The NH Center for Nonprofits is pleased to present "Essential: A Portrait of the Nonprofit Sector in New Hampshire".

This 24 page publication documents the economic and social impact of the Nonprofit Sector in New Hampshire and highlights the significant role the sector plays in preserving and enhancing quality of life for NH residents.

NHCN would lik to thank the more than100 nonprofit organizations who provided examples and photographs that informed our portrayal of our sector.

We would also like to thank our supporting partners: Bank of America Foundation and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

Countless hours of work went into the creation of this publication and we would like to acknowledge the contributions of our board of directors as  well as the members of the Portrait of the Sector Subgroup: Joan Goshgarian, Chair, Deborah Schachter, Katie Goodman, Mica Stark, Michael Ostrowski, Doris Burke, advisor, M. Christine Dwyer, advisor, Stephen Norton, advisor and  Mary Ellen Jackson.

NHCN board member Ken Jue of Monadnock Family Services distributed copies of the report to the members of Elm City Rotary Club in Keene. He also distributed the report to his board members and carries copies of the report with him as he travels in his region.
 
Marilyn Soper of Giving Monadnock distributed copies of the report to the Keene Rotary Club members during her recent presentation on the role of nonprofits and charitable giving in the Monadnock Region.

Mica Stark from the Carsey Institute at UNH shared Essential with:
- The Piscataquog Land Conservancy Board of Directors; all members of the Board were eager to read their copy
- Some members of the Governor's Task Force for the Recruitment and Retention of Young Workers
- Carsey Institute faculty and staff
- Some of the faculty and staff at the UNH Manchester campus

Julie Lang, Strategy Consultant and Visiting Professor at Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, recently used the report to highlight ‘messaging’ for a variety of different audiences.  Her audience was the Upper Valley Non-Profit Exchange in Hanover.

Doris Burke, PSNH, distributed copies to all PSNH Community Relations Managers and members of the PSNH Corporate Contributions Committee.

Peggy Senter shared copies of Essential with donors and trustees at the Concord Community Music School's Stakeholders Meeting

Sue Suter from the Seacoast United Way has made arrangements for Mary Ellen Jackson to share the report at a seacoast Rotary Club Meeting

The Center serves as a resource for nonprofits across the state. Our website is visited an average of 12,182 times per month with visitors viewing 45,360 pages. Each week we send out 2300 e-newsletters featuring news, resources, jobs, training and funding opportunities. We offered 66 workshops in various locations throughout the state last year which were attended by 1404 people.

CATCH provides affordable housing to 490 adults and children every year through CATCH’s 239 affordable, quality apartments, which are rented to low-income families. 90% of CATCH residents work at over 55 businesses in New Hampshire.

CATCH Neighborhood Housing has developed 277 affordable housing units since 1989.

Over 1,000 families have received home buyer education, financial fitness training, and housing counseling through the Home Buyer & Financial Success Center at CATCH Neighborhood Housing.

Over 300 families have achieved the “American Dream” of owning their own home since 2000, purchasing over $50 million worth of real estate in New Hampshire through the Home Buyer & Financial Success Center at CATCH.

Bear-Paw Regional Greenways is a land trust with a mission to permanently conserve a network of lands that protects our region’s water, wildlife habitat, forests, and farmland.Seven land conservation projects in Candia, Deerfield, and Strafford permanently protected 1,125 acres of forest, over 1 mile of road frontage, over 3 miles of frontage on streams and rivers (including more than 1 ½ miles on the Isinglass), several ponds, and two abandoned mill sites.

Children's Stage Adventures is going into its tenth year of operation in the Granite state! Children's Stage Adventures is a touring children's theatre that conducts weeklong theatre residencies for schools and arts organizations. During a residency week CSA casts, directs and performs with 50 local children!

100 theatre residencies in New Hampshire involving 5000 children on stage, 13,500 children participated in theatre enrichment workshops, and audience totaled more than 30,000!

Cross Roads House provides secure, transitional shelter and a proven program that helps residents move with dignity and purpose to stable and decent housing.

Last year:
32,041 nights of shelter were provided to 613 different people
A total of 32 families were sheltered along with their 61 children
Our Case Managers helped 101 people move from the shelter directly into permanent housing or other residential programs
Volunteers prepared and served over 20,000 dinners in our soup kitchen

Community Bridges works to advance the integration, growth and interdependence of people with disabilities within their own communities.

