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CNJG celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2017 marked by extraordinary progress and service to members over this time. As the nexus for the philanthropic community in New Jersey, the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers’ body of work grows more robust every year. This is clearly evident by the exponential growth in programs and services since CNJG was founded in 1987. However, this proliferation in programs and services does not reflect the full realm of CNJG's transformation over twenty years. CNJG has evolved to become a leader in the state, spearheading important and significant initiatives throughout our history.
These programs, services and leadership initiatives elevate, not only our members’ work and practice, but also grantmakers throughout New Jersey, and even beyond. CNJG's success stems from its ability to broker partnerships and alliances to solve problems, leverage shared resources, and forge sustainable solutions to bring about long-term change. During its 20 years, CNJG has grown to become a valuable, highly relevant leadership organization serving a diverse range of funders. View our CNJG Through the Years pictorial. CNJG thanks our members and partners for your ongoing support and leadership that has propelled us through the last 20 years. We look forward to the next twenty!
Newark Philanthropic Liaison
Philanthropy has played a vital role in Newark for decades. In 2007, in collaboration with the Office of the Mayor, CNJG hired the city’s first liaison – modeled after a similar position in the State of Michigan – to harness interest, foster greater effectiveness and attract resources toward policy and programmatic areas that affect Newark’s residents. In the years since, the Council’s Newark Philanthropic Liaison has become a model for the country.
Hurricane Sandy Response
Superstorm Sandy officially came ashore in New Jersey on October 29, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. and its aftermath continues to be felt in communities throughout our state. Not 24 hours after the storm made landfall, CNJG began planning a series of actions to help inform funders what to be prepared for, share information and discuss strategies. CNJG's support of the philanthropic community as it navigates the shifting landscape of disaster recovery, continues.
Facing Our Future
Facing Our Future was a landmark initiative looking at the systemic, long term fiscal challenges facing all levels of government in New Jersey. It grew out of a 2010 briefing CNJG held for members that outlined how a Governor’s budget is annually crafted. CNJG leadership worked with members to convene a group of enthusiastic former government leaders. Their collective experience crossed party lines, and many of them had served multiple New Jersey governors. This Leadership Group included 4 former Attorney Generals, 3, former Commissioners, 2 former State Treasurers, a former Director of the State Senate and a former Chief Justice of the NJ Supreme Court, in addition to leading New Jersey researchers.
Establishing South Jersey’s Community Foundation
The Community Foundation of South Jersey formally launched in 2009 after two years of extensive planning through the efforts of CNJG and a number Council members. CFSJ is dedicated to the southernmost counties of New Jersey - Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, and Salem. These counties are exceptionally diverse, stretching from rural farm lands to pockets of densely populated and poor urban areas, juxtaposed against wealthy suburban communities. However, they share many of the same social problems – a challenging economy, unengaged youth, access to healthcare, as well as issues related to hunger, unemployment and housing. Realizing the need, Council members through the work of CNJG formed The Community Foundation of South Jersey. CNJG is extremely proud to have played a role in building the foundation to serve South Jersey for generations to come.
Spring Colloquium
Held for the first time in 2008, CNJG's Spring Colloquium focuses on critical trends and issues affecting foundations and the people and communities they serve. Past discussions have featured Governor Tom Kean with US Editor for the Economist Matthew Bishop, writer David Borestein and philosopher Anthony Appiah, and Idealist.org founder Ami Dar with Cindy Rizzo of the Arcus Foundation.
Spring Conference
CNJG's Conference for Grantmakers brings together staff and trustees of all types and sizes of foundations for a day of networking and focused sessions dealing with key aspects of grantmaking, leadership, and management and operations.
Join Deborah Cornavaca, Deputy Chief of Staff of Outreach to Governor Murphy for a general information session on the vaccine rollout in New Jersey, and to provide you with comprehensive updates and answer questions. The rollout is in constant motion, but Ms. Cornavaca and her team will provide the most up-to-date information, as well as hear your suggestions and thoughts.
