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What comes after “strategic...?” If you said, “planning,” you’re not alone. And for many leaders of community foundations, especially small ones who don’t have the time or money for a big process, anxiety is the feeling that follows. If that’s the case, this guide is for you.
It invites you to test-drive some activities to bring your current program, operations and community leadership strategies into focus before you decide whether to create a plan or not. It helps you discover ongoing strategic practices and decide whether to keep them or not. If you already have done a strategic plan, and it is languishing on a shelf, this guide will help you refresh it.
PART A: Good Strategy Takes Practice (Not Just Planning)
PART B: Do Your Discovery
PART C: Jumpstart Your Strategy Narrative
PART D: Bring It Together
Looking To What’s Next
Grantmaking at the Crossroads is a workbook designed to provide foundations with a new grantmaking methodology that works at the intersection of place, population, and issue. It offers a pathway to greater inclusion of communities that are often excluded or marginalized by foundation funding and enables foundations to maintain their focus and priorities while expanding their reach and effectiveness.
The Grand Rapids Community Foundation and the Kalamazoo Community Foundation volunteered to be laboratories for Grantmaking at the Crossroads and have been critical informants for this workbook. Each of these foundations holds an unwavering commitment to ongoing learning; this publication would not have happened without their support and engagement and the financial support of the Arcus Foundation.
To answer the basic question of how many active family foundations are planning to spend down or exist in perpetuity (or have not yet made a decision), and to examine foundations’ motivations and decision-making, the Foundation Center, in collaboration with the Council on Foundations and with additional assistance from the Association of Small Foundations, launched a study of family foundations in 2008. This report presents the full range of study findings, which are based on survey responses from 1,074 family foundations.
Like many cities and towns across New Jersey, and America, Newark is plagued by aging infrastructure. This includes approximately 18,000 privately-owned lead service lines that connect city water into homes. In 2018, Newark received an official finding that the corrosion control introduced into the water to keep lead from flaking off of lead service lines was no longer effective in one of its reservoirs – the Pequannock. This impacts roughly 15,000 households in the City.
There is a short, mid, and long-term plan of action that the City has been following since 2018:
In the short-term, 38,000 Pur water filters were distributed free of charge to residents in October 2018. In August 2019, the City and the Department of Environmental Protection conducted testing and found that in two of three homes, the Pur water filters were not removing lead from the water. While this was too small of a sample size to make a definitive conclusion about whether or not the filters are effective, in an abundance of caution, the City started to provide all potentially impacted residents with bottled water and established four distribution sites.
In the mid-term, a new corrosion control treatment was introduced into the Pequannock in Spring 2019, and will take up to 8 months to fully optimize.
For the long-term, the City of Newark created a Lead Service Line Replacement Program in partnership with the State of New Jersey and the Essex County Improvement Authority that will replace every lead service line in the city at no charge to residents within three years.
The Newark community is working in collaboration to support impacted residents throughout this process.
Ways to Help
While there is a clear plan to fix this issue over time, and as the City works aggressively with State and Federal officials on our water quality, there are immediate needs. Here are some ways to help:
- Contribute money to support impacted residents – The City of Newark partnered with the United Way of Essex West Hudson (UWEWH) to create a Water Fund. 100% of funds raised from individuals, corporations, and foundations is being used to address community needs during Newark’s water challenge.
- Make a direct donation of water – The Community Food Bank of New Jersey is accepting direct contributions of water on behalf of the City.
- Volunteer time and resources – The City is creating opportunities for volunteers to support its outreach to residents. Access to wraparound resources like lead testing and healthy food are also needed.
- Support for communications – It is important that residents, small business owners, and the whole Newark stakeholder community have the right facts related to Newark water. Community education is important now and well into the future.
To support these efforts, please contact Kevin Callaghan, Office of Newark Philanthropic Liaison, a partnership between the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers and the City of Newark.
To learn more about impacted households and the service line replacement program, please visit the City of Newark’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program website.
As a reminder for funders, CNJG and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy co-created the Disaster Philanthropy Playbook to help funders be more strategic in their investments helping with recovery for different aspects of your affected community.
