Michele Siekerka, President & CEO of the NJBIA Shares Insights For Nonprofits

Marriah Media interviews Michele Siekerka, Keynote Speaker for the upcoming nonprofit event, Lessons From The Leaders, an educational and networking event which is being held at The Palace at Somerset Park on October 8, 2015. Michele is the CEO and President of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, which provides information, services and advocacy to its member companies in order to build a more prosperous New Jersey. NJBIA is the nation’s largest statewide employer association. Its members, as a group, employ more than one million people.

Here’s the Q & A:

What services does the NJBIA offer nonprofit organizations?

MS: NJBIA offers non-profits the ability to connect with their colleagues and our membership of 20,000 businesses around the state. It also provides them with very important visibility before our members as well as a suite of business resources including advocacy, education and cost savings on products and services.

Why are nonprofits important to the State of New Jersey?
MS: The nonprofit sector fuels employment and economic activities statewide. There are approximately 29,000 501(c)(3) organizations in New Jersey. The community generates annual revenue of $49 billion and employs 304,600 workers or 9.7% of the state’s workforce. It also spends about $33 billion in New Jersey. The nonprofit sector includes human services (23.3%), public/societal benefit (20%), education (18.3%), religion (17.1%), arts, culture and humanities (8.7%), health (7.7%), environment/animals (2.8%) and other (2.1%). If the state’s nonprofits didn’t exist there is no way that government could provide the needed safety net services that this community provides for NJ residents.

Why is engagement and team work so important to nonprofit leadership?
MS: Many non-profits have limited resources so they need to maximize and leverage the resources they have in order to fulfill their mission. For a mission driven organization a strong internal culture is critical and teamwork is a positive attribute of a strong internal culture. This in turn attracts donors.

What do you consider to be the most important “tip” for a nonprofit starting out in NJ?
MS: It is important for non-profits to look for those who are already “doing it” and seek out opportunities to collaborate before “reinventing the wheel.” I would recommend non-profits seek out successful non-profits, emulate their best practices and model their success. Also, networking is very important for non-profits so one thing I would recommend is joining NJBIA where we provide our members with numerous networking opportunities.

Space is Limited! Click Here to Register for NJ’s Most Important Nonprofit Event of 2015:
NJ Nonprofit “Best Practices” Registration Link on Eventbrite