Summer Reads
It’s not too late to add another book, blog, or e-pub to your summer reading list!
For the last several years, we’ve asked our board and the CNJG team to share what they’re reading. This year’s list is a reminder that the ideas shaping our work don’t only come from reports and policy briefs, they come from history, nature, fiction, social science, self-reflection, and the discipline of daily habits too. Here’s what we’re reading this summer:
I’ve been reading How to Live a Meaningful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. More of a workbook, the authors use a design thinking model to help the reader reframe meaning and purpose. Among the ideas that resonated with me was being cognizant of opportunities for awe and wonder, and if you “design for meaning, you will find it everywhere.”
Board Chair Justin Kiczek recommends Civic Gifts: Voluntarism and the Making of the American Nation-State by Elisabeth Clemens, sharing that the author:
Demonstrates how early civil society, benevolence, and philanthropy created a social glue between people that sometimes complemented, sometimes challenged state and federal governments, helping to shape a national identity while empowering local communities to address needs.
Board Secretary Kortney Swanson Davis read The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. A Good Reads Choice Award, the book challenges the reader to stop spending time on what they can’t control and instead focus on what they can control.
Board Treasurer Priti Mehta is inspired by nature, including arboretums and their history, remarking that they are “life-changing places.” Among her reads, The Clearing on the Hill: The Story of Reeves-Reed Arboretum by Betty McAndrews, provides a good look at how a private estate becomes a public garden. She also has high praise for Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass citing reflections “on gratitude, reciprocity, and what happens when we treat nature and the world around us as a gift.”
Board Member Marcy Felsenfeld listens to podcasts that help her reflect on changes in healthcare and healthcare decision-making. Among them, “An Arm and A Leg is an engaging podcast that digs into insurance and all the gnarly aspects of paying for care, with some episodes highlighting the absurd bills individuals receive from hospitals and providers.” She also listens to, (and I second the recommendation) “Code Switch,” an NPR podcast that explores race in society.
The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves is especially relevant to board member Erik Estrada. He shares that author Shawn Ginwright did some work with a New Jersey funder to incorporate some of his ideas about healing centered engagement.
Board Member Jessica Nugent recommends Think Again by Adam Grant. She observes while “not a book about philanthropy, it's about letting go of old habits and staying curious instead of certain, and for us, that means looking closely at both who we fund and how we fund: the requirements we ask of grantees.” She goes on:
I especially loved Grant's distinction between "best practices" and "better practices" – a good reminder that even our most trusted routines deserve a second look. The book ends with a simple truth: rethinking takes humility, doubt, and curiosity – not just tools for better work, but for a fuller life.
Kevin Callaghan, Newark Philanthropic Liaison is reading Atomic Habits by James Clear, alongside The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Kevin explains:
The first book presents a framework for how to leverage the effect of atomic habits over time to achieve lasting results, while the second book is a beautiful novel inspiring us to seize the day, engage in honest self-examination, and live for ourselves so we can bring our full selves to our relationships with others.
Manager of Policy and Partnerships, Katie Hurtado encourages us to keep up on public policy issues impacting the sector and make it a regular habit to read the Council of Foundations’ Washington Snapshot and National Council on Nonprofits’ Nonprofit Champions.
To build your future reading list, our Salary and Benefit Survey deadline has been extended to August 14. If your organization has not yet participated, I want to be direct about why this survey matters: this is the only data set of its kind specific to NJ funders. The findings can support informed budgeting, equitable benefits and compensation practices, and staff recruitment and retention. Collectively your responses will strengthen decision-making for our membership. On behalf of our community, I’m personally asking you to please complete the survey.
What’s on your reading list? Let me know when I see you tomorrow, Thursday, August 6th at the CNJG and NJ Center for Nonprofits’ 2026 Summer Joint Policy Forum. Lt. Governor Dr. Dale G. Caldwell is our keynote speaker, plus we have an impressive lineup of panelists. Thank you to our sponsors for underwriting this gathering – The Provident Bank Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and The Fund for New Jersey. You’ll walk away from the event with a whole new list of must reads!
Wishing you time for a good read,
Theresa Jacks, President and CEO
Council of New Jersey Grantmakers