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A CNJG member queried the Health & Aging listserves asking for sample letters of inquiry. This document includes a few responses from fellow members. If you would like to add yours to this list, please email us.
Adopted by CNJG”s Board of Trustees in October 2023, these eight Principles offer philanthropy a source of direction for their own equity journey. Each principle begins with a common understanding followed by developmental steps, and the aspiration for each principle. These principles are intended to promote continuous learning, vulnerability, and reflection for how philanthropy can evolve from its historical roots to a more trusting, accountable, and equitable model.
Alexis Bivens, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Managing Director of the Supporting Organizing Work Funders Collaborative, Connecticut Council on Philanthropy, presents the process and progress of how an affinity group transformed into a funders collaborative, how it was resourced, and challenges along the way.
I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing summer. For many, summer offers a time to move at a slower pace, and perhaps take some time for reflection and recharging. I hope you were able to do some of that at least during your official “away-from-the-office” vacation time.
As summer wanes and we come back to our offices, Governance Committee co-chairs, Craig Drinkard and Justin Kiczek, have extended an invitation – if you are interested in serving on the CNJG Board of Trustees, or know someone who would make a good trustee, please complete the application form, and email it to Office Manager Dana Schwartz, along with a brief biography, no later than September 13, 2023. Read Craig and Justin’s full letter.
The Board will present a slate of candidates to CNJG members at the annual meeting of members. Please save the date - the CNJG Annual Meeting & Holiday Gathering is on Thursday, December 14 at the Crowne Plaza Edison. Registration will be available soon.
In reviewing the nominations for board service, the Governance Committee considers participation and engagement in at least one CNJG committee, and/or serving as co-chair of a Council affinity group. Standing committees of the board include Audit, Finance, Governance, Member Engagement, Leadership and Policy, Racial Equity, Signature Programs, and Strategic Plan Implementation. Most committees meet at least twice a year. Committees focus on a specific issue or task, and ensures the board’s overall work is divided into manageable tasks. Committee participation is open to all CNJG members. If you are interested in learning more and/or serving on a committee, please let me know. Committee work allows you to expand your personal network and build relationships with colleagues, demonstrate and develop your own leadership, and gain new knowledge and skills that you might not regularly use in your day-to-day role. You’ll also be contributing to the success and future of CNJG, as well as helping to move forward the 2023 - 2025 Strategic Plan.
If you are already chairing a committee or affinity group, or serving on a committee – thank you for your leadership! We’re so grateful for your dedication and support. If you are interested in joining a committee, please reach out to me. Thank you!
Welcome back from the summer – I hope to see you at an upcoming CNJG program, and at the CNJG 2023 Annual Meeting & Holiday Gathering on December 14.
Sincerely,
Theresa Jacks, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers
This advocacy and civic engagement toolkit is designed for private foundations that want to educate and encourage their grantees about getting involved in civic and policy activities to increase organizational capacity and impact. While its primary focus is on the grantmaking activity of foundations, the toolkit also addresses rules and guidance for policy involvement by foundation officials acting on behalf of their foundations.
Two different CNJG members queried the CEO listserve on how/when/how to return to the office following the COVID-19 pandemic. CNJG staff compiled the answers from the responding members removing identifying information of the respondents.
The CNJG 2024 Annual Meeting & Holiday Gathering — Inspiring Change Through Leadership: Maximizing Philanthropic Impact on December 11, offered a powerful reflection on leadership, collaboration, and the collective role we play in advancing philanthropy across New Jersey.
We kicked off the day with the leadership in action workshop: New Jersey Principles for Philanthropy—a framework approved by the Board last year, 
that sets forth an aspiration for each of the principles: ethical leadership, stewardship, values, equity and justice, community engagement, public voice, continuous learning, and transparency and accountability. Following the opening panel, moderated by Catherine Wilson, United Way of Greater Newark, and featuring
Jasmyne Beckford, The Prudential Foundation, Sharif Braxton, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Jeremy Grunin, Grunin Foundation, and Sharnita Johnson, Victoria Foundation, small group table discussions further explored the principles and how Council members can infuse them in their organizations.
