FAQs

How will local providers among Laubach Literacy International's and Literacy Volunteers of America's members be affected by the proposed merger and will they be expected to merge too?
Local LLI and LVA programs will be affected by, and we hope will benefit from, the merger in a variety of ways, but it is highly unlikely that the new national organization will require them to merge at the local level. Both organizations recognize the importance of local decision-making, and merger at the local level will likely be determined by local organizations based on what is best for their communities. Currently, fewer than 100 U.S. communities have both LLI and LVA affiliates, and 81 local programs maintain dual LLI/LVA affiliations. Also, some communities have more than one LLI-affiliated organization. The number of literacy organizations in a community is typically a function of local need, not competition between literacy organizations.

Will membership requirements change?
There will likely be some modifications to existing membership requirements, however the intent of the new organization is to be inclusive and to continue to offer membership opportunities for all the organizations presently within both Laubach and LVA.

We are an accredited organization. What happens with that designation once the national organizations merge?
The new organization is committed to a national accreditation process and all existing accredited organizations will be grandfathered into accredited status in the new organization until the expiration of their original accreditation award. A new accreditation process, developed by a joint task force of the two organizations, will be in place by January 1, 2003.

What will happen to students once the organizations merge?
Students will have an even stronger role in the new organization, as they are assured representation on both the national board and the new domestic program board. There will also be a national student advisory group, which will directly advise the president of the new organization.

What will the new board look like?
The national governing board will have a maximum of 26 members. Initially, the national board will consist of 12 members from LLI, 6 from LVA, and 1 legacy, or lifetime, member from each organization. Each board position will be slated and elected by the current boards of the two founding organizations. With the exception of the legacy members, board members will be elected to staggered terms of 1, 2, or 3 years. The national board will be formed by the summer of 2001 and will in turn designate a President/CEO by October 2001. At least one board member will be a student, and at least one will be from a country outside the U.S. Finally, there will be a domestic program board of 12-18 members that will have responsibility for the domestic operations of the new organization.

How long will the merger process take?
We expect that the new literacy organization will be operational in 2002.

What will be the name of the new organization?
In the merger agreement, LLI and LVA agreed to employ a naming/branding consultant to advise on the name of the new organization, the names of its major operating divisions, and possibly logos that will unify the several parts of the new organization. This process is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

Will programs be required to change their names?
At this time neither LLI nor LVA requires that local programs change their names to affiliate. It is unlikely that this policy will change. However, we will take the recommendations of the marketing/branding consultant in making this determination.

Will member benefits from Laubach and/or LVA continue?
Membership benefits from both organizations will be maintained until a new membership structure is developed. We expect that most current affiliates will find an appropriate membership category within the new, tiered membership model and will maintain their close association with us. All our local organizations will be notified well in advance of any significant changes being made to membership benefits.

Will there be trainer certification in the merged literacy
organization?
The new literacy organization formed from the merger will continue the trainer certification system currently in place. A task force on training is going to be established by January 1, 2003 to work on requirements and process.

How will this merger affect local programming and training?
Both organizations honor the programming and instructional training decisions that are made by local communities. We expect that the new organization will continue to have this as a basic premise for associations with local programs.

Will the merger affect international programming?
The new literacy organization will continue to operate as an international program.

Additional questions may be directed to Marsha L. Tait, President of LVA, Inc., at [email protected].