The Background
With its keen understanding of the Organization, stemming from years of partnership, plus deep experience with collaborative ventures and mergers, Freed enabled FeedMore WNY to achieve its business combination objectives meticulously and with confidence, empowering leadership to focus on the strategic initiatives that provide more food to the community.
The Freed Maxick solution
When two hunger-relief organizations merged, the resulting entity, FeedMore WNY, needed to combine their finances and establish its own accounting - a complicated situation that tied up critical resources.
The Overview
Freed’s consultants leveraged their familiarity with the organization - a relationship that stretched back 25 years - to help support the new organization in a way that made sense for the overall mission.
The Challenge
The Result
With Freed Maxick providing strategic counsel, FeedMore WNY was able to focus its time and energy where it mattered most.
Founded in 2019, FeedMore WNY is a hunger-relief organization formed by the merger of the Food Bank of WNY and Meals on Wheels for WNY.
Tara A. Ellis
President and CEO of FeedMore WNY
Particularly in the world of nonprofits, we face a lot of unexpected challenges. Freed has been right there by our side, not just as a consultant but as a true partner. From the RFP process in 2013 to the merger and then the pandemic in 2020, they’ve provided the extra bandwidth and guidance we’ve needed. Because of that, our team can feel confident making the decisions that keeps 182,000 people fed.
THE BACKGROUND
THE CHALLENGE
THE RESULT
TOP
After working collaboratively on a community level for decades, the board members of the Food Bank of WNY and Meals on Wheels for WNY realized that the best way to continue the fight against hunger was by merging organizations. As FeedMore WNY, the unified organization would be able to fill gaps in programming and better serve community members of all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances.
CLIENT
INDUSTRY
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Read the full case study
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Read the full case study
The nonprofit provides a variety of nutrition programs throughout Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua Counties and collaborates with over 400 partner organizations - from soup kitchens to group homes to youth breakfast programs - in its mission to provide food and skills training to Western New Yorkers in need.
17.5 million pounds of food distributed
1.5 million meals prepared
80,332 backpacks filled
That included helping the nonprofit choose a new accounting system, ensuring that data from the two distinct legacy systems was migrated completely and accurately, and reconciling two unique fiscal calendars.
With every dollar accounted for, FeedMore WNY was able to optimize its efforts in the fight against hunger and provide aid to those most in need - distributing 17.5 million pounds of food through its food network and feeding 182,000 people during the year of the merger.
Freed’s consultants leveraged their familiarity with the organization - a relationship that stretched back 25 years - to help support the new organization in a way that made sense for the overall mission.
That included helping the nonprofit choose a new accounting system, ensuring that data from the two distinct legacy systems was migrated completely and accurately, and reconciling two unique fiscal calendars.
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But along with these benefits came the challenge of combining two complex sets of financial records. Before FeedMore WNY could dedicate its expanded reach to fighting food insecurity, it first had to ensure a smooth business transition, including working to solve technical accounting and tax matters, meeting regulatory reporting requirements for both operations, and ensuring things would run smoothly to meet growing community demand.
LEARN MORE
One Nonprofit Goes from Balancing Act to Well-Balanced.
FEEDMORE WNY
LEARN MORE
One Law Firm Goes from Trees to Forest.
LIPPES MATHIAS
LEARN MORE
Transportation companies Go from Vulnerability to Security.
KENWORTH NORTHEAST AND HAZMAT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP
LEARN MORE
One Real Estate Developer Goes from Idea to Investment.
COMMON BOND
LEARN MORE
One Investment Firm Goes from Risk to Reward.
LORRAINE CAPITAL