The timely knowledge and resources shared during this briefing will be essential as foundations support nonprofit, community, and government partners in making sure all New Jerseyans are informed about the vaccine, how and where to get vaccinated, and where to go for questions or concerns. For additional information visit the New Jersey COVID-19 Information Hub.
Register today to learn about the state’s plan to get vaccines to New Jersey communities, and what role philanthropy can play in ongoing efforts.
Cost: Free for CNJG Members; $50 for Non Member Grantmakers
Maryland Philanthropy Network presents a toolkit on Community Centric Fundraising. CCF is a movement aspiring to transform fundraising and philanthropy so that they are co-grounded in racial and economic justice. CCF invites fundraisers and funders to examine the problematic philosophies and practices.
Join us to discuss the CCF principles, what they ask of funders, and how they are impacting the sector. Participants will learn about colleagues implementing some of the principles and will discuss the range of ways funders can be supportive of these principles as a way to demonstrate anti-racist values.
Speakers:
Dani Faulkner, Chief Development Officer, Baltimore Corps and a Community Centric Fundraising Global Council
Dannielle Sturgeon, Director of Development, Baltimore Corps
Cost: Free for CNJG Members and Non Member Grantmakers
Since 1998, Alliance Magazine has been the leading magazine for philanthropy and social investment worldwide providing news and analysis of what’s happening in the sector.
The latest 12 issues of Alliance are behind a paywall and are available only for subscribers, although selected articles are made freely available. The remainder of the archive is free to all.
We are pleased to partner with Alliance magazine to offer our members and your members a 20% discount on new print and digital subscriptions. Simply enter 'Forum20' at checkout to claim your discount.
The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers is pleased to release our annual look back at the Council’s robust programming, leadership initiatives and advocacy efforts. From funder briefings to our Signature events to providing New Jersey’s philanthropic sector with integral connections and services – CNJG is an engaged and cohesive network of grantmakers dedicated to our state’s communities and people.
The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers is pleased to release our annual look back at the Council’s robust programming, leadership initiatives and advocacy efforts. From funder briefings to our Signature events to providing New Jersey’s philanthropic sector with integral connections and services – CNJG is an engaged and cohesive network of grantmakers dedicated to our state’s communities and people.
2016 marked a new high mark for the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers and for our members. The 2016 President’s Report is our annual look back at CNJG’s robust programming and services in benefit to our members and by extension, the communities that our members serve. These programs, services and leadership initiatives elevate not only our members’ work and practice, but also grantmakers throughout New Jersey, and often even beyond. CNJG remains at the ready to assist New Jersey grantmakers in meeting the ongoing challenges of yesterday and today.
The 2017 President’s Report is our annual look back at CNJG’s robust programming and services in benefit to our members and by extension, the communities that our members serve. These programs, services and leadership initiatives elevate not only our members’ work and practice, but also grantmakers throughout New Jersey, and often even beyond. CNJG remains at the ready to assist New Jersey grantmakers in meeting the ongoing challenges of yesterday and today.
CNJG’s Newark Philanthropic Liaison, Kevin Callaghan, organized a series of webinars for our Newark Funders Affinity Group and other funders to know the specific challenges of New Jersey’s largest city responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Guest speakers included, Mayor Ras Baraka, Newark Public Schools Superintendent Roger Leon, consulting firm McKinsey & Co., and Catherine Wilson, CEO of United Way of Greater Newark.
This one-hour webinar will offer a high-level overview of employment law trends and best practices for foundations. Attorneys from the Labor & Employment and Nonprofit & Tax-Exempt Organizations groups of Dentons, the world’s largest global law firm, will present practical tips for small and mid-size foundations with regard to employment and workplace issues. Drawing from both national trends in the industry and the impact of the pandemic and social change, topics will include:
- social media policies;
- remote and hybrid work considerations;
- job descriptions and changes with hiring practices; and
- independent contractor agreements.
