August 19, 2005

The Effort, Inc. has provided health care and treatment for addictions for 35 years in Sacramento. Family Service Agency has provided counseling, crisis intervention and community services for 53 years. The Board of Directors of both agencies voted unanimously to proceed with a full-scale merger into The Effort, Inc. effective October 1, 2005.

This action resulted in one organization, one Board, one CEO, one administration, and one integrated staff that will provide a full continuum of care for health and behavioral health.

The decision to create one strong organization was made to better meet people’s needs in the community. But it was also made to improve efficiency, reduce redundant overhead, and improve our position in an increasingly competitive funding environment.

Family Service Agency had recently conducted a major gift program and learned from donors the intense competition for charitable support because of the growing volume of non-profit agencies in the Sacramento region. Observers of the non-profit sector have increasingly raised concerns about the duplication of effort and the growing number of fundraisers and fund drives. This merger shows that agencies can approach these problems creatively and can take bold action to address them.

The new agency is The Effort, Inc. with Family Service Agency first as a subsidiary and now completely integrated into The Effort. The new agency continues to meet all contractual and donor expectations and commitments of the former structures. It now features
• Over 100 staff
• 5 service locations
• Annual revenues over $5.5 million
• A Board of Directors of over 20 members
• Services for thousands of people involving all aspects of behavioral health.