Nauset Neighbors History

Nauset Neighbors sprung from an idea that took root in 2009 in the minds of Dick and Esther Elkin, who had recently retired to Wellfleet. Looking for the opportunity to meet new friends and neighbors, they also hoped to do something meaningful in their leisure years.

After reading an article in the New York Times describing Beacon Hill Village in Boston, a non-profit that successfully helped seniors stay in their homes as they aged “in place”, Esther wondered if this might be an idea for the lower and outer cape. Dick did demographic research that found 40% of local household members were 65 and older, compared to 26% statewide, and that 5% were older than 85, more than double the state average.

Knowing the limits of local public transportation options on the Cape and that many seniors have to give up driving eventually, it seemed logical that a similar “village” could help with rides to doctors, stores, hair salons and more, and also help out with small chores or the complexities of today’s technologies that a kind neighbor might do from time to time to help out a neighbor in need.

Like today, the lower and outer Cape had many recent retirees looking for new social connections and who had useful skills and interests. Many joined Nauset Newcomers, a local social and educational non-profit. Esther, on the Newcomers Volunteer Committee, suggested a “village” as a project that might lend a helping hand to senior neighbors as they aged at home. Dick produced the advanced demographics that showed the needs by town, and Esther corralled those willing to talk about the idea. Soon the name “Nauset Neighbors” was chosen.

Many lent a helping hand to the early organization. With each succeeding organizational meeting, more and more volunteers showed up expressing interest. The group studied existing resources such as town Councils on Aging, FISH, and the VNA, and researched anticipated member needs, community relations, volunteer needs, and business and legal requirements. Eventually, they generated an action plan. Teams led by our earliest volunteers spread out to do the work and planning.

The first Board of Directors was formed with Esther Elkin as President, Mark Adorney as Treasurer, Dick Elkin as Clerk, and Adele Blong, Steve Cole, Bob DuBeau, Gail Hanson, and Bill MacLachlan as Directors. A burgeoning list of volunteers waited for assignments. In 2010, Nauset Neighbors became a member of the national Village-to-Village Network and a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

Teams worked diligently to understand and ultimately produce the bits and pieces of the undertaking, such as how to recruit and screen members and volunteers, satisfy business, financial, and legal requirements, and write the charter and by-laws.

Dick, with a PhD in mathematics and a computer professional his entire career, pushed for data driven decisions and growth. This was early in the so-called “village” movement, and early villages either did not use computers or used them for only a few functions. Dick looked for software to provide cost-effective data capture capable of storing all organizational documents and data, but simple enough for volunteers to use, flexible enough to be modified over time according to changing needs, and hefty enough to provide the many databases needed to match diverse member needs with volunteers and keep track of who was doing what for whom, and when. In addition, it had to keep track of potential members and volunteers and ongoing committees and their actions, and it had to have full reporting capability to provide a picture of Nauset Neighbors at any point in time. Other requirements were a stable vendor with a proven installed base and, eventually, the ability to run on a mobile phone, tablet, or laptop. In the beginning, software meeting all those requirements did not exist, and Dick wrote some of the software himself.

The overwhelming majority of established “villages” at the time ran on the “paid” model requiring significant membership fees to support an office with paid staff. Dick envisioned software that could accommodate a dispersed “virtual office” run by volunteers at home with only a computer and an internet connection, thereby freeing the organization from significant costs. Still a decade before Covid, the benefits of working from home for Nauset Neighbors and those it served was clear.

Costs existed, although minimal. The annual member “fee” had to cover the software licensing fees (minimal per member), mailing costs, and required organizational fees. The cost per member actually decreased as membership increased. The initial membership “fee” of $125 in 2011 was lowered over time to $75, where it stands today. With almost 500 current members, the costs are stable and fully covered by the membership fee. The membership fees are waived as needed so that financial need is never an impediment to receiving help from Nauset Neighbors.

Nauset Neighbors went “live” on February 14, 2011. It was a challenge. We grew, literally weekly, in needs, knowledge, and improved organization. Club Express software was the beating heart of Nauset Neighbors, with volunteers pumping their blood, sweat and tears into it night and day. By the end of 2011, we had completed 799 “services” (rides, handy help of all types) with 145 volunteers.

By 2015, we had 306 members and 300 volunteers. The median age of members was 84 and the median age of volunteers was 69. We had 21 people on our waiting list to become members, which the membership intake committee was processing as quickly as possible. By the end of 2015, 228 volunteers had performed 2740 services in the previous 12 months.

From 2011 through January 2025, Nauset Neighbors has done over 36,000 services at no additional cost to our members beyond their $75 annual “fee”. Our payroll remains at zero. We have no office; we own no vehicles. Our telephone number and email system is via Google at no cost. All communications and functions are handled by our trained volunteers. Volunteer teams handle member intake, volunteer outreach and intake, publicity, software/system management, billing, financial management, and legal issues.

Our central call management system is run by our trained volunteers who coordinate member requests with volunteers and facilitate communications between them. Some volunteers select seniors in their own town to help; others explore new towns. Some prefer to provide only medical rides, or non-medical rides, or handy help requests. Some prefer only electronic gadgets help requests.

Our entire system can be run on a mobile phone, tablet or laptop by our trained staff and volunteers. Our virtual office is staffed from 9-12 every morning, Monday through Friday, and we attend daily to voice mail. The needs from 2011 to today have not varied. Transportation requests make up about 75% of our requests for help; the rest fall into various other categories that our volunteers, themselves seniors, are willing to do.

We have volunteers of all stripes. Some like to give a helping hand to the senior in need; some are more comfortable serving organizational needs. Many do both. Our online signup allows volunteers to pick and choose services on the volunteer’s own schedule. We have no fixed schedule, no office to show up at, no one calling to badger volunteers for their time and no guilt, ever.

Nauset Neighbors provides the opportunity not only to meet new friends and make new social connections but also helps our elderly neighbors in ways they cannot help themselves. Our elderly members are confident in our volunteers who show up with a happy heart. They love their volunteer’s steady driving and the care they take to understand the particular assistance needed at the moment. There literally is something for everyone to feel good about. What’s not to love about Nauset Neighbors ~ a willing helping hand extended with kindness. And, our volunteers today are the members of tomorrow!