We elected two new trustees for their first 3-year term, Tammy Rice Herman,
New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and Aaron Turner, Community Foundation of New Jersey, as well as re-electing trustees for their second term, including
Kate Barrett, The Campbell’s Foundation, and Catherine 
Wilson. In his role as board chair, and to continue serving as chair in 2025, Craig Drinkard was elected for another 1-year term. Following the annual meeting of members, trustees elected officers for 2025: Justin Kiczek, 1st Vice Chair, F. M. Kirby Foundation,
Christine Healey, 2nd Vice Chair, The Healey Education Foundation, and Catherine Wilson, Treasurer. Congratulations! And we said good-bye to Paul Stierhoff as he rotated off the board. Thank you for your service!
Jeffrey Vega, trustee from 2016 to 2023 and chair from 2021 to 2023, was posthumously honored as CNJG’s first-ever emeritus trustee in recognition of his exceptional service and dedication to our organization. His visionary leadership and unwavering commitment have left an indelible mark on the Council, strengthening our mission and the philanthropic community we serve. In celebration of his remarkable contributions, and in partnership with the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits, a commemorative tree will be planted in Princeton in the spring.
As part of his board chair’s report, Craig Drinkard shared powerful reflections on leadership and its essential role in achieving equity and building community. He encouraged funders to deeply reflect upon how we practice leadership, and shared a brief list for how leaders can show up:
- Listen and ask questions.
- Open your heart — ask often: is your heart full?
- Trust your staff, your partners, your grantees.
- Get out of the way.
Seamlessly aligning with the keynote presentation, Craig reflected on the importance of making room for new leaders at the helm - whether it’s committee or affinity group leadership in our CNJG community, funder collaboratives, coalitions, and partnerships, or in our own organizations.
Amalia Brindis Delgado’s keynote, Leadership for Thriving Communities, built on this important theme — emphasizing the importance of funders to actively support succession planning, the value of continued education for nonprofit leaders, and encouraging well-being as deliberate practice. Click here for additional resources from the Annual Meeting.
The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers thanks our Annual Meeting sponsors for their generous support: Signature Sponsor – Prudential; Contributing Sponsors – The Campbell’s Company, Devils Youth Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Victoria Foundation; Supporting Sponsors – Grunin Foundation, LISC
New Jersey, Pincus Family Foundation, and WSFS Bank; and Colleague Sponsor – Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. Thank you also to NJM Insurance Group for an additional donation to support the event.
The 2024 Annual Meeting & Holiday Gathering provided an outstanding close to anincredible year that 
offered Council members 110 programs and briefings, three signature events, the Impact Investing Bootcamp series, opportunities to meet with our congressional delegation and state officials, a growing partnership with the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits, and new monthly venues for members to connect and build relationships with First Fridays for Philanthropy and CEO to CEO Conversations.
The CNJG offices will be closed from December 25, 2024, to January 1, 2025, for the winter break.
Thank you for your continued partnership and leadership. Together, we are shaping a stronger, more equitable future for New Jersey. CNJG members are an exceptional group of leaders. You care deeply about the communities you serve and the nonprofit partners you support.
On behalf of the entire CNJG team, we wish you a joyful holiday season and a bright, prosperous new year. We look forward to continuing our work together and seeing you in 2025!
With Gratitude,
Theresa Jacks (she/her)
President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers
Already, 2025 has been a year unlike any other. The changes in federal policy are coming at a pace we’ve not experienced before. Not even a month in, the new administration immediately issued several significant Executive Orders (EOs), creating uncertainty across the social sector. From attempts to freeze Congressionally approved funding, to efforts banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and questionable tactics to slash the federal workforce; funders and nonprofit partners are gravely concerned about how the fabric of our democracy and the systems of constitutionally mandated checks and balances are fraying right before our eyes. To help you cut through the noise, the National Council of Nonprofits is tracking and continuously updating its analysis of the impact of these EOs on nonprofit organizations in real time.
This is the time to shore up relationships with colleagues and nonprofit partners. I’m grateful that in New Jersey, we have a strong partnership with the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits. Advocacy and policy are at the heart of the Center’s mission. They have been at the forefront of keeping us informed about the Office of Mangement and Budget's (OMB) freezing of federal grants and loans. I encourage you to:
- Sign up for the Center’s email list for up-to-date, reliable information.
- Ask your grantees and nonprofit partners to complete the annual NJ Trends and Outlook survey, launched today. This year, the survey is also collecting stories about how executive actions are impacting nonprofit organizations.
On behalf of philanthropy-supporting organizations, United Philanthropy Forum is also mobilizing to serve as a key source for accurate, reliable information with their newly created resource page, “Executive Actions Impacting the Philanthropic & Nonprofit Sectors."
