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In 2019, the landscape of digital communication, international agreements and investor expectations makes stakeholder engagement more important than ever: Digital and social media amplify voices of the public, including civil society organizations; international agreements such as the UN Guiding Principles and Sustainable Development Goals have been established and globally accepted; and investors are significantly more focused on company approaches to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, which in turn necessitate consideration of all stakeholders, not just shareholders.

First published in 2011, this updated guide from BSR is a response to developments over the last seven years, all of which necessitate a far clearer focus on stakeholder trust by corporations. This report aims to provide a comprehensive toolkit that incorporates the latest thinking while maintaining the clarity and practicality of their five-step approach.

In the past few years, training programs promising on-ramps to high-paying tech jobs have sprung up across the country, drawing attention from the media, government leaders, and the general public. The rapid growth of these new models for tech training – often designed to fill the projected growth in information and communication technology (ICT) jobs – raises questions about how best to classify and understand these programs and their role and value in workforce development more generally.

This report examines the reasons for the tech training hype and proposes a taxonomy of training programs, cataloging best practices from each program type. The report also identifies challenges that organizations, employers, and the government will need to address to ensure these expanding programs accurately meet market demand and look to the future of tech training more generally.

It’s Jan. 1 and I am thinking about 2015, as many of us are. Thinking about plans, what must be accomplished, what new projects and ideas we’ll explore, and so on. But I realize the building blocks for our 2015 plans are embedded in 2014, and even 2013, and 2012 and before.

As Deputy Director at the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers, part of my role is building our public policy work on behalf of New Jersey’s philanthropic sector and our members.

I believe the best definition of public policy that engages all of us — citizens, the community, nonprofits, for-profits, and philanthropy is: Government programs and decisions that impact the economy, people and our society. Such a basic, thoughtful, and powerful definition that speaks to everyone at our core. I would even say the definition is elegant in its simplicity.

Key to our work is the profound realization of the power of partnerships — not that we didn’t already know that. We’ve been fortunate and proud over the last few years to have developed a strategic and planned relationship with the Center for Non-Profits.

In 2014, this partnership added another milestone. The Center for Non-Profits and Council of New Jersey Grantmakers on Nov. 9 co-presented a two-hour briefing for New Jersey Legislative staff on “Understanding New Jersey’s Non-Profit Community: Role, Impact, Myths & Facts.” The session was a great success. Legislative staff from some key sections and committees that need to understand the work of the nonprofit and the philanthropic sectors attended the briefing. Attendees were quite engaged and asked a number of insightful questions.

We’re confident everyone came away with a heightened understanding of the many nuances of the nonprofit, charitable and philanthropic communities. We also encouraged each attendee to reach out to our organizations when they have questions about the sectors, as well as for information and assistance. We’re scheduled to provide another briefing to the Office of Legislative Services in 2015.

Another initiative of critical importance to the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors that launched in 2014 is the Stand for Your Mission campaign. A joint partnership of the National Council of Nonprofits, the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, BoardSource, Alliance for Justice, the Campion Foundation, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the campaign “seeks to unleash the full potential of the nonprofit sector to create positive impact by engaging board leaders more directly in the advocacy work of their organizations.”

This means encouraging board members and social sector decision-makers to actively represent their organization’s mission and values. This is basic advocacy and honors the elegant definition of public policy noted above.

For these reasons (and frankly more) 2015 looms with abundant promise. Can’t wait to see what comes next. How will you and your organization engage in public policy to further the missions so dear to your work and to make a positive impact on our communities?

Theresa Jacks, Deputy Director, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers.

The United Way of Greater Newark has awarded more than $800,000 in grant funding to 15 community-based organizations in Newark to create and launch neighborhood-based mobile vaccination clinics as well as neighborhood-based outreach and public information campaigns.

This effort is part of the Newark Equitable Vaccine Initiative, which is led by the United Way of Greater Newark and is focused on building a fully community-powered model for increasing access and equity in vaccine distribution in Black and brown communities. It is part of a national pilot program created by the Rockefeller Foundation.

Despite the rapidly increasing number of vaccinations available to eligible residents in New Jersey and nationally, the vaccination rates in Black and brown communities remain disproportionately low. Newark has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state among communities with more than 10,000 residents.

The William Penn Foundation is pleased to announce it has recently awarded nine Watershed Protection grants totaling more than $3 million. Our Watershed Protection Program supports efforts to secure healthy rivers and streams in the Delaware River watershed.

The William Penn Foundation is pleased to announce it has recently awarded 24 Great Learning grants totaling more than $4.2 million. Our Great Learning Program grantmaking focuses on increasing the number of children from Philadelphia’s low-income communities who experience academic success.

The William Penn Foundation is pleased to announce it has recently awarded 15 Creative Communities grants, totaling over $6.6 million in support of programs and initiatives that ensure people across Greater Philadelphia benefit from inclusive, diverse, and high-quality arts, culture, and public space experiences.

The William Penn Foundation has recently awarded 15 Great Learning grants totaling more than $2.8 million. Their Great Learning program grantmaking focuses on increasing the number of children from Philadelphia’s low-income communities who experience academic success.They have also recently awarded 10 Watershed Protection grants totaling nearly $6 million supporting efforts to secure healthy rivers and streams in the Delaware River watershed, and awarded 26 Creative Communities grants, totaling over $9.7 million in support of programs and initiatives that ensure people across Greater Philadelphia benefit from inclusive, diverse, and high-quality arts, culture, and public space experiences.