Hard work and preparation paid off for many Monadnock region nonprofit organizations that participated in NH Gives, a statewide day of giving organized by the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits and supported by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, on June 9-10.
“Every year, it’s amazing to see how local folks show up for nonprofits in the area. We are celebrating for every nonprofit in the region,” said Lauren Judd, executive director of Peterborough’s Cornucopia Project. “I am thrilled that so many organizations did so well.”
The River Center in Peterborough won the Regional Most Donors prize for the Monadnock Region, with 179 unique donors. The family and community resource center brought in $14,217 in new donations, for a total of $54,402, including matching funds.
“This is our second year being so successful with NH Gives, and we are really excited about that,” said Odette Butler, Executive Director of the River Center. “Our Director of Development, Sue Whittaker, really took the lead on this and ran a great campaign for NH Gives.”
Butler said the River Center is fortunate to have “a few major benefactors” who provide matching funds during NH Gives.
“Starting off with something already in the kitty is really helpful. It’s an awesome way to get people to give a little bit more,” Butler said.
To achieve the $250 prize for the highest number of unique donors, the board and staff of the River Center came together for an ice cream social and spent the hour personally texting donors.
“For that one hour, even if people donate as little as $5, it will help give us the numbers we need for the unique donor prize,” Butler said. “Everyone brought the names and numbers of everyone they were going to reach out to and texted them for donations during that hour. It was a fun time to get people together — all of our staff was there, and many of our board members were there. People don’t mind giving $5 to help us reach our goal; it’s just a matter of asking.”
Other nonprofits in the region that had highly successful NH Gives campaigns include MAXT Makerspace, which brought in $29,300; the Monadnock Center for History and Culture, which raised $29,000; the Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter, which raised $15,571; and Touchstone Farm in Lyndeborough, which offers therapeutic equine riding and driving, which raised $18,110 (all totals include matching funds).
“We are deeply grateful for the community’s support for our 2026 NH Gives fundraiser. I know that people receive so many appeals on that day, and I am so thankful to everyone who made a gift, our Board of Directors for their individual fundraisers and matching gifts, and the community members who made matching gifts,” said Michelle Stahl, Director of the Monadnock Center for History and Culture.
Maria Caron, Director of the Monadnock Community Early Learning Center, and Assistant Director Diane Phillips said their staff “worked really hard” for their nearly $9,000 in donations.
The center offers a sliding fee scale for daycare, as well as accepting state scholarships to aid in tuition for families.
“We emailed all our families prior to the kick-off, and during the event, we sent timelines and information about the bonus prizes. We sent text messages and emails to all of our alumni families, past and current board members, and to any businesses we do business with, and we had so many amazing donations,” Caron said.
Caron and her staff also sent personal letters to 59 people, including “alumni families” from previous years.
“We worked really hard — we even went door-to-door to all the businesses we work with,” Caron said.
The Monadnock Community Early Learning Center will use the funds raised in NH Gives to pave part of the school’s driveway and to replace classroom doors in the building.
Judd said the funds raised in NH Gives will go toward scholarships for campers in the Cornucopia Project’s Young Farmers program.
“These funds are very important right now because we’re coming into the summer season, and this year, we are seeing serious utilization of our scholarships for our summer program. We really count on NH Gives for helping fund those summer scholarships, and we’re trusting that additional donations will continue to come in,” Judd said. “No matter what, we will provide spaces for children.”
Judd said there are still spots open in Young Farmers for children entering fourth grade.
“We know some families are scrambling for camps at this point, and we still have a little space,” Judd said.
Cornucopia raised about $15,000, including matching funds.
Other eastern Monadnock Region organizations that won bonus prizes include the Community Volunteer Transportation Company, which won a prize of business consulting package from RHL Strategies and Communication; Dublin-based Open Democracy, which won the Agora Quill prize for grant writing and research; and The Well School, which won the Coffee Hour Golden Ticket prize of $250 for the most donations between 7 to 9 a.m. on June 10.
For more information about NH Gives, go to nhgives.org.
