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New Jersey’s largest philanthropic association has named longtime social sector leader Maria Vizcarrondo as its president.
“Maria has been a trailblazer throughout her career,” said Council of New Jersey Grantmakers Board Chair William V. Engel. “We turn to her to help the state’s diverse and dedicated philanthropies to be even more effective in their quest to make this a better place.”
The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers is a nonprofit organization of over 130 members representing the philanthropic community in the state. Members include family, private, community, independent and corporate foundations, and corporate giving programs.
The Council exists to strengthen and promote effective philanthropy throughout New Jersey. CNJG’s programs and resources increase the impact of organized philanthropy’s support for adequate health care, quality education, a cleaner environment, community development, historical preservation, disaster response and relief, research, recreation, culture, and other areas crucial to the fabric of New Jersey's communities.
“I am very excited about joining the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers as its CEO and working with dynamic individuals — many of whom I have known and respected throughout my nonprofit career,” Ms. Vizcarrondo said. “Most importantly, I look forward to forging partnerships that will advance the Council’s social impact as a sector leader in New Jersey communities, the region, and nation.”
Ms. Vizcarrondo, who spent most of her career in northern New Jersey, comes to the Council from Cabrini University in Philadelphia, where she most recently was Director of Community Development and External Relations. She was inaugural Executive Director of the school’s Nerney Leadership Institute, launched in 2013.
Ms. Vizcarrondo brings more than 25 years of experience transforming service organizations and has served her communities as both an appointed and elected official.
In 2006, when he was first elected Mayor of Newark Cory Booker tapped Ms. Vizcarrondo to head Newark’s Health and Human Service Department, the largest of its kind in New Jersey. One of her first actions in that role was to develop a Children’s Bill of Rights to benchmark improvements in the lives of children and families throughout the city. Her accomplishments included securing state funding to establish Family Success Centers to provide neighborhood- based services, and launching a major citywide campaign to raise the immunization rates of Newark’s children.
Prior to her mayoral appointment, Ms. Vizcarrondo served as the first woman president and CEO of United Way of Essex and West Hudson. Her pioneer work in re-engineering the organization’s mission into community building was documented in the United Way Transformation Diaries. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Ms. Vizcarrondo led the New Jersey United Ways in a statewide coordination of services for affected families and managed the distribution of corporate funding for these efforts.
She was elected Essex County Surrogate in 1993 and served four years of a five-year term before leaving to join United Way.
Ms. Vizcarrondo has been listed among the “100 Most Influential People in New Jersey” and was a founding member of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice.
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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.
Philanthropic Collaboratives:
Driving Impact and Opportunity
Thursday, December 14, 2023 - 9:00am to 3:00pm
Luncheon, Keynote Presentation & Workshop
Location: Crowne Plaza Edison, 2055 Lincoln Highway, Edison, NJ 08817
The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers thanks everyone who attended our 2023 Annual Meeting & Holiday Luncheon and the Pre-Meeting Workshop that explored Philanthropic Collaboratives: Driving Impact and Opportunity. We were thrilled to reconnect with friends and colleagues and meet new members.
At the Business meeting, the membership elected the new class of Trustees. We also honored our outgoing Board Chair, Jeff Vega, for all the incredible work he accomplished during his term. After lunch and networking time, we listened attentively to Nidhi Sahni, Partner and Head of US Advisory Group, New York, Bridgespan, and Lucy Vandenberg, Executive Director of the Schumann Fund for New Jersey in conversation about the nuances and benefits of collaboration.
At the pre-meeting workshop, Tools for Funder Collaboration, presented by John Harper, Chirlie Felix, and Waheera Mardah of FSG, members were presented multiple models of collaboration and examples of collective impact followed by an opportunity to engage in dynamic discussion to further explore the concepts.
CNJG members can view the FSG PowerPoint and additional resources from the event on the resources tab, when logged in.