Our speakers will hold time for Q&A at the end of the presentation. As part of the registration process, attendees may also submit questions or topic area suggestions for our speakers to address if time allows.
Speakers
Carsen Ruperto, Counsel, Dentons Cohen & Grigsby
Hayley Haldeman, Counsel, Dentons, Cohen & Grigsby
This program is for members of the following philanthropy-serving organizations: Maryland Philanthropy Network, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers, Florida Philanthropic Network, Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania, Philanthropy Wisconsin, NY Funders Alliance, and North Carolina Grantmakers.
CNJG’s partner, the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits annual conference.
Don’t miss the premier conference for New Jersey nonprofits and allies, packed with the great insights, tools, and the super-charged networking you’ve come to expect. This full day event will also include plenary speakers, and morning and afternoon breakout sessions.
Full conference information is available on the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits website.
CNJG’s partner, the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits annual conference.
Don’t miss the premier conference for New Jersey nonprofits and allies, packed with the great insights, tools, and the super-charged networking you’ve come to expect. This full day event will also include plenary speakers, and morning and afternoon breakout sessions.
Full conference information is available on the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits website.
CNJG encourages its membership to participate in the Council on Foundations’ annual salary survey to help shape the future of philanthropic compensation.
The Council on Foundations’ 2025 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits (GSB) Survey is now open. The deadline to complete the GSB is Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
Since 1980, the GSB has provided the philanthropic sector with the most comprehensive data on staff composition and compensation in the United States. Grantmakers rely on the findings from this annual survey to plan budgets, benchmark personnel policies and practices, determine salary levels for new and existing staff, and more. Those who complete the survey will receive a free copy of the report (a $598 value), early access to the report’s data tables, and access to create custom benchmark reports.
CoF’s full survey will be published in fall 2025. More information and the survey may be found on the Council on Foundations' website.
Any and every philanthropic organization is invited to participate. Membership is not required with either the Council on Foundations or Council of New Jersey Grantmakers to participate in the survey. For more information, including a list of FAQs, visit the Council on Foundations' website or email the Council on Foundations communications team.
CNJG incorporates the data from this annual survey into our triennial Philanthropy Benefits & Salary Summary Report, most recently published in 2023. CNJG plans to update our report in 2026 again using the data from the Council on Foundations’ survey.
CNJG encourages our members and all philanthropic organizations in New Jersey to complete the CoF survey each year, as this benchmarking data is frequently asked for by our members. The more foundations and other philanthropic organizations that complete the survey, the better and more statistically relevant data we will all have.
For additional information or questions, please contact Craig Weinrich at CNJG.
For 2024, CNJG will help promote Change Philanthropy’s Diversity Among Philanthropic Professionals survey. This differs from CNJG’s own demographics survey that we just completed in 2023. While ours asked one person to complete the demographic profile, Change works with organizations to have staff and board self complete the survey resulting in more accurate results as it’s anonymous. It’s a better way for individuals to relay their identities. Then Change also is working to share this data right with Candid for their Demographics Via Candid project, which Craig/CNJG were considering deferring the demographic survey to in 2026. DAPP is done every two years, so the next time this will be done will be in 2026 when CNJG is scheduled to do our benefits survey again.
CNJG encourages our members to participate and complete CHANGE Philanthropy’s 2024 Diversity Among Philanthropic Professionals (DAPP) survey.
How do I/my organization participate?
Only grantmaking institutions can sign-up. This survey is designed to specifically assess foundations, grantmaking institutions or intermediaries whose primary work (over 75%) is dedicated to grantmaking. Individuals, consulting firms, or nonprofits who don’t primarily award funding are not eligible to participate.
Each participating foundation commits to sending a brief survey link to their staff and board. The survey is completely anonymous and confidential so no single respondent will ever be identified. Participating foundations will receive survey dissemination instructions, communications templates, and an organizational specific dashboard.
Sign up for the 2024 DAPP here.
What is the DAPP?
