What do charity leaders have to say about mergers?

In May 2026, we brought together charity leaders Alistair Halliday OBE (CEO, Forces Employment Charity) and Stephen Veevers (CEO, Hft) for an in person discussion at purpose-driven law firm Bates Wells to explore what’s driving the growing interest in merger – and what we’re learning from organisations navigating this in real time.

The conclusion from the speakers and the 40 plus charity leaders who joined us, was that one of the most important things to do is to start the conversation early.

The data from this year’s Good Merger Index shows a clear shift: merger activity is up significantly, particularly among smaller organisations. But it’s still far from being a mainstream choice.

What stood out in the discussion was how the “why” behind merger is evolving.

For some organisations, it starts as a necessity—a way to protect services during periods of financial pressure. But as stability improves, the conversation often shifts:

from “do we have to merge?”
to “could merger help us deliver stronger, more sustainable impact?”

We also heard an important reminder: merger isn’t just a technical exercise.

Yes, due diligence, governance and finance matter—but the harder questions sit around mission, values and culture. That’s often where success or failure is determined.

And perhaps the most powerful takeaway:

Completion isn’t success.
Success is whether people experience better lives, staff feel supported, and organisations are genuinely stronger—not just bigger.

For me, the key challenge for the sector now is this:

• Normalising merger as a strategic option
• Starting conversations earlier
• And building the capacity and confidence to explore it well.

Because at its best, merger isn’t about organisational survival or growth—it’s about creating a stronger platform for mission.

How we’re supporting organisations to explore this well

What came through clearly in the roundtable is that organisations need the time, space and support to explore merger properly.

Done well, this work is thoughtful and iterative. It involves:

• Testing the strategic case—not just responding to pressure
• Creating space for honest conversations about identity, values and trade-offs
• Bringing together robust evidence across finance, quality, governance and culture
• Supporting boards to make confident, well-informed decisions.

At Eastside People, we’re seeing a growing appetite from organisations to explore these questions earlier—and more strategically.

Our role is not to push organisations towards merger, but to help them:

• Ask the right questions
• Understand their options
• Navigate complexity with clarity and confidence.

As one roundtable contributor reflected, the value of good support isn’t being given the answer—it’s being helped to think better.

Continuing the conversation

If there’s one thing we’d encourage sector leaders to take away, it’s this:

Start your merger conversation early.

Not because merger is always the answer—but because keeping options open creates better outcomes.

If you’d like to discuss your organisation’s current situation, explore partnership options, or simply sense-check thinking, we’d be very happy to talk.

Read our Charity Merger guide and the latest charity merger case studies and blogs here.

Session write up by Cara Evans, Eastside People’s Head of Partnerships and Mergers.