In 2013, with support from the Cambridge Community Foundation and the Harvard Aggasiz Community Fund, senior leadership from a wide spectrum of nonprofit organizations in Cambridge began meeting regularly to discuss issues of mutual concern in providing services to residents of Cambridge. Out of these initial meetings the Cambridge Nonprofit Coalition was created.
The unified message that helped set the stage for this work was: “Cambridge nonprofit leadership is ready to build strong partnerships— with each other and with other sectors—in order to meet changing needs, close the opportunity gap, and improve the quality of life for the community.”
Over the past three years, the Cambridge Nonprofit Coalition has held community- wide summits, established a Steering Committee, and hired a coordinator. They have worked with the City to develop and strengthen the upcoming Community Needs Assessment study and are working towards a three-year strategic plan to take their ideas to actionable agendas. The Cambridge Nonprofit Coalition’s stated purpose is to strengthen the Cambridge nonprofit sector by building collective voice and promoting collaboration in order to meet changing needs and improve the quality of life for the community. Their vision, guided by principles of collaboration, inclusion, transparency, strategy and leadership is to ensure that: “The Cambridge nonprofit sector will have the community support, resources, information, and influence to enact positive change for Cambridge residents”.Cambridge Nonprofit Coalition