The DAPP Survey and Report aims to help the philanthropic community better understand its workforce and leadership. While grantmakers have a number of resources to assess what issues, geographic areas, and populations are being supported by grant dollars, there is far less data on who works in the field of philanthropy.
The DAPP report is a landmark tool for analyzing the philanthropic sector’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, helping grantmakers accurately assess the culture and climate of their institutions, and provides a temperature gauge for progress toward a more inclusive sector.
About the DAPP
The DAPP is unique in that it solicits anonymous, self-reported information directly from individuals working in philanthropy. The Reception of Identity Index (RII) is a first-of-its-kind form of sentiment analysis that provides insight into the feelings and experiences of survey participants related to their institution’s response to various identity factors. The seven-minute survey allows respondents to self-identify their race, national origin, age, gender expression, sexual orientation, and disability status, and perception of safety, well-being, and happiness in their workplace.
SMU DataArts’ online platform and proprietary survey protect the data of individuals while collecting detailed information. In addition, respondents may choose to skip any question in the survey. SMU DataArts will create a workforce report for each institution that receives enough survey responses to meet a statistically significant response threshold.
How does this differ from CNJG’s demographic survey that we completed last year as part of the benefits survey?
The DAPP’s data is collected through self-reported means, unlike CNJG’s data (which is still a good, valid, and valuable data set) that was reported by one person at the organization. The DAPP also collects different and valuable information, including the Reception of Identity index. Depending on how many CNJG members we can get this year to complete the DAPP survey, CNJG may discontinue our demographic survey, which has been part of our Benefits Survey, and rely on the DAPP going forward.
Who is CHANGE Philanthropy?
CHANGE Philanthropy is a coalition of philanthropy-supporting organizations working together to strengthen bridges across funders and communities. CHANGE Philanthropy is transforming philanthropy from within by building knowledge, fostering diversity, and creating connections. CHANGE Philanthropy and CNJG are both members of the United Philanthropy Forum, a network of nearly 100 philanthropy-supporting organizations.
Participation and Benefits
• Participating grantmakers commit to sending a brief survey link to their staff and board. The survey is completely anonymous and confidential so no single respondent will ever be identified.
• Participating foundations will receive survey dissemination instructions, communications templates, and an organizational specific dashboard.
• Participating in this study can help your organization better understand the diverse makeup of your staff, board, and volunteers to remain relevant to and representative of our changing society.
• If you have ten or more staff and board participating and reach statistical significance to meet SMU DataArts’ threshold for anonymity, you qualify for a free aggregate summary of the demographics of your institution.
• As with previous DAPP surveys and reports, individual responses are completely anonymous and confidential. The findings will only ever be reported on in aggregate form.
• The report includes recommendations from the CHANGE partner organizations on how to support your staff and deepen connections to communities.
• Drawing on the aggregate findings, CHANGE Philanthropy will produce a series of reports and infographics on the demographics of the philanthropic workforce.
• If CNJG members (and nonmembers) help recruit 500 individual survey participants (staff and board) from New Jersey, CHANGE Philanthropy will provide CNJG will a detailed infographic of findings in the state.
Important Dates
• 2024 DAPP Recruitment Period January 10 - March 15
• 2024 DAPP Survey Period April 14 - May 24
• 2024 DAPP Reports Quarter 4, 2024
Important Links
• DAPP Landing Page
• DAPP Mailing List Sign Up
• Frequently Asked Questions About the DAPP
• DAPP 2022 Report
• DAPP 2020 Report
• DAPP 2018 Report
For any questions, please contact Craig Weinrich, CNJG’s Director of Member Services, or email Tenaja Jordan, Research and Communications Director, CHANGE Philanthropy.
New Jersey’s philanthropic community mourns the loss of Jeffery Vega, who passed away January 28.
Jeff joined CNJG’s Board in 2016, and during his tenure served as First Vice Chair and Board Chair, and participated on multiple committees, affinity groups, and co-chaired the Trenton Area and Mercer County Funders affinity group. Jeff shaped and cultivated the direction and focus of CNJG through his supportive and proactive leadership. His direction and guidance during the pandemic helped CNJG not only stay the course, but continue to grow and thrive.
