Collaboration
Collaboration. Partnership. Alliance. Joint effort. Collective.
Whatever we call it - every one of us has been involved in a collaboration of some kind at some point in our lives. At the same time, both simple and complex, the definition of collaboration – the act of working together with other people or organizations to create or achieve something – means we collaborate nearly every day. To be human is to collaborate.
We’ll explore the constructs of more complex collaborations at the CNJG 2023 Annual Meeting & Holiday Gathering on December 14. Following the pre-meeting workshop, Tools for Funder Collaboration, the business meeting to elect new trustees, and the networking luncheon, the fireside chat, Sustainable, Effective, and Equitable Collaboration – A Conversation that Centers Community, will feature Nidhi Sahni, Partner and Head of US Advisory Group, Bridgespan, and Lucy Vandenberg, Executive Director, the Schumann Fund for New Jersey, to explore what makes a successful collaboration, and how collaboration strengthens the impact of funding initiatives across sectors.
The Annual Meeting is the place where the seeds of collaboration are often first sown. Consider the collaborations you’re involved with now or have engaged in previously – where did those ideas first take shape – possibly in a conversation with another funder that, like you, wanted to have impact on a particular issue, solve an entrenched problem, or explore an untried solution.
Council members collaborate in a number of ways with other funders and nonprofit organizations. As a prelude to the Annual Meeting, on November 16, we’ll learn about the Morris County Funders Group and their Mental Health First Aid collaborative partnership. This first initiative of the funders group aims to address the growing mental health crisis in young people and adults.
Over 25 years ago, CNJG began its life as a collaboration – New Jersey foundations gathered together to form a collective to learn together, build relationships, and share resources. We have several resources to inform your collaborative journey as part of the Annual Meeting resource tab.
One of our core activities has always been to share resources. As we witness the conflict and heartbreaking devastation and sadness in Israel and Gaza following the October 7 attacks, some key resources to inform your work are available through the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, the go-to resource for disaster-related giving, and the Council on Foundations. You can connect quickly with your CNJG colleagues to share additional resources via our 25 listserves, including the Disaster Response Funders listserve. Contact Director of Member Services Craig Weinrich to join listserves that interest you.
Another joint effort highlighting what happens when funders come together, this time to share their own data, is the 2023 New Jersey Philanthropy Benefits & Salary Summary Report. Thank you to CNJG members that completed the surveys to inform this report.
As part of your registration for the Annual Meeting & Holiday Gathering, you’re asked if you have or are participating in a collaboration. I think it’s safe to say the answer is “YES!” for everyone. Maybe the question we should ask as we speed toward 2024, is where are the additional opportunities for collaborations? How can I build on past or current collaborations? Who else should I invite in?
I’m looking forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting & Holiday Gathering to further explore these ideas and questions.
Thank you to our Annual Meeting sponsors, Prudential, Victoria Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Devils Youth Foundation, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and the Princeton Area Community Foundation. There’s still time – I hope you will consider sponsorship for this special event – our annual “meeting of members.”
In Partnership,
Theresa Jacks, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers