Just say the word “merger” in a room of School Heads and a cacophony of competing beliefs fills the room like some odious vapor. However, there is mounting, research-based evidence to suggest that mergers in the nonprofit sector create more robust, impactful, and efficient mission-driven organizations. ISM’s experience is that nonprofit Boards and Heads have difficulty discussing mergers because the strategy is frequently associated with leadership failure, financial distress, and operational chaos. Add to those fears professional and volunteer leaders’ investment of time, talent, and treasure, and strategic thinking all too often takes a backseat to immoderate organizational goals that never materialize. It has been said that passion blinds. Perhaps it’s time for some private schools to consider the strategic advantages of a merger.