Our deepest thanks to June Kinoshita of The Waltham Times, Maria DiMaggio of Healthy Waltham, Magali Garcia-Pletsch of Waltham Partnership for Youth, and Maria Duffy of Fresh Start Furniture Bank for contributing to this piece.
For a certain kind of person, working at a nonprofit organization offers a sense of purpose and fulfillment that they wouldn’t find in a more “traditional” office job. As the name suggests, a nonprofit’s primary goal isn’t to generate profits or sell a product. A nonprofit’s goal is to support its surrounding community by fulfilling a specific need (most often by providing a service of some kind).
That’s not to say that nonprofits don’t need money, or that they’re not putting effort into generating revenue. If anything, today’s nonprofits desperately need whatever dollars they can secure as they navigate the fallout of nationwide cuts to state and federal funding.
These cuts impact the programs and services that individuals and families who rely on essential community services depend on, and they put further strain on an already strained system where nonprofit staff feel pressured to work long hours just to keep up. Given this lack of resources, one thing that often defines nonprofits across different sectors and service areas is their capacity to do more with less, to make a difference even when the odds are against them.
After more than 40 years of supporting survivors, REACH understands how strongly mission, values, and community relationships shape nonprofit work. However, REACH is just one organization among many, and our perspective alone doesn’t define what being a nonprofit means in today’s socio-economic climate.
For this piece, we specifically sought out the voices of nonprofits whose missions and audiences look noticeably different from our own. We felt it was important to share a diverse range of perspectives on how nonprofits respond to the needs of their communities, especially since those same communities are often quite diverse themselves.
The Waltham Times
Website
Location: Waltham, MA
Current Staff: Eight part-time contractors and 44 volunteers
The Waltham Times is somewhat unique in that it functions as both a news organization and a nonprofit. Despite having launched less than two years ago in October of 2024, The Waltham Times has already established itself as a trusted local news source with a sizeable readership.
According to their ‘About Us’ page, The Waltham Times has three clear goals:
- Deliver objective, non-partisan news coverage
- Adhere to the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics as well as the guidelines for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations
- Cover all of Waltham’s richly diverse communities, reflecting all parts of the city in order to serve the whole
The ‘About Us’ page also emphasizes the organization’s focus on community-supported news. The staff at The Waltham Times believe that local news should be free and accessible to all, and so instead of paywalls or subscriptions they rely instead on financial support from community members and revenue generated from advertising and sponsorships.
June Kinoshita, The Waltham Times’ Editor-in-Chief and Board Chair, reiterated this community-focused stance when asked how being a nonprofit influences her team’s work:
“It means we can stay focused on serving the public, our readers. We don’t have to worry about making profit for shareholders,” said Kinoshita. “This builds trust with the public. The values of ethical nonprofit management align with journalistic ethics. This makes it easy to align our nonprofit mission with our day-to-day operations.”
Individuals and organizations who would like to collaborate with The Waltham Times are encouraged to visit the partner hub on their website. Through the partner hub, potential collaborators can submit press releases for publication, share upcoming community events, advertise through sponsored articles and digital newsletters, and even join The Waltham Times’ business directory. The Waltham Times can also be reached via email at info@walthamtimes.org to propose other forms of collaboration.
Waltham Partnership for Youth
Website
Location: Waltham, MA
Current Staff: 11 full-time staff
The Waltham Partnership for Youth was born out of a Waltham youth summit way back in 1988, and for its first nine years of operation it functioned as a city initiative. In 1997, the organization was fully incorporated as an independent nonprofit, and soon after it started laying the foundation for what would become its Career Exploration and Training Program.
Today, Waltham Partnership for Youth helps over 800 students per year gain real-world job experience through its internship programs, career workshops, professional skill-building sessions, and community initiatives. These programs and initiatives help Waltham Partnership for Youth advance its mission of closing the opportunity gap for young people in Waltham by connecting them with the resources they need to succeed.
Waltham Partnership for Youth's Executive Director Magali Garcia-Pletsch elaborated on this opportunity gap when asked how being a nonprofit influences the organization's work:
"Being a nonprofit means that our mission and values drive every decision that we make. At Waltham Partnership for Youth, that shows up in who we serve and how we serve them: we work with young people who are often navigating real barriers, from economic pressures, to gaps in mental health support, and our job is to connect them to the opportunities and resources they need to thrive," said Garcia-Pletsch. "Nearly half of the students we work with come from lower-income households, and two-thirds are students of color, many of whom come from immigrant households. We prioritize relationship-building with students, meeting them where they're at, rather than designing programs around who's easiest to reach or what seems most "fundable"."
Garcia-Pletsch also remarked on Waltham Partnership for Youth's status as a nonprofit in relation to the long-term impact it has not just on Waltham students but also on the larger community:
"Being a nonprofit also means that our impact isn't just about the people we serve directly, it's about the sector we help build, and the systems we help change. We've published peer-reviewed research on our model, we mentor other organizations navigating similar work, and we work diligently with the local public school system to make sure that we're building systems and programs that work for all of Waltham's students."
Individuals and organizations who are interested in collaborating with Waltham Partnership for Youth can contact the organization through their main 'Contact Us' page. Garcia-Pletsch said that potential collaborators can also contact her directly if they have any questions or ideas.
