Help Build the Movement
Earlier this week, Manager of Programs and Learning, Anna D’Elia and I, met with our upcoming Colloquium moderator and panelists for a planning session to build out the featured conversation. We were absolutely blown-away by the depth, thoughtfulness, and insights of the discussion. We can’t wait for you to hear from esteemed speakers Dana Kawaoka-Chen, founding Executive Director of Justice Funders, Dr. John H. Jackson, President and CEO at Schott Foundation for Public Education, Tulaine Montgomery, Co-CEO of New Profit, and John S. Watson, Jr., Co-Executive Director of New Jersey Conservation Foundation.
We know that New Jersey grantmakers and nonprofits grapple with complicated, multifaceted, structural issues every day, and take on the difficult questions to move our collective work forward. At the very heart of nearly all the issues we face is the need to change, reimagine, rethink and reinvent our systems. The 2022 Virtual Spring Colloquium: A Conversation for the Social Sector – Igniting Equitable Systems Change Together on May 26, will lift up strategies to strengthen nonprofit-funder relationships, advance cross-sector collaboration, and shift power to communities – all ingredients for systems change work.
We know that change is possible. Through participatory grantmaking, trust-based philanthropy, capacity building, a focus on justice and equity– funders are shifting power to the people closest to the problem, addressing root causes, restructuring traditional practices, and investing in long-term solutions. The Colloquium will help us dig deep and explore these complex issues.
I encourage you to register today for this important event – we need your voice to move forward this pivotal conversation. I encourage you to invite your trustees, nonprofit partners, and colleagues to register and attend CNJG’s 2022 Virtual Spring Colloquium on May 26 from 1:00 – 5:00 pm. We need their voices as well.
After the panel conversation, we’ll hear real examples of systems change work in New Jersey to further inspire our own work. Debra Coyle of New Jersey Work Environment Council will share how Jersey Renews is preparing our state for a greener, cleaner future. Jaymie Santiago from New Brunswick Tomorrow will present on the New Brunswick Healthy Housing Collaborative, an initiative created as part of the Build Health Challenge. And Christine Newman of AARP New Jersey will discuss ways the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities is advancing healthier, more accessible neighborhoods for all.
And don’t worry, even though we’re virtual, there will be ample opportunities for networking and engagement throughout the entire conference – made easy via the Whova event platform. During the opening session, we’ll introduce you to our sponsors and exhibitors, and the valuable services they provide to New Jersey’s social sector. Following the case studies, we’ll gather for short group discussions about what we heard, and what inspired and moved us. And we’ll end the day with NJ trivia during our networking reception hosted by CNJG Board Chair Jeff Vega and New Jersey Center for Nonprofits’ Board Chair Jeremy Grunin!
We can’t wait to see you at the 2022 Virtual Spring Colloquium. Thank you to our incredible sponsors that make this event possible: Signature Sponsor – PSEG, Connector Sponsors – Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Campbell Soup Company, and Contributor Sponsors – FirstEnergy Foundation and Citi.
Nonprofit and grantmaking organizations must work together - as conveners, educators, influencers, risk-takers, collaborators, and advocates - to champion solutions that improve the everyday lives of New Jerseyans.
Join the conversation and help build the movement. The social sector has always been at the forefront of transformative change – today is no different. Let’s ignite equitable systems change together – for a better New Jersey filled with thriving communities for everyone.
In Solidarity,
Theresa Jacks, Acting President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers