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Mar 11, 2024
Posted Under: President's letter

When does the fun part start? More than any other question I received over a few days with a recent cohort of executive directors, this was the question that grabbed everyone’s attention. Everyone wanted to know. Everyone needed to know. I could see it in all the faces on my screen – I could feel it in the urgency of their voices. I knew that question all too well as I have asked it so many times in my career. And because I had found my answers enough times, I was in a position at that moment (and all the other times I have heard this question) to hold some space for the answers to unfold. I say unfold because it is a journey for each person to find both the grace and energy that comes with an answer – I knew that myself, and I knew that not everyone is so lucky.

But at this moment, as I stared back at these phenomenal new leaders with all my hopes for them, I also knew that any truth I had to offer would likely feel unsatisfying at least initially because they wanted an answer – perhaps even a literal moment on the calendar like somehow at 1 year, 3 months, and 4 hours this work was finally going to match all the excitement they felt when they accepted their position. And, not only was there not one answer or a specific date and time, I knew then and now, even as a wave of sadness took hold, that if they were left alone to figure it out without support or were unable to locate the answer, then they would not last in their roles. So I leaned in, too.

Let’s face it, the last four years have forever changed not just how the work gets done but our expectations of work itself. Countless published articles are trying to tell the story of where we are now – a story of staff shortages, broken business models due to government cuts or lack of payment, declining philanthropy and a general lack of unrestricted cash, high board turnover, loss of volunteers, and high demands by staff for competitive compensation and ultimate working flexibility. Not that the staff piece is bad, to be clear, but the stress and strain for leaders who are pushed and pulled and expected to make impossible decisions is real every single day now. The need to find our joy and stay in the work on any given Tuesday is not just real – it is essential to our missions.

I wonder, as I think about each of you reading this, how you are doing. Truly. How are you finding the fun and hanging onto the joy? I sure don’t have all the answers but just as I did at that moment with the group of executives, I am doing now because we could all use some support to find the fun and joy in this work – regardless of title or tenure in our organizations. So engage some board member allies, ask a friend, drink a few cups of coffee with another executive, hire a coach or a mentor, and consider a few of these ideas together. Do whatever it takes that works best for each of you to tap into the fun and joy that got you into this work in the first place.

The following ideas are not perfect and there is no one way, but maybe these ideas will spur other ideas to help you find your answers so you can stay longer and enjoy the work more.