A Framework for Change
The Doing Good Better Steering Committee encourages funders to focus on and advocate for four (4) changes that can make an immediate difference in addressing power dynamics between nonprofits and funders and maximizing nonprofit impact. These goals are aligned with Trust Based Philanthropy, and are interdependent; when combined, they foster equity and a spirit of mutual trust between grantmakers and nonprofit partners. For more details about a specific goal, click on its individual goal link below.
• Goal 1: Center Equity
• Goal 2: Provide Flexible Funding
• Goal 3: Provide Reliable Funding
• Goal 4: Reduce Paperwork Burden
Self-Assessment/Reflection Tool for Funders
Deepening Philanthropic and Nonprofit Partnerships in New Jersey
Doing Good Better, a partnership of the Council for New Jersey Grantmakers and the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits, is a community of funders and nonprofits taking action against the power imbalances and racial inequities in philanthropy, nonprofits and government. Accessible, equitable, and mutually accountable relationships are primary and indisputable building blocks for a stronger society and thriving communities. Our goal is to shift the culture of the New Jersey philanthropic and nonprofit ecosystem by encouraging funders, nonprofits, and government to create shared power rooted in collaboration, mutual trust, and respect.
Doing Good Better Goals: A Framework for Change
The Doing Good Better Steering Committee encourages funders to focus on and advocate for four changes that can make an immediate difference in addressing power dynamics between nonprofits and funders and maximizing nonprofit impact.
Why now?
For many years, but particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and the heightened outcry for racial equity and social justice, funders have been urged to embrace more flexibility and transparency in their grantmaking. Practices such as general operating support, simplified application and reporting procedures, multi-year funding and others have been shown to level the power imbalance, advance greater equity, strengthen partnerships between funders and their nonprofit partners, and thereby improve community impact.
Many grantmakers temporarily embraced flexible practices in the wake of Superstorm Sandy and during the height of the pandemic, and these structural changes empowered nonprofits to become more resilient and have a greater impact in their communities. But while some funders have retained the flexible practices, others have reinstated previous restrictions.
In New Jersey and across the country, there is a renewed urgency to NOT return to business as usual. It’s long past time.
Doing Good Better invites all of us to reflect on how power is distributed in our partnerships, learn from our peers, and make adjustments that position all community partners for transformative, equitable change in New Jersey.
How?
Guided and informed by 50+ advisors from New Jersey who represent a broad range of perspectives from nonprofits, philanthropy, and beyond, we are approaching this work through the lens of systems change – the recognition that transformative change can only occur after power structures have been addressed collectively. Specifically, Doing Good Better encourages funders to consider the power dynamics that underpin their policies, practices, and resource flows. To do this, we provide resources and a space for dialogue centered on changes in key practices and culture shifts.
Quick practice changes you can make now.
The road to systems change begins with changing practices that impede nonprofits’ pursuit of their missions, and implement practices that demonstrate respect for and trust in the expertise and experience of nonprofits and the communities they serve. Several key practices have consistently been shown to be particularly effective. Many of these have been requested by nonprofits for quite some time, and are reflected in the principles of Trust-Based Philanthropy and Community-Centric Fundraising, among others. Here are a few practice changes you can make now:
Type of Funding
● Give multiyear and unrestricted funding, especially for grantee partners with which you’ve had long term relationships.
Access to Funding
● Create alternative processes for organizations too small to submit audits to reduce barriers to obtaining grants.
● Set aside funding pools for BIPOC-led organizations that may not have access to traditional funding sources.
Simplifying the Process
● Simplify and streamline application and reporting processes.
● Eliminate annual requests for organizational information that does not change from year to year.
Learning
● Engage with the community through participatory grantmaking that aligns with the community’s goals.
● Open dialogues with nonprofits by soliciting and acting on feedback
How do we know?
We’ve asked the experts: nonprofits, foundations, and community members who are working directly in our community as well as peers from across the country who are eliminating power imbalances in their own communities.
● Feedback from over 50+ Advisors
● The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers survey
● The Center for New Jersey Nonprofit’s survey
● The Trust Based Philanthropy Project
● The Community-Centric Fundraising movement
● Thought leaders and advocates throughout the nonprofit community
● Case studies from across the US