
many over the years on thepodcast but having more
fantastic speech therapists ormore fantastic intervention
specialists, those things helpto make everyone involved better
.
They bring new opportunities toour partners.
In some cases, when we'vemerged with another organization
(15:59):
, services that Boundless hadthat that other organization had
not been able to build, we'vebeen able to take those now to
those new parts of the state andoffer those services to the
people they were serving,enhancing their quality of life,
and so we really see theseopportunities as a chance to
(16:20):
give all of the great thingsthat Boundless has been able to
develop to those otherorganizations and the people
they're serving, but also to getfrom those other organizations
the incredible things that theyhave learned, the incredible
talent that they have.
They have unique programs thatwe don't have.
We really see thesepartnerships as an incredible
(16:43):
marriage and give and take thatultimately benefits all of the
people working for us, but alsoall of the communities we're
serving, all of the individualsand families that we're serving.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Jen, you mentioned partnerships.
Let's explore that.
Some here, boy, you guys arereally making my job easy.
I just have to tee up thequestions and follow your
conversation here.
This is fantastic.
When partners are consideringbecoming part of Boundless Trent
to you, how does leadership tryto ease those concerns of
fellow partner organizations andensure that that partnership is
(17:14):
indeed a great idea?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
The leadership team's first consideration really is
always the culture of theorganization we're talking to.
That means getting to know theleaders of the organization and
getting to know their board ofthe organization and getting to
know their board.
So when I say leadership team,I know that can sound just a
little bit amorphous.
There are a lot of leadersinvolved in any sort of merger,
(17:37):
acquisition or affiliationprocess, but it's those that are
really making the decision,including the board of trustees
of the partner organization.
So understanding theorganization's leadership is
important because the decisionsabout coming together involve
not just the executives butthose board members as well.
So that's why when we startthis whole process from a legal
(18:00):
perspective, the first step isan NDA.
It's an NDA so leaders can becandid with the other
organization around what theirintent is coming together.
We've talked a lot extensivelyalready on this podcast just
about all of the benefits.
We want to know whether thoseleaders are aligned with our
culture.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
You know.
I would also add that thecultures of the two
organizations do not have to beidentical, and the reality is
they're probably not going to bebut what we have found is that
everybody needs to be clearabout how they are different,
and then that we need to have avery candid and clear
conversation about how thosedifferences are going to be
(18:42):
taken into account if our twoorganizations integrate, and so
that means having a lot of timeat the beginning of the
conversation around expectations, but then also talking about
what is really important in yourperspective to make sure
continues or endures from yourorganization.
(19:03):
So is it a particular program?
Is it a particular way ofviewing the world?
But having really open,in-depth conversations about
those pieces really help to makesure that the aspects of the
cultures of both organizationsthat we want to endure, that we
can make a plan for that tohappen, and we can make a plan
(19:25):
for places where there'sdifference.
So if there's different waysthat we view how work is
assigned, how decisions are made, views of independent work
versus teamwork, all of thosethings are unique to an
organization's culture, and soit's really about understanding
the differences and then makinga plan for how do we bring the
best of both together.
(19:45):
And then how do we create a newculture collaboratively?
And the truth is, whether it'sa big organization and a little
one, or two big ones, two littleones coming together, the
outcome, on the other end, isthat it's always a new culture.
The blending of twoorganizations ultimately always
changes things.
So, trying to be intentionaland trying to be proactive, to
(20:09):
plan out what we want this tolook like on the other end, and
that makes sense, scott, justfrom the standpoint of when
employees of an organizationknow there's an organized,
structured integration process.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
It eases a lot of the anxieties that come with change
.
Some folks are very energizedby change in an organization,
some are not.
So, having that structuredprocess around, we are
discussing the possibility andthe intentions with this
organization.
We are moving to a letter ofintent where we further want to
understand due diligence.
(20:43):
We want to vocalize and figureout whether this makes financial
sense but also whether itimproves the services we're
providing across the carecontinuum right.
And then we include our board.
The board is a disinterestedparty with a fiduciary duty of
care to ensure that we're actingin our best interest.