  1. Ask, answer, and act on the question: How often do I have to touch the mission to feel meaning and joy in my work? What I love about this question is the remarkably different answers it evokes. First, each person has their own idea of what it means to “touch” the mission including delivering the service to watching it in action. For someone who rose up inside an organization and has seen the mission from a variety of perspectives, the answer is generally quite different than for someone who joined the mission in a singular position. Then the issue of timing comes in, and I have heard answers that range from “every day” to “once a week” to longer stints but also answers that are more about depth of connection than about time. The point here is that the gift of nonprofit life is that it is never “just a job” – it is a calling, an act of service, a commitment to something larger than any one of us, and because of that the mission acts as a touchstone with power beyond measure. Being with it or near it or doing it reminds each of us in our own way of our why. Why we do the hard things, why we keep going when the spark and joy are beyond our grasp. For many, committing or recommitting to touching the mission more often can be the spark we need.
  2. Ask, answer, and act on the question: What is the work? I remember far too many times in my early days as CEO going to work all day and then going home “to do the work.” For obvious reasons, this 10-14 hour day was destined to suck all the joy out of the work, but thankfully I had someone who helped me reframe what was happening and it changed how I thought of my time and therefore my resentment of it (even if it didn’t always change the hours). I began to ask myself every day – what is the work today? This simple question was both permission to not just show up to the urgency of the day but a reminder of the strategic and essential priorities. It reminded me that a day spent listening to the staff about their work is just as important if not more important than anything else I had thought of as “the work” on my to-do list. The act of asking the question means an opportunity for choice, an opportunity to reframe, an opportunity to own the answer rather than just react to the day, an opportunity to give myself grace for what is on the list and what comes off the list in a day, a week, a month, a year. How are you defining the work?
  3. Focus on what matters the most. This is a variation of 1 and 2 but with an understanding that culture eats strategy for lunch and if we don’t make space for the big ideas, the strategic initiatives, the areas that truly move mission forward, and we only let the day-to-day drive us, many of us will not be having any fun at all. So, this is a directive to hold the strategic space as sacred. This is an invitation to ask and engage in the big questions without the need necessarily to have the answer. This is the space of generative thinking, of big ideas that matter now or will matter later. For some of us, we can do the daily stuff if we know it adds up to the big stuff. For others of us, the big stuff is where joy lives every day. Make room. Hold the time. Make the space. Dream. Explore. Maybe a lot, maybe just when you can’t remember the last time you did it.
  4. Prioritize the connective tissue. I have had some very odd jobs in my life as have many of us, and I have had some jobs I would call my career. In each of them, I have thought I could do just about anything if I respect and trust the people I am doing it with – extra points if we could laugh together. Pandemic space did its best to suck all the fun out of our connection in the work. We lost fun traditions, we lost watercooler connections, and even the way we meet as teams or one-on-one is just – different. If you are still in the same job, you likely notice this difference more than your colleagues who joined you in the last few years. Their normal and yours are not the same. The only way forward now is through it, so for some of us the joy can be found in making new traditions in this new environment by focusing on the connections that hold us together. I think of this as the cartilage of the team. This is the space now where we can lean into our values to create meaningful spaces for fun. It is worth the time because team culture matters – shared stories, traditions, and experiences matter. We often say at Foraker that we move at the speed of trust, and trust is built by showing up to each other as our whole selves. For some of us, this is where joy lives or where it is missing – it is in the connective tissue. And just like in our bodies, we have to take care and pay attention, or it could just grind away. Sure, you likely have to adapt how you used to do it or how you get to do it now in an in-person, remote, and hybrid team, but all the time you take carries you that much further through the hardest parts.
  5. Rest – restore – renew. This is last on my list not because it is least important but because it often feels like a last resort option. My hope for all of us is that we can reverse that trend and make it instead a norm in our nonprofit culture. Rest – restore – review can look like something formal such as a sabbatical or it can just be an hour on a random Thursday when the sun is out and you simply prioritize yourself for the sake of you. Truth be told, this is something I am not always great at, but I am getting better over time by admiring it in others and taking small steps here and there. Still, others I know, wow they are good at this in big and small ways. And when I say that, I am not really thinking about their ability to take a vacation or to step away, but more about the mindset that accompanies those actions that have nothing to do with guilt, worry, or second-guessing. The time is not just for their body, it is for their brain. It is not just about stepping away from the work but it is about renewing the spirit. Again, I have seen people do this in an hour of thoughtfulness and in extended planned time away. The result is the same – a joy and appreciation of the work in front of them when they return. Maybe this is what you are looking for, too?

As I think about how all five of these ways can lead us to more fun and more joy, I see a common denominator – choice. Choosing to ask a question in a new way, choosing to dive in, choosing to refocus, choosing to rest. In all of the ways, the feeling and exercising of choice make all the difference. One of my favorite lessons in our Catalyst for Nonprofit Excellence program is all about choice. The choice of getting to do the work rather than having to do the work. You are doing the work regardless, but even shifting one word in how we show up to that task or that day can shift the whole experience. Truly. Try it. This “have to/get to” reframe can be used in countless moments and each time it reminds us of the freedom to choose how we will show up to the hardest and most joyless days and turn them into the same days that make us feel like we can fly.

Let’s find some more fun together and fly.

-Laurie

Mar 8, 2024
Posted Under: Management       Tags: salary and benefits

Help us create a tool for Alaska nonprofits to use in making important personnel decisions. Your participation in our salary and benefits survey allows us to generate a report to help you establish a salary for a new position, evaluate salary norms within the Alaska nonprofit sector, and compare your organization’s benefit offerings and total compensation competitiveness.

Why should I participate?
The report is only as good as the level of participation—the more participation, the more statistically significant and reliable data will be available to help Alaska’s nonprofit community advance conversations about competitive compensation practices. And, if your organization participates, you’ll receive a $100 discount off the price of the full report. The survey is open for participation through April 5, 2024.

