She played an integral role in a number of civil rights organisations. As a student activist in the SNCC, she coordinated sit-ins in venues across Nashville and recruited a number of new Riders during her time as a Freedom Rider. 

Besides connecting with other prominent civil rights groups and leaders, Nash also acted as a liaison between the press and the United States Department of Justice, bringing local, state and national media attention to the civil rights cause. 
 
Nash was skilled at employing a variety of methods to shed light on difficulties and appalling situations often facing African Americans. She taught non-violent tactics to school children (an act she was arrested for in the early 1960s) and her involvement in a committee launched by President John F. Kennedy promoted the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.