Click to read articles and blog posts about the PFD Contributions program.

PFD contributions wanted (Alaska Journal of Commerce)

Gov. Sarah Palin, holding son Trig, stands with Foraker Group's Dennis McMillian, Piper Palin, Rasmuson Foundation's Diane Kaplan and United Way of Anchorage's Michele Brown just after signing into law House Bill 166... Read More ...  

(Photo/Frank Flavin Photography/Courtesy of Rasmuson Foundation)

From The Chronicle: Alaska's Charitable-Giving Law

Alaska has passed a new law aimed at bolstering philanthropic giving among state residents, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports. Read more ...

 
Nonprofits to benefit from new PFD program (HomerNews.com)

The newly established Permanent Fund Dividend Contribution Program makes it possible for Alaskans to donate all or part of their permanent fund dividends to qualified charitable organizations, educational institutions, community foundations and University of Alaska campuses before the law sunsets in three years. Read more ...

Palin signs new PFD bill into law (KTNA)

Governor Palin signed a new bill into law that allows residents to immediately give their PFD, or any portion of it, to their favorite non profit corporation.

Governor Sarah Palin signed an Alaska Permanent Fund dividend contribution program into law yesterday. The new program allows Alaskans to donate a portion or all of their PFD to qualifying charitable organizations, institutions and community foundations. Read more ...

The PFD Contribution Program application process has ended for this year (distibution 2009). If you are interested in pursuing this program in 2009, please stay tuned to The Foraker Group's web site.  We expect that the Department of Revenue will begin taking applications again from qualified nonprofits in June 2009.

If you have questions, please contact us at:

pfdinfo@forakergroup.org
1-888-785-GIFT (4438)

To prepare for next year, please see the Frequently Asked Questions document at the bottom of the PFD information page to better understand issues of eligibility of Alaska nonprofits as defined by state law  for the PFD Contribution Program and other details.

You can also subscribe to our General E-Newsletter - even if you are not a Foraker Partner - to receive timely announcements pertaining to the program.

The PFD Contribution Program application is available on Foraker Group website. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to download the PDF file.

Please review the Frequently Asked Questions document included with the application concerning eligibility of Alaska nonprofits for the PFD Contribution Program.

The completed application MUST BE SUBMITTED BY MAIL and

POSTMARKED BY JUNE 14, 2008

If you need clarification or more information, don't hesitate to get in touch by phone or email.

PFD Info phone number: 1-888-785-GIFT

Our Contact Form. 

The good news is that House Bill 166 passed the Alaska Legislature and is awaiting Governor Palin’s signature.  When the Governor signs the bill, Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) applicants will be able to make a donation, through their dividend, to certain qualified charitable organizations, educational institutions and community foundations. 

The legislation was approved almost unanimously by the Legislature.  Once House Bill 166 becomes law, there will be a VERY QUICK application period, during which qualified organizations will be eligible to apply to be listed in the next PFD application packet that comes out in January, 2009. Please be aware that other factors will affect the implementation process. The state is busy implementing the details of the legislation and hopes to have the process completed in time for this year's dividend.

THE APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR THIS YEAR MUST BE POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN JUNE 15, 2008.

Read More...  

With the approach of the May 15 filing deadline, the IRS today reminded “small” tax-exempt organizations of their new annual electronic filing requirement.

As explained in today’s release (IR-2008-71, May 13, 2008), organizations with gross receipts of $25,000 or less must file Form 990-N—which is also known as the e-Postcard. Previously, these small organizations did not have an annual filing requirement.

The first e-Postcards are due May 15, 2008, for those small tax-exempt organizations whose tax year ended on December 31, 2007. For organizations with a tax year that ends after December 31, 2007, the e-Postcard is due by the 15th day of the 5th month after the close of their tax year.

The IRS noted that certain organizations do not have a filing obligation—including organizations that are part of a group return, as well as churches, their integrated auxiliaries and conventions or associations of churches.