What do I need to complete the survey?
The survey will take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete. You’ll need a list of your employees’ positions and wages, your employee handbook, and details about your benefits.

To assure your confidentiality, we will not disclose individual or organization-specific data, and we will not report data for categories that include fewer than three respondents.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Mar 5, 2024
Posted Under: Advocacy

Update March 6, 2024
This morning the subcommittee voted to preserve full funding for the Human Services Community Matching Grants and the Community Initiative Matching Grant. We did it! Nonprofit power at work! Thank you to everyone who reached out to the subcommittee. We will continue to monitor these appropriations as the budget makes its way through the legislative process. Please stay alert for announcements about opportunities to provide public testimony to the full Finance Committee. 

March 5, 2024

The House Finance Subcommittee on Health and Social Services is proposing significant cuts to the Department of Health – Human Services Community Matching Grant ($300,000 or a 23% reduction) and the Community Initiative Matching Grant ($400,000 or a 70% reduction).  These matching grants provide essential services to Alaska’s most vulnerable populations.

We need your action today.  Please engage your board, volunteers, and staff to make your voice heard.  Your action is needed TODAY.  Contact the House Finance Subcommittee on Health and Social Services and tell them that breaking Alaska’s safety net is not an option.  Let them know the harm to Alaskans that this cut will have today and into the future.

House Finance Subcommittee on Health and Social Services:

  • Rep. Will Stapp (Fairbanks) 907-465-3004 Representative.Will.Stapp@akleg.gov
  • Rep. Mike Prax (North Pole) 907-465-4797 Representative.Mike.Prax@akleg.gov
  • Rep. CJ McCormick (D-Bethel) 907-465-4942 Representative.CJ.McCormick@akleg.gov
  • Rep. Justin Ruffridge (R-Soldotna) 907-465-2694 Representative.Justin.Ruffridge@akleg.gov
  • Rep. Dan Saddler (R-Eagle River) 907-465-3783 Representative.Dan.Saddler@akleg.gov
  • Rep. Jesse Sumner (R-Wasilla) 907-465-4833 Representative.Jesse.Sumner@akleg.gov

 

Human Services Community Matching Grant. The list of grantees includes:

  • Alaska Legal Services Corporation
  • Alzheimer’s of Alaska
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters
  • Boys & Girls Club of Alaska
  • Fairbanks Community Food Bank
  • Helping Alaska
  • Interior AIDS Association
  • Interior Community Health Center
  • Literacy Council of Alaska
  • North Star Council on Aging
  • Northern Hope Center
  • Resource Center Parents Children
  • Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis
  • Alaska Legal Services Corporation
  • Catholic Social Services
  • Covenant House Alaska
  • RurAL CAP
  • Alaska Legal Services Corporation
  • Boys and Girls Club
  • Blood-n-Fire Ministry of Alaska
  • Catholic Community Services Early Learning
  • Wasilla Area Seniors, Inc.
  • Mat-Su Food Bank
  • Mat-Su Senior Services
  • My House
  • United Way
  • Kids Kupboard
  • Set Free Alaska
  • The Children’s Place
  • Valley Charities
  • Access Alaska
  • Salvation Army
  • Nine Star Education and Employment
  • Sunshine Community Health Center
  • Sunshine Transit

 

Community Initiative Matching Grants. The list of grantees includes:

  • Alaska Legal Services
  • Bethel Community Services Foundation
  • Bethel Winter Shelter Lion’s Club
  • Choosing Our Roots
  • First City Homeless Services
  • Helping Ourselves Prevent Emergencies
  • Independent Living Center-Homer
  • Juneau Housing First Collaborative
  • Maniilaq Association
  • Native Village of Unalakleet Nome Community Center
  • Nome Emergency Shelter Team (NEST)
  • North Slope Borough
  • Railbelt Mental Health Association
  • Southeast Alaska Independent Living, Inc. (SAIL)
  • Women in Safe Homes

 

