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 organized by the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits that takes place June 7 and 8. Last year, the historical society raised $935 for a book with the tentative title of “Shocking but True, Revealing Stories of Greenfield’s Unknown History.”
The society also received a $1,250 Historic New England Herbert and Louise Whitney Fund Community Preservation Grant, and Treasurer Amy Lowell said the book is coming out next year.
“It’s sort of a tongue-in-cheek book about some of the characters in Greenfield, past and present,” she said.
This year, the society hopes to raise about $2,000 so its 1928 Chevrolet fire truck “Fireplug,” the first motorized truck purchased by the town, can be driven again.
“It’s sort of a way of showcasing the Historical Society,” Lowell said. “We feel it’s important for people to understand the history of their town and the history of the region.”
For years, the truck had no permanent home until the society bought it from the Greenfield Fire Department – which Lowell said “didn’t have time to do anything with it” – for $1 in the mid-1990s.
The truck is in storage in the Greenfield Historical Society barn on Forest Road, and people can see it at society events or by request. However, even though Lowell said the truck is otherwise drivable and looks good – thanks to two restorations totaling 3,000 hours by Leonard Weeks – but splits in its original nylon tires on wooden spokes have rendered it unsafe for driving, 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 society takes the truck to events such as town parades and fire musters, and Lowell said the goal is for the tires to be replaced by the fall.
“That might be wishful thinking, but that’s our goal,” she said.
Approximately 500 nonprofits are participating in NH Gives. Along with 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 at Peterborough, Shelter From the Storm in Jaffrey, The Cornucopia Project in Peterborough, The Grapevine Family & Community Resource Center in Antrim, Touchstone Farm in Lyndeborough, The Well School in Peterborough, The River Center in Peterborough and The Park Theatre in Jaffrey.
Shelter From the Storm provides transitional housing and support services for the homeless. Executive Director Linda Harris said the organization participated in NH Gives the last two years, although the organization’s two main fundraisers are its Taste Of Monadnock & Beyond Food And Wine Festival, scheduled for Aug. 14, and its antique roadshow and raffle, scheduled for Dec. 2 at Woodbound Inn in Rindge.
“Last year, we got a couple thousand dollars” from NH Gives, she said. “We hope to get at least that.”
Among incentives for donations, the MAXT Makerspace board 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 about more than just the final number. The center provides participating nonprofits with education about fundraising, securing matching funds and engaging with potential donors.
By organizing a state-wide giving campaign over just 24 hours, the center is able to maximize interest and engagement, Reardon said. There’s a sense of excitement as people donate on social media and share their contributions and their thoughts on the organizations that are important to them.
Nonprofits compete for prizes, including one for the organization that has 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 donated through NH Gives, she said.
“Days like NH Gives shows that everyone can be a philanthropist,” she said. “You don’t have to be the 1%.”
For information and to donate June 7 and 8, go to nhgives.org.
Reporting by Kelly Burch of Granite State News Collaborative was used in this story. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.