“Working with Jeff was a joy and a privilege,” CNJG President and CEO Theresa Jacks said. “Jeff guided us through the pandemic, a leadership transition, a strategic planning process, the approval of equity principles, and CNJG’s first-ever policy agenda with a steady hand, fierce commitment to equity, unwavering dedication to the membership, and the perfect combination of visionary thinking, wisdom, and kindness.”
His CNJG legacy includes the 2023 Strategic Plan, the creation of the Racial Equity Committee, CNJG’s first policy agenda, the New Jersey Principles for Philanthropy, and leading a dynamic and diverse board.
Jeff was the President and CEO of Princeton Area Community Foundation since 2015. Before joining PACF, Jeff was President of New Brunswick Tomorrow.
You can read more at the Princeton Area Community Foundation’s tribute page and announcement of Jeff’s passing.
The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers’ 2023 – 2027 Strategic Plan reimagines the future for CNJG. As a result of the extensive strategy development process, the plan includes a renewed vision, mission, core values, and goals. The work is informed by previous efforts, and current issues and trends impacting philanthropy and society.
The 2023 - 2027 Strategic Plan is a roadmap for the next five years, built upon CNJG's past strategic plans and learnings. We look forward to executing this plan, the additional learnings and opportunities it will bring, and delivering on these goals to move us into the future.
Private and public foundations can play an important role in advocacy by engaging in advocacy themselves and funding their grantees to advocate on their issues. After this workshop with Bolder Advocacy, your foundation will have a clear understanding of the kinds of advocacy activities you can safely engage in and best practices for grantmaking to give your grantees the most flexibility under the law for their advocacy efforts. Not sure how to make the case for funding advocacy? Uncertain whether you can fund grantees that lobby? Wondering whether your public or private foundation can speak out on a particular issue? This training answers these questions and more! The workshop is designed for foundation staff and trustees.
Participants will learn:
- Why public and private foundation should support advocacy;
- An overview of activities that constitute advocacy and public policy work;
- Various advocacy roles for foundations;
- The tax code’s definitions of lobbying;
- Activities that are exceptions to the definitions of lobbying, including those which private foundations can engage in;
- Rules for private and public foundation grants to nonprofits that lobby, including general support, specific project, and multi-year grants; and
- Grant agreement language that permits support for policy work.
This will be a virtual session; connection details will be provided upon registration.
This program is for members of the following philanthropy-serving organizations: Maryland Philanthropy Network, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers, Florida Philanthropic Network, Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania, Philanthropy Wisconsin, NY Funders Alliance, and North Carolina Grantmakers.
It’s always a mad dash to the end of the year, and this year is no exception.
But before we close out the year, CNJG members and special guests will gather next Thursday, December 14, at the 2023 Annual Meeting & Holiday Gathering, to learn together at the pre-meeting workshop, welcome new members, attend the annual business meeting of members to elect trustees and recap our year, enjoy conversation and networking over lunch, and hear a dynamic discussion related to an important topic for New Jersey’s philanthropic sector. The Annual Meeting & Holiday Gathering is always a great opportunity to see longtime friends, meet new colleagues, and network with other funders!
Our theme this year couldn’t be more timely - collaboration. 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, Schumann Fund for New Jersey. And the learning doesn’t stop - we’ve also curated several resources to help inform your collaborative efforts.
Thank you to our Annual Meeting sponsors, Signature Sponsor – Prudential; Collaborating Sponsor - Victoria Foundation; Connecting Sponsors - Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Devils Youth Foundation; and Supporting Sponsors – Grunin Foundation, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Princeton Area Community Foundation, and WSFS Bank. CNJG thanks the NJM Insurance Group for a donation in support of the Annual Meeting. Sponsorship underwrites our Signature events. It is only through the generosity of our sponsors that we can provide our Signature events. We are grateful for your support.
