Update on 8/24
Vital Communities has been approached by a group of current and past listserv managers and community members interested in continuing the town-based listserv service as an independently organized entity. We are open to this idea and will continue to host the town-based listservs to allow time for the group to organize.
It is important to us that any process of sharing listserv subscriber data be handled responsibly and legally. We are seeking legal counsel to determine what this would need to entail.
We hope to have more details to share on the timeline soon.
Update on 8/20
Thanks to those who reached out to Vital Communities yesterday following our town-based listservs announcement to share your stories about how the listserv has been a vital part of your days and community life. It’s wonderful to hear how meaningful and impactful the lists have been.
Thank you, as well, to those of you who reached out to ask Vital Communities to slow down the timeline for sunsetting the listservs. We hear you and are working on a revised timeline.
While we don’t have an updated timeline just yet, we want to share that the active town-based listservs will continue operating beyond the 8/21 deadline that we provided yesterday. We will share an updated timeline as soon as possible but need a little more time to process the feedback from recent conversations.
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Vital Communities will be sunsetting all of the town-based community listservs on Friday 8/21. (This timeline is being revised. Please read the note above.) No new posts will be accepted on the town-based listservs after that point. We will continue to operate the Upper Valley-wide and topic-specific lists.
The listservs were created several decades ago to build connections and share opportunities, questions, and resources at the community level. The objectives for the lists have not changed over the years, but the environment in which the listservs operate has evolved significantly.
Over the last few months, Vital Communities has reflected on whether there are adaptations we could make to the listservs to meet the current environment with our available resources. Ultimately, we have realized that the town-based listservs have outgrown the level of support and expertise that Vital Communities can provide. It is time for Vital Communities to step back and recognize that there are now other entities with the right expertise, experience, and resources that provide these services in the Upper Valley, and that will give the listservs space to continue growing, thriving, and evolving.
Critically, Front Porch Forum, a Vermont -based public benefit company with a mission to help neighbors connect and build community, already offers their forums (listservs to us) across the entire Upper Valley region – now including all New Hampshire Upper Valley towns. Front Porch Forum is ready to pick up the thread of connection and conversation from the listservs, and to welcome subscribers and communities at https://frontporchforum.com. They also offer town-by-town community calendars and business directories that are networked together to give both a local and a regional view.
For community members not already familiar with Front Porch Forum, they can learn more about it and sign up for a free account. We are excited about the continuity that Front Porch Forum offers and encourage listserv subscribers to explore their town-based forums.
One important note: Vital Communities is not going to move our town-based subscriber lists to Front Porch Forum automatically. Each subscriber will need to sign up for a Front Porch Forum account. There is an online help center with support from real people if you have questions or challenges signing up. Vital Communities is also here to provide support with the changes ahead.
We offer huge thanks to the current and past list managers for their many years of volunteer service connecting and supporting your community through celebrations, challenges, and transitions. The town-based listservs would not have been possible without their collective support.
Published 8/19/2026, Updates added 8/20/2026 and 8/24/2026