We have uploaded the audio for the morning presentation from the Foraker Group Leadership Summit.  These audio files are quite lengthly (and large - the smallest file is 19 MB!) so you might want to download them first and then save them to your hard drive.

(29,197 KB)	Audio 01: Dennis McMillian Opening Remarks - Setting the stage for Exploring Leadership by Dennis McMillian (41:31).
(53,481 KB)	Audio 02: Peter Brinckerhoff - Part 1 Keynote Address: Leading Your Nonprofit Through Generation Change, by Peter Brinckerhoff (1:16:03).
(31,114 KB)	Audio 03: Peter Brinckerhoff - Part 2 Keynote Address: Leading Your Nonprofit Through Generation Change, by Peter Brinckerhoff (44:15).
(11,960 KB)	Audio 04: Peter Brinckerhoff - Part 3 Keynote Address: Leading Your Nonprofit Through Generation Change, by Peter Brinckerhoff (17:00).
(35,342 KB)	Audio 05: Panel Discussion - Sven Haakanson and Katherine Gottlieb Path to Leadership - Becoming a Global Leader Through Local Actions; Sven Haakanson and Katherine Gottlieb Interviewed by Steve Lindbeck (50:16)
(38,750 KB)	Audio 06: Day 2 Panel Presentation Part 1 Weathering the Storm - Leadership in a Time of Disaster presented by Gary Ostroske (55:06).
(19,096 KB)	Audio 07: Day 2 Panel Presentation Part 2 Weathering the Storm - Leadership in a Time of Disaster presented by Gary Ostroske; closing remarks (27:09).

I couldn't resist including links to this exchange between popular Comedy Central star Jon Stewart and Susan Tenby, senior manager of TechSoup. The whole thing started after the Congressional panel on Second Life and virtual worlds. I file this under NON-PROFIT HUMOR.

From The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Give & Take
A roundup of blogs about the nonprofit world

 April 15, 2008
Jon Stewart's Education About Charities and Second Life

Nonprofit fans of Second Life, an Internet game, are seeking to educate Jon Stewart about their online activism after the comedian made fun of one of them.

Susan Tenby, senior manager of TechSoup, a nonprofit technology group, appeared before a Congressional panel this month to discuss how Second Life and other virtual worlds can lead to real-world social improvement.

However, on The Daily Show, Mr. Stewart couldn’t help but be amused with the proceedings, noting that Ms. Tenby told the lawmakers the name of her online avatar: Glitteractica Cookie.

READ MORE... 

Sabbaticals continue to be fodder for the media as more and more executives are taking them and experts are talking about them. Here's a piece in the Wall Street Journal that is making the syndication rounds.

How One Executive Used a Sabbatical to Fix His Career

by Joann S. Lublin, Wall Street Journal Online 

One morning in 2005, Daniel H. Marcus awoke in a pitch-black hotel room. The executive-pay consultant knew he needed to see a corporate client, his third in three days in three far-flung cities. But for several minutes, he didn't know where he was or who awaited him.

"That doesn't bode well for my work," Mr. Marcus thought to himself. His memory lapse proved a blessing in disguise. With constant travel and 60-hour weeks pushing him close to burnout, the veteran partner at Mercer, a major human-resource consultant, decided he needed a sabbatical.

READ MORE. ..  

A major theme at the Leadership Summit was how to handle a crisis or disaster. TechSoup has developed a Disaster Planning and Recovery Toolkit for nonprofit organizations.

From the TechSoup web site:

In the wake of a disaster — whether typical disk failure or catastrophic flood — it can be difficult to know where to begin the recovery process. With so many other pressing concerns, how should you prioritize IT recovery? What steps need to be taken immediately, and which can wait?

In this toolkit , you'll find resources to help you plan ahead so that you can limit the damage from a disaster; a comprehensive, downloadable guide to recovery; and information about tools to help keep your nonprofit's data safe should the unthinkable happen.

TechSoup has setup the toolkit into three sections — Plan, Mitigate, and Recover — so you can take a step-by-step approach to disaster planning and recovery.

Go to the Toolkit .