Thank you for your membership and support in 2023. CNJG supports and elevates New Jersey’s philanthropic community through shared learning, collaborative and trusting relationships, network building, and leadership. We greatly value your membership in the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers, and your ongoing support of our work to strengthen philanthropy in the state.
We can’t wait to see you next week! This event is often the place where the first seeds of collaboration and partnership are sown.
Theresa Jacks, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers
What are the biggest needs and challenges New Jersey communities face as result of the pandemic?
- It starts with the basics: food and shelter, medical equipment such as masks for long-term care facilities, and digital access for remote education and medical screenings. For many immigrants and the undocumented community, this challenge is even greater.
- Parents of school-age children need support in navigating remote education and childcare challenges -- and balancing them with employment needs.
- People who’ve lost their jobs need to know how to find the right support services, and those services need to be accessible -- no technology or language barriers.
- Schools are having to re-imagine how they can open in the fall – if they can – with appropriate social distancing that requires changes to infrastructure and schedules.
- Organizations need support to retrofit their public spaces so they can serve the public safely.
How is CNJG leading efforts to prepare the philanthropic sector for an effective response?
- CNJG helped create the Disaster Philanthropy Playbook after Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and uses many of the lessons learned then to inform response and recovery plans for COVID.
- Almost immediately, CNJG began providing funder briefings, webinars, and other forms of information to the philanthropic community.
- With our members, CNJG created the COVID-19 Funder Learning Community for the numerous response funds that are serving New Jersey was established to:
- Get timely updates on the latest pandemic developments
- Share information about what services and help are needed most -- and where
- Explore potential strategies for effective grantmaking that matches resources to needs and avoids duplication
- Learn best practices from each other
How is the pandemic affecting New Jersey nonprofits?
- The COVID-19 crisis is having a significant and alarming financial and programmatic impact on the nonprofits relied on to care for those in need. According to the Center for Non-Profits Rapid Response Survey:
- 83% cancelled programs or events and correspondingly lost revenue
- 77% have budgetary implications related to strains on the economy
- 52% have increased demands for services
- 40% experienced a disruption in supplies or services provided by partners
- 37% have an increase in or sustained absences of staff and volunteers
- 31% have had layoffs or furloughs
- Many nonprofits lack the digital infrastructure needed to employees’ and volunteers’ sudden switch to remote work and many volunteers who do important work are no longer available.
How is New Jersey’s philanthropic sector responding to the needs of nonprofits and the people they serve?
- Many funders have streamlined the grantmaking process so nonprofits can either refocus grants or receive new funding expeditiously to provide immediate relief for those facing the most pressing situations.
- Many funders are reducing what they ask of nonprofit partners – for instance postponing reporting requirements, deferring site visits, and eliminating other demands on their time so they can focus efforts during this challenging time.
- Some are providing low- or no-interest loans or outright grants to small businesses and nonprofits to retrofit their facilities to keep essential workers and the people they serve safe.
- Several community foundations and other nonprofits have established NJ COVID-19 relief funds that make it safe and convenient for donors to give, and that direct resources to where they are needed most.
- The sector is committed to grounding its work in the Center for Disaster Philanthropy's key principles of grantmaking:
- Resilience, to improve communities holistically and make them stronger than before a disaster.
- Equity, to take historical injustices into account and inform investments.
- Sustainability, to take into account a long-term view and factor in uncertainty.
- Civic participation that equips and empowers those often left out to influence what happens in their communities.
How is CNJG responding to longstanding equity issues that the pandemic exposes and makes worse?
- Together with the Center for Non-profits in New Jersey, we put out a statement on behalf of the state’s philanthropic and nonprofit sectors, urging everyone to speak out against racism and discrimination in all forms.
- CNJG established a Racial Equity Task Force to eliminate any structural racism in New Jersey’s philanthropic community.
- Most of the larger COVID funds engaged community-based practitioners to assist in decision-making on grant awards, and CNJG is creating a local advisory group for the Learning Community.