Feb 9, 2024
Posted Under: Foraker News

January is a time when we hold our annual meeting per our bylaws. We take care of Foraker’s business at this meeting including a review of our audit and our investments. It is a big day and one that makes me feel proud that we are doing all we can to support Foraker as a strong business that is working to strengthen Alaska’s nonprofits. Foraker’s board structure is unique compared to state associations and capacity building organizations. Our two statewide boards oversee Foraker. The Governance Board is responsible for legal, financial, and mission stewardship, and the Operations Board keeps us connected to the sector we serve. The Governance Board is comprised of leaders from the for-profit sector, local and tribal governments, higher education, and key philanthropies. It ensures that Foraker is strategically placed to advance Alaska’s nonprofit sector including tribal governments. The Operations Board is comprised of leaders from the state’s nonprofits, tribal leadership, and philanthropic practitioners. It serves as a sounding board for staff initiatives, helps monitor nonprofit issues and trends, serves as a neutral space for direct service and nonprofit philanthropy to meet, and advises the Governance Board to ensure alignment with our core purpose to Strengthen Nonprofits.

In this cycle, we said our thanks and farewell to Bryan Butcher, CEO of Alaska Housing and Finance Corporation, as he ended his nine years of service on our Governance Board, two as chair. Bryan’s kind heart and clear strategy were the perfect balance in and out of our boardroom. Truly his service was exceptional. We will miss him in all our rooms, and we are grateful he will stay on our finance committee and as a member of the Sultana New Ventures board. Please help me thank Bryan for his true commitment to strengthening the work of nonprofits and tribes across Alaska.

We also welcomed two new Governance Board members, Carol Gore and Ethan Tyler, and four new Operations Board members, Beth Trowbridge, Shane Iverson, Cynthia Libby, and Mariya Lovishchuk. These statewide leaders bring breadth and depth to our team, and we can’t wait to engage them all.

Finally, we also shared our gratitude with Jaeleen Kookesh, our outgoing Governance Board Chair. Jaeleen served two years in this position and was just the right leader for us at the right time. Her steadfast determination to keep us moving forward as we emerged from the impacts of the pandemic was insightful, inspiring, and on track. Please help me thank Jaeleen and know that she will continue on our board as she transitions in her career. Also, help me say congratulations to Dr. Pearl Kiyawn Brower who is Foraker’s new Governance Board Chair. Pearl was our Operations Board Chair, and we are so excited to work with her in her new role.

We are off to a great start with a wonderful board team.

Feb 9, 2024
Posted Under: Advocacy President's letter

Last month we rolled out our public policy priorities for 2024. This month I want to share more about this work and call your attention to some specific actions we need from each of you.

Back in 2009, Foraker formally became the state nonprofit association and part of a group of 42 peer organizations across the country. This action not only validated our role in the convening and research but it also got us thinking differently about our role in public policy. Our signature effort to that point had been publishing nonprofit economic reports, and writing the original legislation and hiring the lobbyist to create what is now Pick.Click.Give. We didn’t engage much in public policy until I became CEO in 2015. Since then, we have taken part in extraordinary efforts including the formation of a national model of census advocacy we call the Alaska Census Working Group, which launched AlaskaCounts in 2020 and will resume its work in 2030. The 2020 Census numbers ensure that Alaska nonprofits had access to $50 million+ of direct pandemic relief funds from CARES, ARPA, and even more indirectly from specific pass-through and local government partnerships across Alaska and now partnering with the Alaska Municipal League (AML) and others to host the website to track federal infrastructure funding coming into Alaska. We also ramped up our advocacy training and engagement across Alaska to support nonprofits in finding their own voices and standing for their missions as partners to government and within their communities. Truly the list of ways we have exercised our nonpartisan voice on behalf of the nonprofit sector and tribes in Alaska has been exhilarating and sometimes heartbreaking but always interesting.

We don’t make any choices lightly about which issues to tackle. We have a thoughtful process to determine our public policy priorities. These are not just while the legislature is in session, but certainly, our ability to make significant progress ramps up during the session.

