NCJW COLORADO IS INTEGRATING INTO THE LARGER NCJW ORGANIZATION – Letter from our president, Michelle Reiff

April 3, 2026

Dear NCJW friends/advocates/members,

NCJW Colorado was founded and has both survived and thrived due to members who have
paved the way for today and helped, in the words of the cast of A Chorus Line “point us towards
tomorrow.“ It now behooves us to reflect about NCJW Colorado’s tomorrow. In each era of our
history, change has been a constant partner, dictating responses to everchanging needs within
our country and the world. Now is no different. We are at a moment of change.

At a time when so much is at stake for our communities and our values, it has never been more
important for us to come together. Like all NCJW Sections, we have made a difference to lives in
Colorado. Looking ahead, though, it becomes clear that NCJW’s work throughout the country
work will not be ultimately successful if we operate as individuals, or even as individual NCJW
Sections. Rather, what we do can succeed and resonate across the country with noticeable
impact only if we truly become one unified movement building a better world for women,
children, and families.

A while back, I wrote to all of you about organizational change to NCJW nationally and what it
could mean for us here in Colorado. I am happy to say that with some of the earlier kinks
worked out, it will mean quite a lot for NCJW Colorado, changes that will help us maintain our
presence, our identity and our mission here in Colorado. That’s why I’m excited to share that
NCJW Colorado will have such an important role in moving the vision of our strategic plan,
NCJW Forward, to action as an integrator.

Like so many other sections throughout the country, we will be integrated into one nationwide
organization under the auspices of NCJW Inc. With prior board approval, we will be among the
first Sections to integrate. This is a powerful opportunity for us to strengthen our local work
while becoming more deeply connected to a national strategy for impact. Our grassroots
advocacy, programs, and leadership remain at the center of everything we do — but with
greater support, stronger coordination, talented staffing, and expanded reach.

We are integrating into the NCJW movement now because this is an opportunity to shape how
this model develops. Our voices, our ideas, and our leadership are directly influencing the future
of the movement we love.

We will no longer be a “section” with a separate tax identity and a separate board of directors.
Yet, we will remain uniquely and intrinsically Colorado. We will retain our legacy and history, our
standing within Colorado, our relationships within the community, with our partners, and with
our legislators. We will maintain our “personality” and our programming and our advocacy goals
as well as access to our funding and finances. Though, as has happened throughout our history,
there will be some changes – significantly in the logistics of running NCJW Colorado.

Rather than a board, we will be guided by a Local Leadership Council comprised of current
board members and others, either currently a part of NCJW Colorado or part of the Colorado
community. The Local Leadership Council will be a strategic link between NCJW Inc. and our
community, helping the national organization understand what we will need here in Colorado
and funneling back to us national goals and priorities that they would like us to pursue.

For the first time, we will have access to regional staff to help take over the financial,
marketing, communications, and record-keeping aspects of running NCJW Colorado, for which
many of us are particularly grateful. Our regional staff member also will help us in planning and
coordinating our programs with others in the larger network while assisting us in fundraising
and growth on both the national and local level – a particularly important aspect as we move
from a dues-collecting organization, as you know, to one more reliant on donations in line with
the national goals. With immediate support from regional and national staff, we will be able to
focus less on administrative responsibilities and more on the work that matters most:
advancing our mission, advocating for our communities, and creating meaningful local impact.

While much will remain the same from a mission-fulfilling standpoint, you may ask why the
change is necessary. By unifying, our voice is amplified as we focus on the same issues more at
the same time, and we have power in numbers. We will be able to reach and accommodate so
many more advocates (as we will now be called) in areas throughout the country where no
sections existed and attract more people even where there are local units. Our larger unified
organization will be able to attract foundation funds and big donors while at the same time
shoring up current sections that struggle to remain viable. We don’t know in Colorado what the
future will bring regarding continuance of our section in years to come without this change.
Integration with the whole, while holding on to what makes us who we are, is the best way to
ensure the continued and enduring presence of NCJW in Colorado.

We are at the very beginning of the integration process. In the coming months, you can expect a
thoughtful and gradual integration process. You will see expanded opportunities for programs,
advocacy, and engagement, along with new ways to connect your passion and expertise to this work.
Most importantly, our Section’s voice and leadership will remain essential to our shared success.

These are challenging times, but they are also times that call for bold action, strong community,
and collective leadership. By coming together in this way, we are positioning ourselves to make
real change – here in Colorado and around the entire nation.

It is also an exciting time. Collaboration and change have always been part of who we are – it’s
in our DNA – and we have always met the challenge of change with grace and success. This is no
different. It is the change needed for our time. It is the change needed for NCJW Colorado, and I
know we will embrace it. NCJW has always faced the challenges of the moment. We will go
forward and carry the day, today and tomorrow.

We will continue to share updates as this process moves forward. Thank you, as always, for
your commitment, your leadership, and your belief in the power of this movement. As always,
please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at the contact info below.

With appreciation and excitement,

Michelle Reiff
President – NCJW Colorado

303-332-7637

SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
We will no longer be a separate section; we will be a local unit (the terminology will be worked
out) within the larger national organization – NCJW Inc.

Instead of a governing board, we will have a Local Leadership Council that will work as a gobetween between NCJW Colorado and NCJW Inc. sharing both local and national priorities, etc.

Our programming and advocacy will align more closely with NCJW Inc. priorities, though this
really isn’t much of a change for us. Some programs may end. Others will continue. And, we will
engage in new ones. We still will be able to provide service to our community. We also will
continue to have a focus on locally-relevant issues and priorities while coordinating on a
national basis for more impact on nationwide concerns.

We will no longer collect dues. We will rely on program fees and donations, as well as input
from NCJW Inc. when needed to maintain our ability to provide programming. Accordingly,
going forward, all of us will be called advocates rather than dues-paying members. Our new
designation doesn’t dictate any different ways you participate in NCJW. Though certain projects,
such as letter-writing may be suggested, you are not required to do any more than you are
comfortable doing. The name change was designed by NCJW Inc. to more closely reflect how we
approach our mission.

Our finances, including investments, will become part of NCJW Inc.’s overall financial portfolio.
Yet, all of our funds so transferred will be accessible only to NCJW Colorado for our purposes.
We will get reporting from national on our finances. For investments, a percentage of any gains
or losses will be apportioned to us based on our initial transfer. Donor-restricted funds will still
be used for purposes for which they are dedicated.

National and NCJW Colorado will work together to determine how fundraising will work.

We will have access to dedicated regional staff to help with administrative responsibilities,
allowing us to focus more on our programming, advocacy and priorities.

Our voice will be amplified and our impact will be strengthened.

Our future looks bright.