1,800 individuals and families who experience disability from a variety of causes to include development impairment, aging, chronic health conditions or traumatic brain injury received services from Community Bridges last year.

Each year the Upper Valley Humane Society acts as an educational resource for over 20,000 families at local, regional, and national levels.  In more than 100 New Hampshire, Vermont, and New England communities, UVHS provides direct services annually to over 3,500 families.

Each year:

UVHS helps 16,900 families access behavior resources to improve their relationships with their pets and reduce surrenders.
UVHS helps 375 families receive the medical care they needed for their pets but were unable to afford.
UVHS helps 40 litters of homeless kittens and puppies find their forever homes.
UVHS helps one community become happier, healthier, and more humane.
Each Year UVHS touches 20,000 families with pets.
Each Month UVHS provides 170 vaccines as part of our comprehensive medical program—making lives happier and healthier.
Each Week UVHS provides 150 hours of behavior training and resources—reducing surrenders and ensuring successful relationships.

In 2008, Easter Seals served 28,863 New Hampshire residents and provided $4,088,794 in free and reduced price services.

Last year alone:
The Autism Family Support Network worked with close to 600 families affected by Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders throughout the state. Services provided include support groups, trainings, a monthly newsletter and family-centered social and recreational programs.
Easter Seals New Hampshire's Adult Day program in Manchester serves an average of 90 individuals each day. For many of them, the service provides a much needed break for their families and caregivers and fills their day with meaningful activities.
Special Transit Service (STS), Easter Seals NH's transportation service, provided over 450,000 one-way rides to individuals, logging over 1.75 million miles. STS is the largest para-transportation service in the state.
The Jolicoeur School. Easter Seals’ Special Education program, provided services to more than 150 children and their families from all over the state and the New England region at three locations.
Veterans Services, a program developed to meet the needs of service members and their family members both pre and post deployment, helped 500 New Hampshire families. Through this partnership with the New Hampshire Army Guard and the New Hampshire Department of Human Services, a Care Coordinator works with families to develop an individualized, pro-active care plan to ensure that veterans and their families do not have to endure personal and familial struggles while they are sacrificing so much for our country. Through the program's philanthropic efforts and fundraising efforts of its dedicated volunteers, $190,000 in emergency financial support was provided for items such as food, gasoline, heating oil and medications.
25 children and adults with disabilities and special needs received scholarships and were able to attend Camp Sno-Mo, Easter Seals' Camping and Recreation program in Gilmanton Iron Works for one week at a reduced cost. This program, which partners with the Daniel Webster Council, Boy Scouts of America, offers all the traditional camp experiences including water sports, team sports, hiking, archery, arts & crafts and camp fire sing-a-longs in a fully accessible setting.

Granite State Independent Living is the state's only Independent Living center.

Of the 127 individuals served, 83 found jobs
The jobs filled had salaries ranging from $7.50 - $25.48
Jobs found had 51 different job titles and were with 75 different employers
98% of the individuals placed have disabilities defined as severe
Several individuals placement have had higher starting salaries than those paid to the staff assisting in that placement
2 individuals in our Area Agency programs have held their jobs for more than 14 years
493 individuals with disabilites were taught the skills necessary to successfully direct and manage their own personal care services
GSIL employesmore than 600 direct care workers

From July 2007 through June 2008:
1,800 people without health insurance received affordable primary care, prenatal care and dental care at Families First Health and Support Center in Portsmouth.
193 families facing special challenges  —  such as having a child with a chronic illness, or being a low-income parent of a newborn  —  received one-on-one support, education and links to needed resources from a home visitor at Families First Health and Support Center in Portsmouth.
More than 1,000 children received free dental screenings at school by a hygienist from Families First Health and Support Center in Portsmouth.
267 free breast and cervical cancer screenings were provided to low-income, uninsured women through Families First Health and Support Center in Portsmouth.
672 adults attended parenting classes, parent groups and family programs at Families First Health and Support Center in Portsmouth, while 694 children received child care (making it easier for their parents to take the classes), or participated in family programs with their parents.
Almost 1,000 homeless people received comprehensive health care  —  including primary care, access to dental care, substance abuse counseling, and care coordination  —  on mobile health care vans or at Families First Health and Support Center in Portsmouth.