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Any savvy Alaska Airlines traveler knows where I am today, over Mount Rainier. I am on the way to the East Coast. This is the time of year Foraker visits our nation's capital to meet with our delegation's staffs and discuss what is new in the nonprofit sector.

This trip we'll discuss the new reality about capital campaigns and how so many organizations have called to discuss potential strategic alliances. We will also report on the increasing number of nonprofits in Alaska that are experiencing funding issues. And how almost every nonprofit we are with nowadays is concerned about recruiting and keeping the right directors on the board.

For all those familiar with the trends we predicted eighteen months ago, these issues should sound familiar.

The smidgen of insight today is that even though we have tried to prepare the sector for the inevitable, human nature seems to make it hard to accept troubling messages. We deny these messages are about us; personally. Maybe that's why even though we know to watch what we eat and drink, and know to do some kind of regular exercise, too many wait until we are sick to internalize the message.

That is how I feel about my inability to prevent, or reduce the pain I am certain many now feel about their nonprofit.

If anyone has a suggestion about how we can communicate our message in a way that wakes people up to the new realities before they are in pain, we would love to learn from you.

Dennis

The focus of this blog is twofold. First, to serve as a travel log of all the great places I visit and the people I meet along the way. The second is to provide insight I get from these contacts.

My last blog was from the North Slope of Alaska - Point Hope - where spring was arriving along with the humpback whales.

I returned to home base Anchorage on April 7th for a short visit with my saintly wife who lets me do this job and an even shorter visit with my hard working staff on Monday the 9th before leaving again for Seattle the 10th of April.

There I spent time with staff at the Paul G. Allen Foundation providing an update on Alaska's nonprofits before leaving the next day for Hawaii.......to work!

But it wasn't a total sacrifice. I was able to take my wife for a few days of relaxation before the work started.

In Hawaii I met with a nonprofit industry association in a two-day strategic discussion. From there I flew back to Alaska on the 17th at midnight.

The next morning I sped by the office before boarding a flight for Fairbanks where I met with the board of a foundation to discuss the sector and their strategies of how to engage in meaningful philanthropy. (By the way, this is the time of year that Fairbanks, which had a bitter cold winter, becomes warmer than it's southern sister city, Anchorage at least until next fall.)

Returning to Anchorage that night, I was in our office early the 19th where the Foraker board held its spring meeting. It was great! We have many new highly engaged and enthusiastic members of the board to complement the long-term and very dedicated directors.

From there I was off to Palmer the next morning to meet with the board of an iconic Alaskan institutionto discuss governance and direction.

Now I just arrived in Homer, "a quaint drinking town with a fishing problem." Tomorrow I meet with another board.

The snippet of insight this time is that boards really matter. And it's important to have the right director in every seat. During the last week and a half I have been with four organizations and each one had a great board, with all seats occupied by the right people.

So have hope you nonprofit leaders!! Board development works!!!!!!!

When nonprofits are strategic and focused on recruiting and developing the people who serve as their volunteer leaders, they too can have high performing boards.

Dennis

I took a little sabbatical from the blog, mainly because I took some time off from my too frequent flights on Alaska Airlines. Those days of bliss are over and before June I will again qualify for the 75K Gold status.

But today, on one of the first trips in 2012, I'm off to Juneau. Every nonprofit leader who depends on state funding should schedule a trip during session. Even if you are not dependent today, it is a good practice to visit the Capitol, shake hands, and work on a relationship with legislators and their staff – on their turf. One day that effort will be rewarded.

Unfortunately, I am a late-comer to public policy work. I’m convinced I should have started 30 years ago. Thankfully I have staff and board members who know this business and have provided the crash course I needed to represent our sector and protect our interests.

This trip is to educate legislators on the trends we see (outlined in the ISER report) and suggest a strategy for them to better invest increasingly critical state dollars in our sector.

The smidgen of insight today is that we are working to increase our capacity in public policy and we encourage you to do the same. We provide classes and individual consultations to help identify where your engagement could be beneficial. Please take advantage.

What's up with air travel? Every seat on every flight is full and there is always a long standby list. Today was no different.

I was in Seattle to work with one of our long-term consultants, Suzanne Lagoni. We’re completing the last draft of our sustainability book so it can go to press in 2012. We can't wait!

This was almost my last flight of 2011. I only have a trip to Kenai, one to Juneau and one to Fairbanks for work this year – after Christmas we’ll fly south to see my parents.

This year I will fly over 130,000 miles, most in Alaska and work related. This travel is in sync with a primary Foraker goal – to truly serve our whole state and not be viewed as Anchorage centric.

We hope we have been successful in that endeavor because today's smidgen of insight is that to serve Alaska one must fly. Distance delivery has improved but there are times that require physical presence. At Foraker I'm not the only frequent flier. We all spend time on planes, away from family, to do what we love – serve you. But now that the holidays are close, we want to slow down – at least for a few weeks.

Dennis

Today I am in Kansas City, MO at the Midwestern Youth Summit sponsored by the US Department of Education. It is designed to hear the voices of youth throughout the country on what is needed to improve education in America. The summit is held in partnership with the National Leadership Conference for Camp Fire USA, where I am proud to serve as a trustee on the national board.  [Read More... ]