"Diversity and independence are important strengths. But for many charities, joint working or merger can make for more effective use of resources in meeting users’ needs, and an increase in such activity should be good for public confidence in charity" (Charity Commission).
There are many reasons why charities consider merging: enabling a struggling charity to continue its work, improving efficiency and avoiding duplication are all good examples. Once a shared vision has been established, legal assistance with its realisation embraces issues including governance, property and employment. Good communication between the merger partners and their advisers is crucial. Each party to the merger will need to find out as much as possible about the other and apt due diligence enquiries protect trustees from discovering unwelcome information when it is too late to do much about it.