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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

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Multi-year Grants

Affirmation: Multi-year funds provided both reliability and breathing room for nonprofits.

Making fundamental and long-lasting change comes with the promise of reliable investments. Longer grant terms create an environment where collaborative partnerships can flourish, and trust and transparency break down power dynamics. The result is that nonprofits have the “breathing room” and financial stability to focus activities where they are most needed.

Although many funders award grants to the same nonprofits year after year, they often require submission of annual applications that request information they already have and are complex and needlessly lengthy. These processes can heighten mutual distrust. From a practical standpoint, multi-year awards reduce paperwork for both funder and nonprofit and open communication channels promoting shared goals, mutual trust, and increased overall impact.

Activities
• For funders that historically award repeat annual grants to the same nonprofit partners, shift from an annual grant/proposal cycle to a long-term, multi-year commitment with an annual outcomes/progress report in lieu of a full application.
• Tailor grant terms to suit grantee timelines and needs (negotiated outcomes and milestones).
• If data collection is required solely to meet a funder’s compliance requirements, the funder should assume this responsibility or provide sufficient funding and/or capacity for the nonprofit to meet the requirement.

Short-term Outcomes
• The number of funders making multi-year grants increases by 50% over the previous years.

Long-term Outcomes
• More funders convert an annual application process for repeat grantee partners to a multi-year commitment with an annual outcomes report at the most, instead of full proposals each year.
• Funders assume responsibility for data collection or provide sufficient funding and/or capacity for the nonprofit to meet the requirement.
• Grant terms are suited to grantee timelines and needs (negotiated outcomes and milestones).

How to Begin Doing Good Better on Reliability

Learning opportunities
• What barriers keep funders from making long-term commitments to repeat grantee partners? Are any of these barriers legal?
• What are the minimum data requirements for funders to collect from repeat grantee partners?

Pre-Work
• Address the barriers to awarding multi-year grants through tested tools.
• Learn about how multi-year grants strengthen grantee partners and improve philanthropic, nonprofit, and community impact.
• Research mechanisms funders can use to meet legal compliance requirements while gaining trust in their grantee partners.

Shifting Narratives to Change Systems

Wednesday, December 14, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Luncheon & Keynote Presentation
Location: The Sheraton, Edison, 125 Raritan Center Parkway, Edison, NJ 08837

Friday, December 16, 11:00 – 12:15 pm
Virtual Workshop via Zoom

The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers thanks everyone who attended our 2022 Annual Meeting & Holiday Luncheon and the Virtual Workshop! We were delighted to see so many familiar faces, and meet many new staff and trustees of our members.

At the business meeting, members elected the new class of trustees, and heard reports about the state of the organization. After lunch and time to reconnect with each other, we heard from our keynote, Bridgit Antoinette Evans, who explained the narrative ocean in which philanthropy swims, and gave examples of how Pop Culture Collaborative is funding organizations to reframe their narratives in which they operate.

During the virtual workshop, members learned about the changemaker experience, how it affects the relationships between funders and their nonprofit partners and even grantseekers. Attendees were led through an exercise to create a journey map, and think through strategies how to examine the experiences that nonprofits have with their organizations.

CNJG members can view recordings and additional resources from the event on the resources tab, when logged in.

"Co-Creation" is a case study about the Connecticut Early Childhood Funder Collaborative, a project of the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy. The case study, written by Patricia Bowie, examines co-creation, an emerging systems change collaboration model which grew out of a funder-and-state partnership. This unique partnership led to the creation by executive order of a new and independent Office of Early Childhood, which was formally approved by the Connecticut State Legislature in 2013. The companion piece, "Taking on New Roles to Address 21st Century Problems," looks at co-creation from the perspective of a regional association of grantmakers.

The Connecticut Early Childhood Funder Collaborative comprises 14 funders from around the state who bring many years of experience in supporting and operating programs that serve the needs of children and families.

New Jersey Organizations and Resources

• American Red Cross – Chapters covering the State of New Jersey
• State of New Jersey Catholic Charities - Diocese of Camden - Diocese of Trenton
• Community Emergency Response Teams provides opportunity for citizen volunteers to be involved in emergency management activities.
• Community Food Bank of New Jersey
• Goodwill NY NJ
• Jersey Cares recruits and engages volunteers in efforts that address community-identified needs.
• NJ 2-1-1 helps people find solutions to personal needs by informing them of resources in their community.
• NJ Department of Human Services: Disasters & Emergencies - Help & Information
• Pass It Along, an affiliate of the Hands on Network, recruits and engages volunteers.
• The Salvation Army - New Jersey Division
• Volunteer Center of Bergen County, Inc.
• Volunteer Lawyer’s for Justice - Provides legal support to New Jersey residents.
• United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey

Nationwide Organizations and Resources

• American Institute for Conservation—Collections Emergency Response Team (AIC-CERT)
  Offers free emergency response assistance to cultural organizations with collections. AIC-CERT is supported and managed by the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation (FAIC) and consists of a force of 107 “rapid responders” trained to assess damage and initiate salvage of cultural collections after a disaster has occurred.
• American Red Cross - Disaster Recovery Guides
• BBB Wise Giving Alliance
  The BBB Wise Giving Alliance helps donors make informed giving decisions and advances high standards of conduct among organizations that solicit contributions from the public.
• Center for Disaster Philanthropy
  The when, where, and how of informed disaster giving
• Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI)
  Provides individuals, groups, embassies and corporations with information and guidance in support of appropriate international disaster relief efforts.
• CERF+ Artists’ Relief Exchange along with its partners in the National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response are committed to providing and connected people to emergency relief.
• FEMA
  Information from the Federal Emergency Management Agency
• FEMA Geo Portal
  This portal provides geospatial data and analytics in support of emergency management
• FEMA - National Disaster Recovery Framework
  This guide provides a flexible structure that enables disaster recovery managers to operate in a unified and collaborative manner to provide effective recovery support to disaster-impacted jurisdictions.
• Guide to Navigating FEMA and SBA Disaster Aid for Cultural Institutions
• The Tsunami Learning Project: Lessons for Grantmakers in Natural Disaster Response
  This guide, published by Grantmakers Without Borders, offers new tools for grantmakers when responding to natural disasters.
• IRS Disaster Relief Resources for Charities and Contributors
  In the aftermath of a disaster or in other emergency hardship situations, individuals, employers and corporations often are interested in providing assistance to victims through a charitable organization. The IRS provides a number of resources to help those involved in providing disaster relief through charities.
• Disaster Relief, Providing Assistance Through Charitable Organizations
  IRS Publication 3833 describes how members of the public can use charitable organizations to provide assistance to victims of disasters or other emergency hardship situations.
• Emergency Drying Procedures for Water Damaged Collections
  A guide from the Library of Congress
• Preparation & Response for Cultural Institutions
  A guide from the National Trust for Historical Preservation.
• Small Business Administration
  Learn about and apply for SBA Disaster Loans for business of all sizes – private and nonprofit