Articles to Read
- NJ.com: Bottled water distribution continues in Newark (8/19/2010)
- NJ.com: Newark creates fund for donations to buy bottled water (8/19/2019)
- New York Amsterdam News: Newark water crisis prompts activists to step in, state of emergency requested (8/22/2019)
- Insider NJ: NJLOM: Taking Action to Solve Newark’s Drinking Water (8/26/2019)
- NJTV News: Officials announce $120M deal to speed up replacement of Newark’s lead service lines (8/26/2019)
- Insider NJ: AT&T Launches Text-To-Give Campaign to Support Newark Families with Lead Service Lines (8/29/2019)
- Patch: Newark Sees Outpouring Of Donations, Love During Water Crisis (8/30/2019)
- New York Amsterdam News: Donations pour in to help those impacted by Newark water crisis (9/12/2019)
The Trust-Based Philanthropy Project is pleased to announce a six-part webinar series addressing common questions, clarifying misconceptions, and exploring ways to overcome obstacles in implementing trust-based philanthropy. CNJG is pleased to share this opportunity with our members.
Series Description: Trust-based philanthropy is a philosophy and approach rooted in values of relationship-building, mutual learning, and systemic equity – with a vision of advancing a healthier and more impactful nonprofit sector. While this approach is generally associated with six core grantmaking practices such as multi-year unrestricted funding and streamlined paperwork, the day-to-day work of trust-based philanthropy is very nuanced and dynamic. In fact, funders who have embraced this approach are finding that it requires ongoing self-reflection and rigor with regards to how they think about – and evolve – many of the deeply embedded practices and assumptions of traditional philanthropy.
Given these nuances, it is not surprising that there are many questions and occasional misperceptions about what it actually means to embody trust-based philanthropy in practice. In this 6-part webinar series, the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project will explore some of the most commonly asked questions and the underlying misperceptions that may be roadblocks to understanding and operationalizing trust-based philanthropy.
Each session in the series will focus on a frequently asked question from the field, and will feature perspectives from foundation leaders and others who have grappled with similar or related questions. At the end of each session, participants will walk away with: 1) a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the underlying cultural philosophy of trust-based philanthropy; 2) tips for how to think about and approach these nuances in their own work; and 3) talking points for how to answer these FAQs when they come up from colleagues or peers.
Each session will also provide dedicated space for small-group peer dialogue (among CNJG members) about ways to implement these practices into your grantmaking.
Cost: Free
Who should attend: Anyone in a grantmaking role that is curious about understanding the nuances of trust-based philanthropy and how it applies to your work. This series will be ideal for those who have some baseline familiarity with trust-based philanthropy and have questions about how it manifests in practice.
Please note: this webinar series is separate from CNJG’s 2023 Conference for the Social Sector, which features an in-person luncheon keynote by the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project. CNJG’s conference is open to both funders and nonprofits, so the keynote will differ from this series. Because CNJG’s Doing Good Better initiative leans on the principles of Trust-Based Philanthropy, we encourage our members to register for these sessions - as time allows - for funders to learn about different approaches to changing systems in New Jersey.
Demystifying Trust-Based Philanthropy Series Sessions
Session #1: Does Trust-Based Mean Unconditional Trust?
Session #2: Does Unrestricted Funding Automatically Make a Funder Trust-Based?
Session #3: How Do We Approach Risk and Due Diligence in Trust-Based Philanthropy?
Session #4: What Does Grantee Accountability Look Like in Trust-Based Funding?
Session #5: How Do You Measure Impact in Trust-Based Philanthropy?
Session #6: What Does Racial Equity Have To Do With Trust-Based Philanthropy?
Resources
Recording: Session 5: How Do You Measure Impact in Trust-Based Philanthropy?
Transcript: Session 5: How Do You Measure Impact in Trust-Based Philanthropy?
Presentation: Session 5: How Do You Measure Impact in Trust-Based Philanthropy?