And this membershipsubstitution acquisition comes
(21:05):
from the board, a formal legalprocess that must be approved by
the board.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
I'd love to ask at this point in this episode.
I'd love to ask each of you aperspective of your learning
over the years.
Now to our audience.
I'm the only one here at thetable that has any gray hair, so
I've got both of our guests byage here and probably at least a
decade or so.
But as you heard their biosfrom the beginning, jen and
(21:31):
Trent have been around.
They've done a lot with theircareers so far.
What have you learned overthese years about how M&A,
acquisitions and other thingswhen it comes to being really
efficient on the resourceplanning side and then using
those resources wisely once theyall come under one umbrella?
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Well, first, Scott, I will pass along your compliment
to my hairdresser.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
I'm not showing any gray today, that's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
You are so right.
These conversations, thesetypes of initiatives, cost a lot
, both in terms of time andresources, but it also
eventually has financial cost.
So making sure that we're beingvery responsible and efficient
in how we're assessing apotential partner is really
(22:23):
important to us.
So we've actually learned a lotover the years from decisions
and things that we probablywouldn't do again, but what
we've built now is a scoringsystem that's actually specific
to Boundless.
That helps us score specificstates, geographies, as well as
different provider types in aparticular state to make sure
(22:45):
that we're really focusing ourlimited time and resources on
partnerships that are going tobe most likely to result in the
efficiencies and the opportunityto reinvest that I talked about
earlier.
We've also built a toolkit, andthis is based on M&A best
practice from other sectors.
We've done research fromHarvard Business Review and
(23:05):
Forbes and, again, reallygetting back to that whole idea
of being a non-profit does notmean that you can't be a great
business, and so what we've puttogether is an entire toolkit
for partnership, merger andacquisition activities that
involves laying out the dealfundamentals, laying out the
(23:28):
actual non-binding letter ofintent, our due diligence
process and then, maybe mostimportantly, we've invested in
being able to have people whospecifically project, manage
this whole process and thenbring the organizations together
before the deal is closed to,as Trent referenced, put
(23:49):
together what we call a masterintegration plan, and so this is
not the flashier, exciting partof the process, but it's very
detailed and it literally goesthrough the plans for IT, for
people in culture, for qualityand compliance and really walks
through.
If these two organizations cometogether, how are we going to
(24:13):
integrate these pieces?
What is going to be a priorityto work on first?
How are we going to make surewe don't overwhelm people?
How are we going to make surethat staff feel supported and
that everybody understands thetimeline and that we are
monitoring our progressthroughout the whole piece?
And that level of rigor anddiscipline around how to
(24:36):
integrate organizations isreally what we are finding makes
all the difference.
On the other end I talked aboutthat a new culture will come
out on the other side, and notpaying sufficient attention to
the integration and the planningis really what can mess that up
and get you a culture you didnot want or you were not
(24:57):
intending to have come out onthe other side.
But for us, that's really whathas been most important for us
in making sure that we'reefficient and that we're really
working with partners that,ultimately, are going to make it
to the point where we trulycome together.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
Just outside of what Jen just said, with the internal
team, there's also a lot ofexternal players we have to
think about.
So, first and foremost, legalcounsel.
As all nonprofits andbusinesses know, legal counsel
for organizations can beexpensive, and one of the most
important things I can say,without providing legal advice,
(25:35):
is, in the legal world, you getwhat you pay for.
So it's critical that youinvest in quality, experienced
lawyers who have the resourcesand expertise in this area to
help an organization across thefinish lines.
Additionally, there's more thanjust agreement management when
it comes to merger andacquisitions.
In this space, you have billing,grants, certifications,
(25:59):
licensure.
You have particularorganizations that may have
governance expectations when itcomes to coming together, like
certified behavioral healthclinics, federally qualified
health centers, qualified healthcenters, and you need
experienced folks internallythat understand that, or
consultants or lawyersexternally to help you, because
(26:20):
if you do not make the expenseup front, you will pay for it in
the long run, and so you know.
Other areas of expense caninclude human resources,
consultants, but also doingthose due diligence around your
risk management, around yourinsurance right, and then
understanding, from a purelyfinancial standpoint, of your
two organizations comingtogether.