Today, there is one priority I want to call out specifically. In a rare move, the Foraker boards have approved a resolution in concurrence with the Alaska Municipal League to call on the State of Alaska to provide prompt payment parity to nonprofits, tribes, and local governments as they do with for-profit businesses or risk penalties and interest, but more importantly, to have clear lines for accountability not just for us but for them.

The lack of prompt payment by the state to nonprofits and local governments has been an issue for years, but the scope and scale of the delays are now untenable. To be clear, this is not about asking for new money. These are budgeted and approved funds the state has failed to pay on time in far too many cases – grants, contracts, and reimbursements – generally, three-to-six months late or longer, while at the same time asking for reports about how money was spent that was never received just to stay in the queue for the next disbursement of funds. This process is stressful, time-consuming, and burdensome to everyone involved, but more than that this money pays for essential services like domestic violence shelter employees, senior citizen care coordination, behavioral health providers, local transportation providers, food pantry supplies, substance abuse services, arts and culture opportunities, educators, childcare providers, and so many others. This lack of prompt payment is not just in one department of state government – it happens in virtually every state department, which means it is a systemic problem. Foraker has tried for years to bring this issue to the attention of those we believed could fix the problem, but it not only persists, it continues to get worse.

While I encourage you to read the whole resolution, the bottom line is this: Alaska’s nonprofits, tribes, and municipalities are essential partners with the state. Because of our unique geographic and demographic profile, we provide services that the state otherwise could not provide, or if it did, the cost would be astronomical. Through grants, contracts, and reimbursements to nonprofits and tribes, the state expands its reach, finds efficiencies, and can improve the quality of life for all Alaskans.

In the same way that roads and bridges are built through contracts with private sector engineering and construction firms, the state meets many of its obligations by outsourcing to nonprofits and tribes. Our communities rely on the dedication and solvency of Alaska’s nonprofits. Prompt payment is an essential part of the economic ecosystem, ensuring this vital network remains healthy and helpful. Delayed payments result in degradation of service and in some cases bankruptcy. And temporary solutions like tapping into savings accounts, laying off employees, or halting service are simply not viable. And the quality of life for all Alaskans suffers.

As always, we want to be part of a solution, not just lend our voice to identifying the problem. For many years we and many individual organizations have tried a variety of strategies to find solutions to delayed payment that are both good for the state and good for our sector, but the reality is that this issue is complicated and systemic, reaching into each department. Therefore, it requires a systemic solution that works both for the state and all those they partner with to deliver services.

We are ready with a list of ways to make the situation better for now, and to fix the problem for good. We understand the solutions will come through dialog and action, and we are committed to the journey no matter how long it takes. If necessary, we have model legislation from other states that we believe will work in Alaska. We remain committed to working constructively to achieve a bicameral, bipartisan approach to find solutions before we break Alaska’s safety net.

We need your voice on behalf of the sector

Since our most recent visit to the Capitol and through our extensive outreach, we understand that several legislators who have brought up the subject of delayed payments during recent committee hearings were provided with encouraging statistics from the state about recent average turnaround times to process grant payments. This is encouraging and we applaud every effort that the state employees are making to fix these issues. That said, we continue to believe the problem is real, systemic, and more sweeping than grant turnaround time in a couple of departments. This is where your voice matters.

You can help in two ways:

  1. Add to our robust collection of direct accounts from every corner of the state if your organization is experiencing, or has experienced, delayed payments and as a result has been forced to dip into modest reserves, furlough staff, tap lines of credit, shut down programs, or take other action. We can keep your specific organization name confidential. We need your voice, and we promise to protect it. Will you share it with us? Contact us.
  2. We know many of you are also sharing your stories directly with elected officials, which is great, and we encourage you to talk about Foraker’s Legislative Resolution so that your story becomes connected to a larger effort underway. If you do that, will you let us know? Contact us.

We know work like this takes time and effort and lots of partners all working toward the same goal. We feel confident that if we are successful, it will mean less burden on the state and its many hard-working employees, more efficient government, better systems for Alaska for the long-term, and most importantly services available for Alaskans when they need them the most. I hope we can count on you to be on this journey with us. We are stronger together.

Laurie