Monadnock Ledger-Transcript – Local nonprofits participating in NH Gives June 7-8
Greenfield Historical Society had good luck with NH Gives last year, so the organization decided to try again this year.
NH Gives is an annual online fundraising event hosted by the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits that takes place June 7-8. Last year, the historical society raised $935 for a book with the working title of “Shocking but True, Revealing Stories of Greenfield’s Unknown History.”
The society also received a community preservation grant from the Herbert and Louise Whitney Historic New England Fund of $1,250, and Treasurer Amy Lowell said the book will be released next year.
“It’s kind of a tongue-in-cheek book about some of Greenfield’s characters, past and present,” she said.
This year, the company hopes to raise about $2,000 so that its 1928 Chevrolet “Fireplug” fire truck, the first motorized truck purchased by the city, can be driven again.
“It’s sort of a way to showcase the Historical Society,” Lowell said. “We think it’s important for people to understand the history of their town and the history of the area.”
For years, the truck didn’t have a permanent home until the company bought it from the Greenfield Fire Department – which Lowell says “didn’t have time to do anything about it.” be with him” – for $1 in the mid-1990s.
The truck is stored in the Greenfield Historical Society barn on Forest Road, and people can view it at society events or on request. However, even though Lowell said the truck was drivable and looked good – thanks to two restorations totaling 3,000 hours by Leonard Weeks – but cracks in its original nylon tires on wooden spokes left it have made it unsafe to drive meaning it has had to be towed on a flatbed trailer since 2016.
“We want to get something that looks vintage, but is practical,” Lowell said.
The company takes the truck to events like town parades and firefighter rallies, and Lowell said the goal is to have the tires replaced in the fall.
“It might be wishful thinking, but that’s our goal,” she said.
About 500 nonprofit organizations participate in NH Gives. In addition to the Greenfield Historical Society, local organizations include Andy’s Summer Playhouse in Wilton, Children and the Arts in Peterborough, ColdSprings Healing Paws Foundation in New Ipswich, Community Volunteer Transportation Company in Peterborough, Flying Gravity Circus in Wilton, Friends of the Greenfield Community Meetinghouse, Grand Monadnock Youth Chorus in Peterborough, Greenfield Historical Society, Ingalls 1894 Association in Rindge, Jaffrey Woman’s Club, John Humiston American Legion Post No. 11 in Jaffrey, MacDowell in Peterborough, MAXT Makerspace in Peterborough, Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter in Peterborough , Monadnock Center for History and Culture in Peterborough, Monadnock Worksource in Peterborough, Music on Norway Pond in Hancock, Peterborough Players, Reality Check in Jaffrey, Scott-Farrar in Peterborough, Shelter From the Storm in Jaffrey, The Cornucopia Project in Peterborough, The Grapevine Family & Community Resource Center in Antrim, Touchstone Fa rm in Lyndeborough, The Well School in Peterborough, The River Center in Peterborough and The Park Theater in Jaffrey.
Shelter From the Storm provides transitional housing and support services to homeless people. Executive Director Linda Harris said the organization has participated in NH Gives for the past two years, although the organization’s two main fundraisers are its Taste Of Monadnock & Beyond Food And Wine festival, scheduled for the August 14, and its antique roadshow and raffle, scheduled for December 2 at the Woodbound Inn in Rindge.
“Last year we got a few thousand dollars” from NH Gives, she said. “We hope to get at least that.”
Among donation incentives, the MAXT Makerspace Board of Directors has pledged to match the first $10,000 raised, and RiverMead, Bellows-Nichols Insurance, Monadnock Community Hospital, and Monadnock Paper Mills are matching donations to the River Center.
Over the past six years, NH Gives has raised $8.7 million for New Hampshire-based nonprofits, said Kathleen Reardon, CEO of the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits. However, the day is not limited to the final number. The center provides participating nonprofits with training on fundraising, securing matching funds, and engaging with potential donors.
By staging a statewide giving campaign over just 24 hours, the center is able to maximize interest and engagement, Reardon said. There is a sense of excitement when people donate on social media and share their contributions and thoughts about organizations that are important to them.
Nonprofits compete for prizes, including one for the organization with the most donors. Engaging new donors helps build community around nonprofits, increasing sustainability, Reardon said. Even small donations of $5 or $10 are amplified through matching funds and the sheer amount that is given through NH Gives, she said.
“Days like NH Gives show that anyone can be a philanthropist,” she said. “You don’t have to be the 1%.”
For more information and to donate on June 7-8, visit nhgives.org.
Reporting by Kelly Burch of the Granite State News Collaborative was used in this story. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.
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