(26:40):
How does coming together impactyour debt obligations, your
credit right, and so those aresome of the things that, again,
that's just the tip of theiceberg when it comes to
external players involved in amerger and acquisition, when it
comes to external playersinvolved in a merger and
acquisition, but understandingthat, with these shared vendors,
these shared external companies, you have a lot of savings in
(27:01):
the long run.
If you're bundling yourbenefits, if you're bundling
your insurance right, you savemoney in the long run.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Any time, as host of these episodes, I try to put
myself in the place of listenersand I'm wondering if we have
some listeners out there goingOK, hey, what you're saying is
great, but I want some concreteexamples of how the Boundless
model has positively impactedstaff services culture.
The list goes on for this onebecause I think back to the
(27:35):
times.
I've heard our CEO Patrick outthere talking to various groups
and he gets really impassionedtalking about the earliest days
of Boundless, and that's reallywhere we can trace this thing
right.
We can trace those positiveexamples back to the partnership
that created Boundless just afew years ago.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
That's exactly right, scott.
So back in 2017, theorganization at that time was
Franklin County ResidentialServices and it was truly a
residential servicesorganization that primarily
served only adults and onlypeople with intellectual or
developmental disabilities inFranklin County, and it was
(28:10):
through an M&A partnership withwhat at that time was
Step-by-Step Academy and theyprimarily served children and
youth with autism and providingbehavioral health care that the
seeds for growth throughpartnership were planted.
So when Step-by-Step Academycame together with Franklin
County Residential Services,shortly after that, monco out of
(28:33):
Montgomery County joined aswell, and that's really the
organization that became what wenow think of as Boundless, and
that first partnership and theimpact of that has spread across
the entire state and now servesover 6,000 people and their
(28:53):
families every year, with thehuge range of services that we
know Boundless now has.
And so when we think back toreally less than 10 years ago,
the work that Step-by-Step wasdoing was fantastic, the work
that Franklin County ResidentialServices was doing was
fantastic and it absolutely wasmaking a difference in the lives
(29:13):
of the people that bothorganizations were serving.
But when we think about whathappened when they came together
and how many more people noware served across the entire
state, not just Franklin County,not just Central Ohio.
I really can't overstate howimportant that initial, really
(29:34):
quite small deal was when welook at how it's blossomed and
how it's transitioned over theyear, over the years.
The other thing that immediatelycomes to mind for me is our
most recent partnership withKoinonia.
So in 2023, koinonia, out ofCuyahoga County, which was a
large intellectual anddevelopmental disability
(29:54):
provider, joined Boundless, andwhen the two organizations came
together, it immediatelyimpacted Koinonia staff.
They had raises in their wages.
They also immediately hadbetter access to health benefits
at a much lower cost, and itcreated so many new advancement
opportunities for many of theirleadership staff.
(30:16):
And it has, as I mentionedearlier, now resulted in our
being able to add new services,such as specialized behavioral
health care, open up new,improved facilities and serve
many more people all throughoutNortheast Ohio because of the
two organizations comingtogether.
So I think those are just tworeally practical examples of how
(30:41):
two organizations come togetherand that it's not one plus one
equals two.
These have been scenarios whereone plus one equals 20.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
Just to Jen's point around leaders and employees
from the mergers andacquisitions having a huge
impact.
So when the organizations docome together, like Jen
mentioned, they bring theirideas, their strengths, their
talent and since we have beenvery intentional about
integration, we can create newopportunities for staff
(31:11):
development and internalpromotions.
Our director of governmentaffairs is the product of a
merger.
Our VP of programs is a productof a merger.
Our senior director ofcompliance, quality and training
is a product of a merger.
That's just naming a couple ofexamples, but there's many more
(31:33):
across our organization and howfortunate we are to have that.
And just having those sorts ofintegration and talent at our
organization helps us then sayhow did you run your business so
well, how do you bring that toBoundless and how can we improve
because of that?
Those are some of the examplesI have seen.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Let's close with a broad question to both of you,
and I want to come back to thenonprofit sector as a whole,
because one word that we talkedabout at the very beginning was
successful sustainability.
