After nearly seven years with Neighbor to Neighbor, Director of Philanthropy Brooke Cunningham is preparing to take on a new opportunity in the nonprofit sector. Before she moves on at the end of June, we asked Brooke to reflect on her accomplishments and memories at N2N.
What accomplishments are you most proud of during your time at N2N?
There are quite simply too many to name! My favorite event was our 50th Birthday Benefit, where we celebrated 50 years of local impact as a community. The Welcome Home Capital Campaign has been a real highlight, and I think I’ll always be proud of being part of preserving our affordable housing inventory. (P.S. We’re only $60k away from wrapping up the $2.5M campaign, help us close it out before I leave!)
Can you share a client story that captures the heart of why this work matters to you?
The number of times I’ve heard, “I’ve never had to ask for help before,” has always touched me. Our clients don’t want to need our help – it’s much easier for them to simply be able to earn enough to pay their rent! The stories that always hit me hardest involve kids – I’ll never forget hearing an update from a family that once they were stably housed, their kid went from failing several subjects to thriving and even being in advanced reading and math!
How have community attitudes around housing and homelessness shifted during your tenure?
Housing as a topic has changed significantly since I started at N2N, in part because our housing market has changed so much. A stark example is that the hourly wage needed to afford a 2-bedroom apartment in 2025 is nearly $32, and just 7 years ago, that number was $21 – that’s a 50% increase!
While Larimer County has been struggling with affordability for many years, since the pandemic, more folks than ever before are on the brink of homelessness. With wages not keeping up with the cost of housing, the number of families who are one unforeseen expense away from homelessness is continuing to rise. This is scary – both for those of us doing the work and for our whole community!
The benefit of the issue getting worse is that more people are aware that things need to change. We need to get creative, we need to increase supply, and more than ever, we need to care about our neighbors.
As you prepare to leave, what will you miss the most?
It’s cliche, but the people I’ve worked with at N2N are just the best. From the staff to the donors and volunteers, I’ve never worked with a more caring, committed group! My time at N2N has taught me a lot about how to work on complicated topics, identify solutions, find people who are committed to those solutions, and have a heck of a lot of fun doing it.
I’m looking forward to furthering the work I’ve started at N2N by working with the Noco Foundation as their Regional Housing Officer. I’ll stay deeply connected to the work and mission that I’ve cared about for the past seven years.
