About

About Vital Communities

Vital Communities cultivates the civic, environmental, and economic vitality of the Upper Valley, a region composed of 69 towns spanning the Connecticut River. We bring people together, bridging boundaries and engaging our whole community to create positive change. We offer programming and resources to help households, communities, schools, and workplaces build resilience. We work with dozens of partner organizations in New Hampshire and Vermont to craft shared strategies and coordinate our services. Our agenda and programs emerge from and are driven by regional needs and community interests. We encourage collaboration across public, private, and nonprofit sectors to test new approaches and share our learning. Our mission, values, and methods evolved over a history that began in the early 1990s.

Vital Communities is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Mission

Service Area

History

990 & Privacy Policy

Our Mission

Vital Communities engages Upper Valley people, organizations, and communities to create equitable solutions to our region’s challenges.

To fulfill this mission, we will:
• Identify, include, engage, and connect diverse groups in our community so that our goals and approach are informed by people of all ages, genders, races, cultures, faiths, abilities, educational backgrounds, professions, documentation status, income levels, sexual orientations, and geographic locations throughout the Upper Valley;
• Recognize and challenge systemic racism and all forms of discrimination in our organization and community;
• Incorporate justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in all our efforts.

Our Service Area

Our 69-municipality service area includes the Upper Valley, which straddles the Connecticut River between New Hampshire and Vermont with the tri-city core of Hanover and Lebanon in New Hampshire, and White River Junction in Vermont. The area also includes other hubs such as the Lake Sunapee region, Greater Randolph, former industrials towns of the Route 11 Corridor to the south, and Northeast Kingdom towns to the north. The municipalities range in population from Lebanon, NH, (pop. 13,623) to Orange, NH (pop. 264). The region is bisected by the Connecticut River and includes the White, Mascoma, Ompompanoosuc, Ottauquechee, Sugar, Mascoma, and Black rivers, and many smaller streams. The three tallest peaks are Mount Moosilauke (4,803′), Smarts Mountain (3,238′), and Mount Cardigan (3,156′). The three largest bodies of water are Lake Sunapee, Mascoma Lake, and Lake Morey.

Acknowledging This Abenaki Homeland

Our History

Vital Communities began in the work of the local League of Women Voters in 1993. Concerned with the number of uncontested elections in the Upper Valley, the League began to convene issue forums in which residents could ask questions about key issues and hear local experts share their perspectives. Much of what we’ve been able to accomplish in the years since we owe to founding figures such as Delia Clark, Betty Porter, and Steve Glazer.

Our History in Brief

Vital Communities Founders — Heroes & Leaders dinner hosted by Vital Communities in Hanover, NH on Thursday, May 30, 2019. Copyright 2019 Rob Strong

How We Protect Your Privacy

Vital Communities is a regional 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in White River Junction, Vermont, that works to engage citizens, organizations, and communities in creating solutions to our region’s challenges.

Information Privacy Policy – 08/2010 (revised 09/2019)

Vital Communities respects the privacy of its constituents, donors, and those who support its work as volunteers. Our privacy policy is reviewed annually and posted prominently online at our web site.

We collect name, address, phone, and email contact information from people who express interest in our organization, or who attend our events. We use this information to mail correspondence, newsletters, and other informational products, and solicitations. We do not sell, rent, exchange, or share donor names with any firm or nonprofit organization. We honor any constituent’s wish to not receive mail, emails, or phone communications.
Our online forms for donations and registrations collect credit card information for payment via DonorBox, which uses state-of-the-art encryption. Credit card information is not shared with third parties. Donors are advised in printed solicitations that their contributions can be made anonymously.
Personal information about our constituents is rigorously protected using physical, electronic, and procedural protection mechanisms. To review information, and to make corrections, constituents are asked to contact: finance@vitalcommunities.org or 802.291.9100 x104.

990 Form