CHOOSE NEW JERSEY INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

CHOOSE NEW JERSEY INC

EIN 27-2903875 · Economic Development (S30)

What they do

CHOOSE NEW JERSEY is A PRIVATELY FUNDED 501 C(3) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION WITH A MISSION to STIMULATE JOB CREATION and ATTRACT CAPITAL INVESTMENT to NEW JERSEY. CHOOSE NEW JERSEY MARKETS NEW JERSEY BOTH DOMESTICALLY and INTERNATIONALLY AS THE BEST PLACE to GROW A BUSINESS IN THE UNITED STATES. KNOWLEDGEABLE, EXPERIENCED STAFF, SUPPORTED BY A NETWORK of STATE AGENCIES and PRIVATE PARTNERS, PROVIDE FREE, CONFIDENTIAL ASSITSANCE to GUIDE COMPANIES IN ESTABLISHING OPERATIONS IN NEW JERSEY. BY HARNESSING THE POWER of BUSINESS,LABOR, ACADEMIC, and GOVERNMENT LEADERS, CHOOSE NEW JERSEY ENABLES GROWTH ACROSS ALL SECTORS of THE STATES ECONOMY, ASPIRING to BUILD A STRONGER and MORE PROSPEROUS NEW JERSEY for ALL.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $88.20 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders35 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

88.92%of revenue went to mission work88.2% of expenses · Program services

3.92%of revenue went to fundraising3.9% of expenses

$100.82spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

7.98%of revenue went to management and office costs7.9% of expenses

$0.39in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

99.1%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $172,371 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $564,180 for WESLEY MATHEWS (PRESIDENT AND CEO). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$20,897,089

Mission workProgram services$18,582,55588.92% of revenue88.2% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$1,666,9217.98% of revenue7.9% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$819,9843.92% of revenue3.9% of expenses

Total expenses$21,069,460100.82% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 88.2% mission · 7.9% management · 3.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 100.82% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 84.6% mission · 10.1% management · 5.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.94% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 72.5% mission · 14.5% management · 12.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.26% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 85.0% mission · 9.3% management · 5.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 89.99% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 84.7% mission · 10.1% management · 5.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 91.72% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 81.5% mission · 11.3% management · 7.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 107.80% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 75.9% mission · 16.3% management · 7.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 111.39% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 81.2% mission · 12.7% management · 6.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.50% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$20,897,089

Expenses$21,069,460

Annual shortfall $172,371 Expenses were higher than revenue for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$18,582,555 · 88.2% of expenses

Management and office costs$1,666,921 · 7.9% of expenses

Fundraising$819,984 · 3.9% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$20,897,089

Expenses$21,069,460

Assets$8,239,679

Income$20,897,089

Contributions$20,718,853

Mission work (program services)$18,582,555

Fundraising$819,984

Management and general$1,666,921

Accounting fees$73,716

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

WESLEY MATHEWSPRESIDENT AND CEO · 40 hrs/week $564,180Base $529,506 · Other $34,674

JENNIFER LENHARDTCHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $217,322Base $187,925 · Other $29,397

WILLIAM NOONANCHIEF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $207,142Base $183,326 · Other $23,816

CARLY WRONKODIRECTOR OF MARKETING · 40 hrs/week $172,775Base $155,685 · Other $17,090

RENA SHERMANDIRECTOR OF RESEARCH & STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS · 40 hrs/week $158,920Base $122,651 · Other $36,269

MARIEL KOKOTAJILODIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT · 40 hrs/week $144,403Base $140,285 · Other $4,118

OMAR TODDFINANCE MANAGER · 40 hrs/week $140,317Base $121,152 · Other $19,165

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (35)

WESLEY MATHEWSPRESIDENT AND CEO

JENNIFER LENHARDTCHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

WILLIAM NOONANCHIEF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

CARLY WRONKODIRECTOR OF MARKETING

RENA SHERMANDIRECTOR OF RESEARCH & STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

MARIEL KOKOTAJILODIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

OMAR TODDFINANCE MANAGER

MICHAEL NUCIFORODIRECTOR

BRAXTON PLUMMERDIRECTOR

BRIAN QUIGLEYDIRECTOR

ULI DIAZDIRECTOR

TOM POLENDIRECTOR

STEVE WESTHOVENSECRETARY / TEMP FINANCE AND AUDIT CHAIR

STEVE GARDNERDIRECTOR

ROBERT GARRETTVICE CHAIR

CHRIS BOERNERDIRECTOR

RALPH LAROSSACHAIRMAN

MONICA SLATER-STOKESNOMINATING COMMITTEE CHAIR

MITCH LIVINGSTONTREASURER

MIKE REAGANBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CHAIR

MICHAEL RENNADIRECTOR

ENRICO DELLA CORNADIRECTOR

MARK MCDONOUGHDIRECTOR

MARK MANIGANDIRECTOR

BILL SMITHMARKETING COMMITTEE CHAIR

JOSEPH GARBADIRECTOR

JOSEPH DECOTIISDIRECTOR

JOHN SARACENODIRECTOR

JOAQUIN DUATODIRECTOR

JENNIFER SWEENEYDIRECTOR

ELISE ARONSONDIRECTOR

JAMES FAKULTFINANCE AND AUDIT CHAIR

JAKE REYNOLDSDIRECTOR

GEORGE HELMYDIRECTOR

ETHAN HASBROUCKDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2011
Location: ONE GATEWAY CENTER SUITE 1420, NEWARK, NJ 07102
County: Essex
In care of: JENNIFER LENHARDT
Primary officer: JENNIFER LENHARDT, CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailinfo@choosenj.com Phone(609) 297-2200

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: COHNREZNICK ADVISORY LLC
NTEE classification: Economic Development (S30)
IRS tax category: Economic Development