We want to be here, not justtwo years down the road.
We want to be here 100 yearsdown the road.
Jen, you talked about thisearlier.
(32:16):
Ai is changing just about everysector of our lives.
Whether we realize it or not,change is happening really,
really fast right now.
So question to you both how cannonprofits be more nimble, be
more ready to embrace change forthat more sustainable future?
Speaker 2 (32:35):
I think that the piece that comes to mind first
for me is willingness, and bywillingness what I mean is it is
a choice to be willing to beopen to the idea that what you
have been doing, what we havebeen doing, may not be what we
(32:58):
can do in the future, whetherit's because of resources,
whether it's because oftechnology has changed what we
use humans to do versus machines, or it's because the market,
the people we are serving, arelooking for and demanding
something different.
And I think in nonprofits, inhealth and human services, it
(33:21):
can be really hard to acceptthat the way we have done things
, or even the things we havebeen doing, may have to change.
And let me be clear I'm notsaying that our missions change,
but the things we do to achievethat mission may need to evolve
.
And so I feel as though thenumber one task for all of us in
(33:46):
this space is to make a choice,to be willing to consider that
we may have to change.
We may have to change how we dowhat we, to consider that we
may have to change.
We may have to change how we dowhat we do.
We may even have to change whatwe do in service of our mission
.
And the truth is, even those who, as Trent mentioned, are
excited or energized by changewhich I think people probably
(34:12):
think I'm overly energized bychange, but even for me change
is scary.
Change is hard for everybody,and so one making the choice to
be willing to consider, but thenmaking the choice to go a step
further and say I am actuallygoing to think outside the box,
I am going to do strategicplanning or do visioning,
(34:33):
however you want to think aboutit in an open mind, in a blue
sky sort of approach, and reallybe willing to focus on the
mission, not the how.
That is so hard but I think isabsolutely what every nonprofit,
every health and human servicesorganization needs to be doing
(34:56):
today.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
And Jen does a really good job of you know reframing
willingness, where not making achoice is a choice.
Not deciding is a choice.
Not considering how M&A canimprove services for individuals
is a choice.
Not seeing how Medicaidreimbursement is the math is not
(35:18):
mathing right I became a lawyerso I didn't have to do math
right.
But social services, iddproviders seeing that, not
understanding or realizing thatthe talent pool is shrinking,
but the complexity and thechallenges with regulations and
caring for individuals continuesto march on that's a choice.
So when you think about change,when you think about whether it
(35:41):
be AI, it's you know AI was nodifferent than electronic
medical records.
Electronic medical records isno different than telehealth.
There are different ways to youknow, to what Jen said fulfill
the mission and not looking atthose and not balancing how
those can improve services andfulfill your mission.
That's the strategy, that'syour mission.
(36:02):
That's a choice.
So willingness is, I think, aperfect encapsulation of that.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
That's a great, great word to end on great word to
end on Just a great conversationthat hopefully lifted the
curtain a little bit on what wedo here and what nonprofits
broadly can do to increase theimpact on people and communities
that they serve.
Jennifer and Trent, thanks somuch for joining us.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
Thank you, scott, it was a pleasure.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
Thank you, scott, great meeting.
You Join us next month for ourspecial guest, diane Bistrom,
former CEO of Koinonia andcurrent Boundless executive.
She's going to be here anddiscuss how merging with
Boundless helps secure theirfuture and also how it affected
the things that we talked abouttoday, those things like
affecting staff, culture,services and the broader
(36:49):
community.
This is the Nonprofit Leader'sGuide podcast brought to you by
Boundless.
Popular Podcasts
Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club
Welcome to Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club — the podcast where great stories, bold women, and irresistible conversations collide! Hosted by award-winning journalist Danielle Robay, each week new episodes balance thoughtful literary insight with the fervor of buzzy book trends, pop culture and more. Bookmarked brings together celebrities, tastemakers, influencers and authors from Reese's Book Club and beyond to share stories that transcend the page. Pull up a chair. You’re not just listening — you’re part of the conversation.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com