Engage & Learn
Developed by and for philanthropy, CNJG events provide collaborative opportunities to enhance key skills and examine critical issues facing the state. Each year, CNJG provides philanthropy with practical, educational opportunities through dozens of funder briefings, affinity and interest groups, skill-building workshops and webinars, Conversations with the Cabinet, partner programs,and signature events throughout the year for members to:
- Share best practices in grantmaking, governance, administration, and other key areas
- Explore the potential for strategic alliances and leveraging resources
- Exchange successful strategies and details about past and upcoming projects
- Engage in critical dialogues with policy and thought leaders
Affinity Group Meetings
CNJG affinity and interest groups provide a valued forum through which New Jersey grantmakers can connect, exchange information, and learn from experts in a wide range of fields and sectors. Members with a focus on a particular geography or issue meet on a regular basis and are self-organized. More information on the various Affinity Groups may be found here.
Funders’ Briefings
“The programs and seminars that CNJG produces are always substantive. From a professional development point of view Council membership is extremely cost effective.“
–Maria Spina, Manager Corporate Social Responsibility & PSEG Foundation
Throughout the year, CNJG funder briefings provide a forum to exchange knowledge and insights relating to pressing societal issues that affect our day-to-day work. Many times, these topics are not addressed by one of our affinity groups or span multiple groups. These briefings may include panel discussions and webinars.
Grantmaker Skill Building
As philanthropy’s challenges and opportunities continue to grow in complexity and variety, it has never been more important for you to have the knowledge and tools you need to succeed. CNJG is an excellent source of timely skill-building programming for our members with a focus on due diligence, best practices, and the core techniques that assure proficiency in grantmaking and related work.
Whether you are a family, independent, or corporate foundation, CNJG offers professional development for all members. For example, our programs such as “Due Diligence for Small Foundations” helped participants understand the fiscal health of current and prospective grantees, and “How to Do a Site Visit” gave small foundations a working checklist of management and governance best practices to use when observing a non-profit in advance of funding.
In autumn of 2025, CNJG will present a new Philanthropy 101 series. This multi-module series is focused for those new to the sector, and can be a great review for those with more experience. More details to be announced soon.
Conversations With The Cabinet
Since 2006, CNJG has hosted a series of highly successful gatherings entitled Conversations with the Cabinet. These programs provide representatives of New jersey’s philanthropic community with the opportunity to learn first-hand the priorities, activities and goals of various departments of the current Governor’s administration. At each gathering, attendees discussed initiatives of mutual interest to government and the philanthropic community and opportunities for partnership to support the goals and missions of each.
Family Philanthropy Online
Each month, CNJG family foundation members have the opportunity to join webinars featuring presentations and Q&A sessions with nationally recognized experts in different areas of family philanthropy. Presented in partnership with the National Center for Family Philanthropy, these monthly webinars focus on a wide range of topics, including raising charitable children, effective family governance, and new trends in family philanthropy.
CEO to CEO Conversations
A monthly online gathering of CEOs from CNJG member organizations. Conversations focus around the CEO role and the particular challenges that CEOs face. These meetings are an opportunity to connect directly with fellow CEO peers for conversation, community, and lightly facilitated topical conversations. The time and space is available for CEOs to share experiences and challenges, ask questions, and offer ideas on how to support each other and your work, and build relationships with other CEOs in the CNJG community.
Signature Events
Each year, CNJG hosts a series of statewide signature events for New Jersey's social sector: the philanthropic and nonprofit communities, which bring funders and their nonprofit partners together for shared learning and valuable interaction.
CNJG's Spring Conference for the Social Sector
The Spring Conference brings together staff and trustees from both philanthropy and nonprofits for a full day of networking and focused sessions dealing with key issues that affect both the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. Past conference themes have looked at: “Doing Good Better” CNJG and the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits joint initiative to deepen philanthropic and nonprofit partnerships; the 2020 Census; Leadership; and looking 20 years into the future.
CNJG's Spring Colloquium
The Spring Colloquium: A Conversation for the Social Sector is a half-day event that features nationally-known speakers on big picture topics that directly affect the nonprofit and philanthropic communities. Past speakers have featured Governor Tom Kean, writer David Borenstein, Idealist.org found Ami Dar, Rachel Kimber, Michael McAfee, Tulaine Montgomery, and more. Topics discussed have included the promise and perils of AI; systems change; the public contract; and breaking through the new media paradigm.
Summer Joint Policy Forum
In partnership with the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits, CNJG co-hosted the inaugural Summer Joint Policy Forum in August 2024 that brought together philanthropy and nonprofits to discuss current and emerging nonprofit and philanthropic policy issues, the state budget, voter engagement, and more. We plan on co-presenting this forum annually.
Annual Meeting & Holiday Luncheon
Held each December, CNJG's Annual Meeting & Holiday Luncheon convenes our members from across across the state for a day of networking and reflection on challenges facing the field. The luncheon includes CNJG’s business meeting where we elect a new class of Trustees. Past Annual Meeting speakers have included Genius Grant winner Dr. Jeffrey Brenner, Bridgespan Founder Tom Tierney and former NJ Attorney General Ann Milgram, Center for Effective Philanthropy’s CEO Phil Buchanan; and PantaRhea Foundation’s Chief Strategy Office Amalia Brindis Delgado. Paired with a skill-building workshop preceding the Annual Meeting, the day is full of knowledge gathering and sharing, building community, and celebrating the end of the year.
Past events:
Investment Forum for Foundations and Endowments
Sustainable philanthropy thrives on careful stewardship of the corpus. With that in mind, CNJG created the Investment Forum for Foundations and Endowments, inaugurated in 2014 and held again in 2016 and 2018.
The Investment Forum offered a rare opportunity for leaders of private foundations and endowed charities in the Tri-State region to come face to face with leading professional advisors and investment experts to engage in discussion focused on successful endowment management.
Corporate Skill-Building Curriculum
Maximizing Corporate Community Investments (MCCI) is a comprehensive 6-part module curriculum on corporate giving designed for small to medium-sized corporate giving programs. The high-powered program - for both new and veteran corporate foundation and giving professionals - addressed the basic skills needed to build a strategic corporate giving program and the advanced skills to take an existing program to the next level.