“I’ve worked for United Way off and on for almost 30 years. I’ve gotten to do a lot of different things with United Way and see the evolution of United Way, how it continues to be such a critical engine in the community moving forward,” Nicole Reimer, CEO and president of Granite United Way.
Patrick Tufts’ decision to step down as president and CEO of Granite United Way after 20 years may have surprised some people outside the organization. But he spent many months preparing his colleagues.
Nichole Martin Reimer — whom the nonprofit’s board recently named as Tufts’ successor — worked as chief engagement officer and in partnership with Tufts for nearly two decades. While Reimer had to compete with outside candidates, she ultimately secured the CEO job — just as Tufts hoped she would. The two first met 28 years ago, when Reimer was special projects director for the United Way in Haverhill, Mass.
Reimer and Tufts recently appeared on NH Business Review’s “Down to Business” podcast to talk about the transition and what’s in store for Granite United Way. This article was adapted from the interview.
Q. Patrick, after 20 years you’re stepping down. Can you refresh us with the mission of the nonprofit and what your 20-year journey was like?
Tufts: It was a great journey. That’s why I decided to step down — because I love the United Way as much today as I did 28 years ago when I started, and 20 years ago when I became a CEO. The mission of the organization is to engage the caring power of our communities. And the beauty of that mission is it’s timeless.
Twenty-eight years ago, when Nichole and I met in Lawrence, Massachusetts, we did it in certain ways that ebbed and flowed and changed over the decades. Today it looks very different, but it’s just as valid and just as exciting.
Q. When you told the organization that you were going to step down, what was that process like? Was Nichole already front of mind?
Tufts: Nichole was front of my mind. With an organization this size, there’s always going to be a thorough search process. They did a national search. It was very competitive. The organization in my mind made the right choice. I knew Nichole was the right leader. I’m not sure the board or the staff knew what my intentions were. I’ve been a president for a long time, but I’m not old so I think it might have caught a few people by surprise. But at the same time, as I explained my thought process, I think it started to make a lot of sense.
Q. Nichole, you were already with Granite United Way. What was your purview in your role before the promotion?
Reimer: I had a wide view of the organization over the last couple of years in that senior leadership role, where I oversaw and drive a lot of our strategic plan and our kind of traditional engagement works or philanthropy work, the revisions we’ve been making to our grant-making process, and how we adapt that to the needs of our community and the needs of our business. I’ve worked for United Way off and on for almost 30 years. I’ve gotten to do a lot of different things with United Way and see the evolution of United Way, how it continues to be such a critical engine in the community moving forward.
Q. Do you live in New Hampshire now?
Reimer: I live in Derry, New Hampshire, and I’ve lived in New Hampshire for about 21 years now. My kids were all born here and raised in the state. I did grow up over the border, but I grew up in Haverhill, Mass. And literally at our backyard was Atkinson, New Hampshire. I could step into the Granite State pretty much with just less than a quarter mile walk.
Q. Has your thought process shifted at all from going from one role to the next in terms of how you’re looking forward?
Reimer: In the near term, it’s more about getting the job done that we started. We’re in the midst of an annual campaign season. We’re really striving to reach that goal so that we have the resources we need to give back to the community. We’ve really established some strong volunteer goals. I think Patrick talked about having 10,000 volunteers engaged annually across our footprint by 2026.
We’re really working with the team on some strategies to do more of that work, which is a benefit to our corporate partners as well, who are really looking for team-building opportunities. The pillars of our work are focused on those critical issues, like how we engage in community around child care and housing, financial work, continuing the broad work of 211 and also refining our grantmaking process. We’re making that more responsive and adaptive to meet emerging needs and helping nonprofits get money they need quickly for an item they might need or an urgent need so that they can continue.
Tufts: Why Nichole was the perfect candidate in my mind was because of her understanding of the organization and the blocking and tackling that has to be done in order to keep the organization moving forward. But she also has her own vision for the future of the organization. And I think it’s a really solid vision and one that’s going to serve the United Way in our communities really well and in some ways is different than what I did. And change is good.