What steps are being taken to make sure grants aren’t duplicative and that money is going where it’s needed most?
- CNJG encourages the philanthropic sector to use a shared mapping tool that shows how much money is being awarded and where. This tool helps grantmakers make informed decisions and helps to eliminate gaps in historically under-funded communities.
- The COVID-19 Funder Learning Community is a vehicle for building relationships and sharing information about what each funds is doing to support relief and recovery across the state.
What’s the best way for people to donate money for relief and recovery?
You can find a list of these New Jersey Relief and Recovery funds and their contact info here.
We’ve all heard the African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” Partnerships and collaborations are how we don’t go it alone.
Just last week, one of our partners via United Philanthropy Forum, (our philanthropy-serving organizations network), Northern California Grantmakers offered an online briefing for funders throughout the nation to understand how the latest round of wildfires are impacting communities in the state, and what philanthropy can do. Good partners work together to galvanize support on issues of importance.
Partially because of our partnership as a member of the Forum, we are able to engage Phil Buchanan, President of The Center for Effective Philanthropy to give the keynote at the upcoming CNJG Annual Meeting & Holiday Luncheon. The CNJG staff heard Phil speak at the Forum's Annual Conference in July, and were inspired by his words. Good partners create opportunities to learn and grow.
Our partnership with the Center for Non-Profits is an exceptional example of two organizations working different sides of the same street to improve the whole community. A considerable portion of the partnership’s work over the years has been focused on addressing systemic issues prevalent in the social sector. We’ve tackled the overhead myth, government contracting, the true costs of providing programs and services, and more.
The upcoming Annual Meeting Pre-Meeting Workshop will continue this legacy of partnership and addressing systemic issues. President of the Center, Linda Czipo, and Tim Delaney, President of the National Council of Nonprofits will help us consider how to overcome power dynamics between funders and nonprofits, and how funders can create trusting and transparent relationships with grantees. We’ll also explore strategies to incorporate full cost funding – a key systemic issue that once solved - strengthens the effectiveness of grantmakers and grantees' work. Good partners stand shoulder to shoulder doing the hard work to make meaningful change.
When I asked google how to describe a good partnership – it came back with words like supportive, open, respectful, effective, genuine… And while these adjectives are spot-on requirements for a good partnership, we should also note that partnerships are hard and require constant care and attention. And so we are constantly vigilant to nurture, maintain and grow our partnerships. The value of working in partnership with others has long been a powerful strategy in the social sector. Nonprofit organizations understand that partnerships can be highly effective given the right mix of trust, communication, and an understanding of the unique strengths each partner brings to the table. Our partnerships clearly reflect this important mix.
Another type of partnership is the one between our member sponsors and our Signature events. Thank you to our sponsors of the Annual Meeting & Holiday Luncheon: Signature Sponsor – Novartis, Sustaining Sponsor – The Prudential Foundation, Speaker Sponsor – New Jersey Health Initiatives, Gift Sponsor – The Princeton Area Community Foundation, Program Sponsor – Novo Nordisk, Pre-Meeting Workshop Sponsor – Sixers Youth Foundation and Devils Care Foundation, Performance Sponsor – The Provident Bank Foundation, Contributing Sponsor – Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Supporting Sponsor – The Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation, with additional support provided by NJM Insurance Group. We greatly appreciate the generosity of our sponsors. We could not do this work without you. Good partners support one another.
The Council’s work relies on partnerships with a vast number of other organizations and entities. Among them: You and other CNJG members, colleague philanthropy-serving organizations, nonprofit associations, national affinity groups, government leaders, corporate stakeholders, communities throughout our state, and so many more either known or yet to be engaged.
We’re thrilled that we can showcase concrete examples of our partnerships up front and center at the CNJG Annual Meeting & Holiday Luncheon. I hope you’ll join us – register here!
“If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” Words to live by.
In partnership,
Maria Vizcarrondo, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers