Bloustein Senior Policy Fellow appointed president of The Fund for New Jersey

Brandon McKoy, senior policy fellow at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, was recently selected to serve as president of The Fund for New Jersey. The Fund is a nonprofit organization that partners with other nonprofits to improve racial, social and economic justice, according to a press release.

"I hope to be very successful with working with leaders, foundations and others nationally to bring more attention and resources to the needs that exist in New Jersey," said McKoy.

McKoy said he received his bachelor's degree from The College of New Jersey and his master's degree in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers, where he taught a course about the racial wealth gap and the different disparities throughout American history. He said that each week, his class would discuss different policy issues and how a lack of opportunity for minority groups impacted their economic positions in society.

He said the Fund focuses on organizations that specifically work to support people of color, low-income civilians and other marginalized groups. He also said that the Fund must prioritize its relationships with other nonprofits and learn from them and their successes.

McKoy said he has worked for the Fund for approximately two years as a program associate and the organization's inaugural philanthropy fellow under his predecessor, Kiki Jamieson. He said his relationships across the policy landscape, his expertise in policy advocacy and his background as a New Jerseyan allow him to provide different perspectives to this role.

Now, as president of the Fund, McKoy said he hopes to conduct philanthropy differently by improving communication with the public and connecting different communities across New Jersey with the resources they need through technology.

He said while it is important to understand local politics, some New Jerseyans do not know their own state politics due to the news focusing on neighboring states like Pennsylvania and New York.

"Whether it's being better about the use of social media or whether it is thinking about how we are incorporating new tech into our space in a way that is thoughtful and not harmful, I like to think I can bring some of that (into this presidency)," he said.

McKoy said he hopes to get more attention from national organizations by exposing different issues still happening within New Jersey's borders, regardless of its identification as a progressive state.

McKoy said that one of his long-term goals is strengthening leadership across the state and assisting leaders in growing and achieving their advocacy goals within their communities. He said he wants these leaders to receive the training they need for their roles that require different skill sets in order to solidify future leadership in the state.  

"Organizations can have tremendous goals, but if they are not financially sound or have good leadership, or don't do good professional development for their staff or are not strong and healthy culturally, it makes it harder (for them) to do good work," he said. 

McKoy said students interested in working for nonprofit organizations should know that advocacy is a commitment that requires great enthusiasm. 

He said it is important to understand how these organizations function internally and externally. Learning about an organization's history, future goals and how it is funded and its staff are compensated is a step in the right direction.

"Understanding the history, communicating and showing you understand and appreciate that history goes a long way to people, and (they will) more quickly value and appreciate your presence," he said.