Trust-Based Philanthropy Peer Exchange for Grantmakers
The 6 Practices of Trust-Based Philanthropy
Trust-Based Philanthropy in 4D Overview
Trust-Based Philanthropy Story Map
Trust-Based Framework for Learning and Evaluation
Headwaters Foundation Grant Reporting Process
AJWS Accompaniment Model
Satterberg Foundation's Insight Circles Report
Headwaters Foundation Learning Book
AJWS Social Movements Tool
Center for Effective Philanthropy Blog: Rigorous Evaluation Versus Trust-Based Learning: Is This a Valid Dichotomy?
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
We are pleased to share links to organizations and other resources that assist nonprofit with development, volunteer recruitment, and other key aspects of their work.
New Jersey Center for Nonprofits
The New Jersey Center for Nonprofits is the only umbrella organization for all New Jersey 501(c)(3)s. Since 1982, the Center has provided advocacy, resources, training and information to strengthen non-profits and help them thrive. The Center offers an active list of funding opportunities for NJ-based nonprofits. CNJG is partnering with the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits by sending any and all funding opportunities from our members and other funders to add to this page. Our goal is to make this page one of the first places New Jersey non-profits visit to find funding opportunities.
NJ Division of Consumer Affairs: Charities Registration Section
The CR & I Section administers and enforces the provisions of the Charitable Registration & Investigation Act (CRI Act) which regulates the fund raising activities of most charitable organizations and all professional fund raisers, fund raising counsels, commercial co-ventures and solicitors conducting business within the State of New Jersey.
Foundation Directory Online
The Foundation Center, now Candid.org, has launched Foundation Directory Online, a website you can use to search the basic profiles and IRS Forms 990-PF of nearly 90,000 grantmakers, giving them access to contact information, fields of interest, financial data, and program priorities. Registration is required. They offer a free version that gives basic information, or one can subscribe for a fee to access more detailed information.
Those seeking funds can also access a paid version of the Foundation Directory Online through Candid’s Funding Information Network access locations. There are several in New Jersey and in neighboring states.
Also from the Foundation Center, Foundation Funding for U.S. Democracy, a new nonpartisan resource that provides data about foundations and their democracy-related grantmaking in a structured, contextualized, and visual format. The project documents foundation support across several key areas: campaign and election processes, governing institutions and processes, information and media, and public engagement and voting.
Pro Bono Partnership
Pro Bono Partnership provides business and transactional legal services to nonprofit organizations serving the disadvantaged or enhancing the quality of life in neighborhoods in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Association of Fundraising Professionals, New Jersey Chapter
The Association of Fundraising Professionals fosters the professional development of fundraising professionals and promotes ethical standards in the fundraising profession. The New Jersey Chapter is an individual member association that advances philanthropy through education, training, and advocacy across the state, basing its programs and services on research, experience and the highest code of ethical principles and standards of professional practice.
Association of Fundraising Professionals, Southern Jersey Chapter
The Association of Fundraising Professionals NJ, Southern Chapter serves Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean and Salem counties in the southern-most region of the state.
Grant Professionals Association
The Grant Professionals Association helps grant professionals seek to continually improve their professional knowledge and skills in grant research, proposal development, and post-award grant management. They provide a consultant directory to find assistance with preparing grant applications and proposals.
NJ Chapter of Grants Professional Association
The statewide chapter of the Grants Professional Association..
Resources
The Philanthropic Infrastructure landscape
The Council on Foundations put together this list of philanthropy-supporting organizations (PSOs) that engage philanthropy, share resources, increase trust in philanthropy, and improve our local communities.
Exploring the Social Sector Infrastructure
The Urban Institute created this microsite that details the infrastructure organizations that support the social sector.
Common Grant Application and Report Form
More than a decade ago, the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers and Philanthropy New York spearheaded a project to develop common application and report forms to help streamline the grant application process and ease the often time-consuming grant preparation process.
The Common Grant Application is a four-page form, which includes directions for use, a sample cover sheet, and the common grant proposal guidelines. The separate Common Report Form is accepted by many funders and helps to streamline the grant-app/report process. Please check with funders to see if they accept this documentation before sending.
If you know of other resources that you feel would be valuable to feature in this area, contact Theresa Jacks.
Sample bylaws for Community Foundations.