Collaborations that the Waltham Partnership for Youth is open to include internship placements, co-programming opportunities, funding partnerships, or any other ideas that a potential collaborator might have. The organization is also happy to walk organizations interested in hosting an intern through what the commitment looks like or share its outcome data with potential funders and program partners.
Fresh Start Furniture Bank
Website
Location: Hudson, MA
Current Staff: One full-time staff member, two part-time staff members, and over 100 volunteers
The Fresh Start Furniture Bank has been collecting donated furniture and housewares and donating them to those in need since 2013. Fresh Start prides itself on being a volunteer-run organization powered by the community it has built. While the organization currently only has three staff members, its dedicated team of over 100 volunteers contributes over 16,000 service hours each year.
Fresh Start has helped clients from all across Massachusetts, including survivors escaping an abusive situation, individuals recovering from illness or addiction, veterans, immigrant refugees, victims of natural disasters, and low-income individuals and families. As their mission statement says, Fresh Start's main goal is to provide hope, dignity, and stability to anyone who is in need.
Maria Duffy, Fresh Start's Executive Director, was kind enough to provide more context on Fresh Start's role as a nonprofit, saying that, to her and her team, it's the act of helping people that gives nonprofits their purpose:
"Being a nonprofit means our purpose is people," said Duffy. "Every day, we work to restore hope, dignity, and stability for individuals and families transitioning into safe, stable housing by providing donated furniture and household essentials at no cost. We turn empty spaces into homes so our guests can thrive as they begin a new chapter."
Duffy also commented on the larger funding challenges that nonprofits like Fresh Start are currently facing, saying that they only drive Fresh Start's team to keep showing up for their neighbors and clients:
"Like many nonprofits, we are navigating a challenging funding environment as government support declines, grant competition increases, and inflation affects both donors and the families we serve. Those challenges only strengthen our commitment to showing up every day to ensure our neighbors have the basic furnishings they need to build a home and move forward."
For those who would like to help support Fresh Start's mission through collaboration, Duffy provided options for both organizations and individuals:
- Organizations and agencies that work with people in need can register with Fresh Start to start referring their clients
- Corporations can also partner with Fresh Start through corporate sponsorships, product sponsorships, and corporate volunteering
- Individuals can sign up to volunteer for Fresh Start in a number of different roles and capacities
- Fresh Start’s ‘Contact Us’ page is a good starting point for those who would like to run a donation drive, sponsor an event, or help out in whatever way works best for them
Healthy Waltham
Website
Location: Waltham, MA
Current Staff: Four full-time staff members
Healthy Waltham is a community-based organization with a primary focus on nutrition education and helping underserved and low-income populations increase their access to healthy foods. The organization also maintains a food pantry which serves over 700 families during its twice-a-month food distributions.
Speaking with REACH, Healthy Waltham’s Operations Director Maria DiMaggio had a succinct yet powerful answer when asked what being a nonprofit means to her:
“Being a nonprofit means you are entrusted with the responsibility of serving others. Reward comes from the satisfaction of supporting a mission you are passionate about, in our case combatting food insecurity, and rallying others who share your ideals.”
DiMaggio also commented on how the definition of “success” may look different to a nonprofit than it does to for-profit companies (which she has also worked for), but if anything, that’s a strength in her eyes, not a weakness:
“Success in the nonprofit world is measured by the impact you have in the community and how your work helps others. It is a humbling and rewarding experience,” said DiMaggio. “Having worked previously in the for-profit world, there was commitment to a mission and hard work there too, but success was measured in delivering a quality product or service to a customer and the reward was money earned. Working for a nonprofit often feels like a calling vs a regular job.”
As for how individuals and other organizations can collaborate with Healthy Waltham, DiMaggio provided the following recommendations:
- Donating goods such as non-perishable foods, clothing, or toiletry items
- Organizing a fundraiser or a donation drive (anyone who’s interested can contact Healthy Waltham’s Development Coordinator Theresa Pendant for more information)
- Volunteering at Healthy Waltham’s food pantry
Healthy Waltham is currently in the process of renovating a new building space which it hopes to formally open by the end of 2026. Once the new space is open, DiMaggio anticipates there will be an even greater need for volunteers to help manage the expanded food pantry space and services. Folks who would like to learn more and/or join Healthy Waltham’s email list are encouraged to reach out to info@healthy-waltham.org.
A Shared Commitment to Community
Although these organizations serve different communities and address different needs, their perspectives share a common thread: nonprofit work is grounded in people, relationships, trust, and a commitment to lasting impact.
In a climate of rising needs, limited resources, and increasing uncertainty, nonprofits continue to respond with creativity, collaboration, and care. Their work reminds us that strong communities are built when organizations and individuals come together around shared values and a belief that meaningful change is possible.
At REACH, we see that commitment every day in our work with survivors, families, young people, volunteers, donors, and community partners. We are grateful to the organizations that contributed their voices to this conversation and to everyone who supports nonprofit work across our communities.
We hope you enjoyed reading the perspectives shared by these organizations, and that you feel inspired to learn about, volunteer with, collaborate with, and support your local nonprofits!
