In 2024, Sustainable Economies and TWENTYTWENTY public affairs were retained by Jersey Water Works (JWW) to do an evaluation. JWW is well-regarded by members and partners and has been highly successful in their first 10 years of existence. Their successes to-date include numerous changes to water policies, rules, and laws to protect public health and safety. Still, it’s expected that after a decade of work, needs and circumstances evolve. As such, this evaluation was needed to:

1. Understand key collaborative strengths and potential weaknesses.
2. Discover improvements or adjustments needed to the collaborative design.
3. Refine JWW’s value proposition & identify potential areas of new funding.

New Jersey Future is the “backbone” organization supporting JWW. JWW is a collaborative effort of many diverse organizations and individuals who embrace the common purpose of transforming New Jersey’s inadequate water infrastructure by investing in sustainable, cost-effective solutions that provide communities with:

• clean water and waterways;
• healthier, safer neighborhoods;
• local jobs;
• flood and climate resilience; and
• economic growth

Through a collaborative approach, JWW engages the unique perspective and expertise of its member organizations to solve complex problems. The collaborative comprises 145 committee members, 600 supporting members, and over 3,000 network members. JWW seeks equitable, just outcomes as it works collectively to transform water systems for everyone. For more information, visit www.jerseywaterworks.org.

The evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and designing of recommendations took place over 5 months. What the process looked like:

• We collected input at the kickoff meeting with New Jersey Future, JWW backbone staff and key partners
• Significant input was collected from participants at the roundtables during the all-member meeting in July
• The feedback from the kickoff meeting and all-member meeting was analyzed and leveraged to inform the interviews and focus groups
• From August – October 2024, 9 interviews and 2 focus groups were completed, which represented a diversity of members and backbone staff for a total of 112 participants

The consultants encouraged JWW to not reinvent the wheel but instead, to build on their existing strengths & successes. A major shift in goals or approach is not needed. Key strengths to build upon include:

• Serve as a collective voice around holistic solutions and systems change.
• Serve as an organized network that can address emerging issues in water, like workforce challenges or connecting water to public health.

In addition to those recommendations, the consulting team provided a detailed report with findings from the evaluation and tangible actions to advance the goals & impact of the coalition.