Nashua has more than 300 registered nonprofit organizations. That’s a lot for a small city of less than 100,000 people. In the nonprofit world, resources are scarce to begin with. In a city this size, resources are often even scarcer. It would be easy for nonprofits to exist in a silo as they work to secure funding, recruit volunteers, create programs, or plan events.
It would also be easy for services and support for clients to exist in these same silos. That is the default in most places I have lived in and in most communities generally. Rather than a spirit of collaboration, there is a sense of competition.
Nashua is different. In Nashua, you’ll instead find an intentional, metaphorical linking of arms because our local nonprofits recognize that the people we work with independently have needs that are deeply interconnected, and therefore, our agencies need to be as well. Nashua’s collaborative nature isn’t an accident. It exists because of intentional partnerships and a daily, conscious choice to put community needs over individual organizations.
When I first moved to Nashua in 2018, I remember repeatedly being told about how special our local nonprofits are and about how they work collaboratively for this community in a way “unique to this city.” At first, I saw that as jargon and didn’t really see or understand what it truly meant. Once I joined a local nonprofit team in 2022, that spirit of collaboration and wrap-around support I had heard so much about began to come into view.
Now, nearly four years to-the-day into my time here, this view is my everyday reality. Instead of looking at collaboration as a local buzzword, I instead get to see it in action daily and be a part of it. Witnessing firsthand how our nonprofits and larger community show up for one another changed my perspective and has shown me again and again what can happen when we choose to come together instead of competing.
Through this collaboration the hope is that when an individual or family walks through the doors of one community agency, they get access to all the doors. The alternative, and reality in many places, is that clients may have to navigate an overwhelming maze of paperwork and service options and share their story repeatedly. In Nashua, we try to have a “warm handoff” model that avoids this.
Before I moved to Nashua, I spent almost two years working in a similar sized city at a local nonprofit. There, my experience was that service agencies work primarily independently, referral systems are a nightmare, and collaboration was something frowned upon instead of celebrated. When I moved here, I expected the same thing. And at first, that was what I got because I didn’t try to buy in. But then I started to see it in action. One morning, while I sat and drank my cup of coffee, I listened to two nonprofit leaders build a collaborative program from the ground up because they had chatted previously and saw a common client need without a solution. And then, a few weeks later, as I sipped on that morning’s beverage, I heard one of those same people connecting with a potential program partner they’d been introduced to by the person they’d met in the weeks before. And it started to click. Nashua is special. Our nonprofits are a large interwoven network working to ensure Nashua’s residents have the care and resources they need and deserve.
Something that makes this possible is the human connection element that is something special and unique to this city. Collaboration doesn’t happen by accident; it happens because the people at these agencies know and trust one another. You can walk into the local coffee shop or attend a Chamber of Commerce event and see this happening in real-time. Similarly, it is a common occurrence to see the staff members from other agencies volunteering for signature events. Showing up for each other, informal networks, care-based roundtables, and casual morning coffee conversations are where organic partnerships are born. They build trust and allow organizations to talk to each other to solve a problem in real-time and create long-term solutions to issues unique to Nashua and its residents. This collaboration works because we all share a common goal: we all believe in this community and the Nashua we are all trying to build.
I think of Bridges: Domestic & Sexual Violence Support Services, Inc. collaborating with youth-serving organizations like the Boys & Girls Club to provide prevention education at an age-appropriate level to young people in their programs.
I think of the Humane Society for Greater Nashua partnering with Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County for the Pet Go Program to make sure that homebound seniors and their pets can stay together without worry.
I think of Nashua PAL partnering with Beaver Brook Association to ensure that Nashua’s kids and teens have more than the average 7 minutes of outside time daily. (Source: National Wildlife Federation)
This focus goes beyond direct service and client support. It stays true behind the scenes; local Development Directors come together to brainstorm and partner on funding opportunities rather than compete for them. In a field where resources are famously tight, this is really refreshing because it creates the opportunity for us to meet monthly to brainstorm, discuss successes and hardships, and deepen our organizational relationships. With so many organizations at the table and looking to find solutions for our community together, it inherently unlocks creativity and allows ideas to become reality.
Because our local organizations choose collaboration over competition, we often have a front-row seat to some of the most innovative, quiet work being done in and around Nashua. The type of work that doesn’t usually make the front page but is making a true impact on the community. In this upcoming biweekly series, we’ll highlight the lesser-known programs and organizations, and the people behind them, working to create real change and find solutions for Nashua’s needs.
Tara Levine is the Development Director at Bridges: Domestic & Sexual Violence Support Services, Inc., where her work is fueled by a profound commitment to the Greater Nashua area. A catalyst for regional collaboration, she is the Co-Founder of the Nonprofit Development Professionals Network of Southern New Hampshire and a founding advisory board member for the Pride Empowerment Network (P.E.N.). She is also an avid community volunteer, and building authentic relationships is at the core of everything she does. Tara lives and works in Nashua, where she loves exploring new hiking trails, catching up with friends over coffee at local shops, and spending time at home with her husband and two cats.