Funders across the country are asking what they can do immediately. As I noted above, leveraging your partnerships and strengthening your relationships is key. Echoing sage recommendations from the Council on Foundations and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, here are other strategies for your consideration:
- Reach out to your grantees and nonprofit partners – don’t wait for them to reach out to you. They need to hear from you and know that you are championing their often-thankless work.
- Offer flexible funding and move funding quickly. Allow your grantees to repurpose their current grant funding to meet the needs of their organization and those they serve. Giving nonprofits every resource and tool they need to be nimble is critical.
- Share your funding opportunities with the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits to post on their revamped funding page.
- Get comfortable introducing your grantees to new partners, other grantees, and potential funders. This is how we build strong, resilient communities of practice and service.
We’re embarking upon untested times. As we celebrate Black History Month and Women’s History in March, it is important to remember that meaningful change starts and ends with partnership, collaboration, and advocacy. Philanthropy has a critical role to play in this equation.
To help you better understand the federal policy landscape, we’re hosting an eight-part Funder Briefing Series: Making Sense of Federal Policy: Understanding What it Means for
New Jersey, beginning in March. This series will provide an overview of key issues that directly impact philanthropy, and more broadly, the charitable sector. The first session, on March 13 at 4:00 pm., will focus on immigration.
In addition, we will be launching a web page with information and resources to help inform your decision-making, as well as reintroducing our policy infused e-newsletter, CNJG ...for the field. Covering both big 'P' and little 'p' policy issues, the first edition will land in your inbox later this month, providing key updates and relevant articles.
I want to end with some exciting news — Craig Weinrich has been
promoted to Senior Director, Member Experience. Craig has been with CNJG for 11 years, and his leadership and dedication have been invaluable to our community. Please join us in congratulating him on this well-deserved promotion!
And channeling Craig – a quick reminder: it’s time to renew your CNJG membership. Please reach out to him if you have questions.
We look forward to engaging with you in the months ahead. Philanthropy has an important role during these tenuous times. Let’s use our collective power for good.
In solidarity,
Theresa Jacks, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers
Privacy Policy, Effective Date: April 15, 2009
We at the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers recognize that our relationships with current and prospective customers are based on integrity and trust. We work hard to maintain our customer’s privacy and are very careful to preserve the private nature of our relationship with our customers. Simultaneously, the very nature of our business requires that we collect or share certain information about our customers with other organizations or companies. Our policies and procedure for collecting and disclosing personal information is detailed below:
Collection of Information
Except as otherwise stated herein, we may collect public and nonpublic information about our customers from the following sources:
- Applications, forms and other information provided to us by our customers. This information may be collect in writing, in person, by telephone, electronically or by any other means. This information may include our customer’s name, physical address, email address, telephone number, employment information, income history, social security or federal tax identification number, and credit references.
- Transactions completed with Council of New Jersey Grantmakers or any of its affiliates. Our affiliates include financial institutions, trade references, governmental agencies or any other entity that we may deal with in the normal course of doing business. This information may include past payment history, funds availability and account usage.
- Consumer reporting agencies. This information may include account information and information about our customer’s creditworthiness.
- Information obtained through the public domain. This information may include real estate records, telephone numbers or any other information that is available to the general public.
Collection of Information Through Our Web Sites
We do not collect through our web site any “personally identifiable information” as that term is defined in the California Online Privacy Protection Act of 2003. We do collect statistical information regarding web site traffic but that statistical information does not identify the individual user or visitor.
Disclosure and Protection of Information Collected
To the extent permitted or required by law, we may disclose the information we collect, as described above, to banks, business partners, affiliates, and the representatives who service our customers. We do not sell any of our customer information. In order to make sure that our information is accurate, updated and secure, we take the following additional measures:
- Current Information. We attempt to keep our records regarding customer information current and accurate. If any of our customers have reason to believe that our records are not current or are inaccurate, we request that they contact Craig Weinrich. We respond to requests to correct inaccurate information in a timely manner.
- Limited Access. Our employees have been educated on the importance of customer privacy and confidentiality and have been trained in the proper handling of customer information and instructed to adhere to the strictest of security measures set in place. Employee access to a customer’s confidential information is only granted on a need-to-know basis.
- Electronic Information Secure. All information that is stored electronically is secured by reasonably available technology, including but not limited to firewalls and data encryption.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time. Please check this page periodically for changes. Your use of this site following the posting of changes to these terms will mean you accept those changes. Information collected prior to the time any change is posted will be used according to the policies in effect at the time the information was collected.