Jeanine Tousignant, 2026 Outstanding Women in Business Recipient

Jeanine Tousignant, Founder of Jeanine & Company

Jeanine Tousignant
Founder, Jeanine & Company

Jeanine Tousignant has nearly 30 years of experience in nonprofit development, fundraising and organizational leadership. A graduate of the HARTT School of Music with a degree in music management, she began her career in development roles with arts and educational organizations including the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Museum of Science and Nardin Academy.

After returning to New Hampshire, Tousignant served as the first director of development for the Women’s Fund of New Hampshire, where she built the organization’s fundraising program. In 2005, she joined the Manchester Community Music School as its first director of development, later becoming vice president for advancement and, in 2009, CEO.

In 2014, Tousignant founded Manchester-based Jeanine & Company, an organizational consulting firm serving nonprofits in education, arts, healthcare, youth development and human services. She specializes in capital campaigns, major gifts, strategic planning, board development, executive coaching and organizational assessments.

An accomplished clarinetist, Tousignant plays in two chamber music quintets and is passionate about building community through music. She lives in Manchester with her partner, Phil.

Q. What was the moment that made you go into consulting work for nonprofits?

My work has always been in fundraising and leadership.

I really believe in giving people the tools they need to do the best they can.

I was very proud of everything we’d accomplished at the music school, but I thought it would be nice to have a bigger impact. I was ready to learn about different organizations and different lines of work. That’s what made me launch the consulting firm.

I’ve always been very entrepreneurial everywhere I’ve gone. The idea of starting my own business and being entrepreneurial in that way was really appealing to me.

It’s funny — people have always said, “Oh, you’re so brave. You’re so courageous to start your own business.” But I just thought it was really fun. I view risk as not a scary thing. I view risk as an exciting thing. If something doesn’t scare you a little bit, it’s really not worth doing. That’s how I’ve lived my professional life.

Q. When you work with nonprofits, what are those working relationships like?

Part of working in fundraising and development is that it’s all relationship-based. You end up having these great, authentic relationships with many people from all walks of life. Because of that, I was able to build up a really great network, and luckily, I’ve been able to keep and expand that network.

It’s often a journey with a nonprofit. They might need a strategic plan and some guidance to say, “What are we going to do over the next five years? What are the most important things we should be doing?” A lot of my clients have been with me for a long time, and many of them go into multiple areas of growth. A tenet of my business is to empower organizations so that they don’t need me anymore; they can do this themselves.

Sometimes organizations just need a little bit of guidance, or the board needs a little bit of help knowing how to be as effective as possible. There are so many people and organizations who really care about this state. It’s about helping them fulfill their mission in the most effective way possible.

What has been a real blessing is that consulting has allowed me to touch so many different organizations and get to know so many different people in the state and work with them in a compassionate and professional way. It’s been helpful to know people and know that I can help connect them to what they need to be connected to.

Q. What advice would you give the next generation of female business leaders?

I’ve lived my life, even personally, with two guiding principles.

One is: Stand in your power. Know who you are and be confident in that. Don’t let someone else try to throw you off course. Stand and be confident in your power.

The second is to have a constant or periodic check-in with what is around you and ask yourself: “How is this serving me? Is this still serving me? Does this no longer serve me?” The only person who is going to take care of you is you.

If you have things in your life that are no longer serving the purpose you’re trying to accomplish, then stand in your power and make those adjustments to make room for something that will serve you.

It’s hard. It is so hard. But it is absolutely worth it.

There’s something greener on the other side of that dark forest.