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President's Letter

Dennis McMillian, President and CEO of The Foraker Group, has devoted his professional career to helping nonprofit organizations better meet the needs of their communities. For 21 years he served as a development officer, and then as a CEO with United Way in numerous communities around the country. He came to Alaska in 1992 to lead the United Way of Anchorage. Since moving to Alaska, he has helped build the state's philanthropic infrastructure through his work with United Ways across the state and through his support in developing the Alaska Community Foundation. He is a strong advocate for Alaska's nonprofit sector. In 2001, Dennis led the effort to start The Foraker Group with the mission of building sustainability and organizational capacity in Alaska nonprofits. During his career, he's trained thousands of professionals and volunteers, spoken at numerous conferences and consulted across America, Canada, Asia and Russia. He serves on committees at United Way of America and the Council on Foundations. He sits on the board of Nature Conservancy in Alaska and on the national board of Camp Fire, Inc.

Over the past few years, Dennis has provided his insight on issues affecting the sector and, most especially, on ways to apply the Foraker Nonprofit Sustainability Model© to nonprofit management. We hope you will find value in these letters to the sector, which have part of our monthly e-newsletter, and we invite you to share your comments on the Foraker blog.

The following are letters written by Dennis focusing on nonprofit issues and goals.

• Are You Really Going To Do It? 01/01/2007
  I was very grateful and honored to receive one of the coveted Rasmuson Foundation sabbaticals that would afford me the opportunity to take off three months.
• Board Bullies 04/14/2012
  This past month we experienced another disastrous cluster, board bullying. In February 2012, our office received six calls from nonprofits in crisis over the behavior of one member who was described as a "bully.”
• Board Leader-Staff Leader Relationship 04/07/2008
  It's the most important thing to get right in your organization! The lack of board support has been identified as the first or second reason why nonprofit CEOs are resigning in record numbers.
• Board Member, Staff Member; Is That a Question? 07/10/2007
  Alaska's nonprofit sector is facing an issue nonprofits are facing throughout the nation, only here it's on an extreme scale: where will we find sufficient leadership for the future?
• Boards Behaving Badly 11/02/2008
  So one may ask, why do we need good boards? The answer is simple - all research on effective nonprofits states that the success of organizations is best indicated by a competent board.
• Executive Evaluation 01/01/2007
  In the nonprofit world, executive evaluation concerns two employee classifications. The first is an evaluation done by the board on its executive leader. The other is the evaluation done by that executive on other executive staff.
• Find the Right Nonprofit Executive 07/10/2007
  During the last few years, I have written 20 articles on various subjects. Of those, six have been on the topic of nonprofit CEO success.
• Founder's Syndrome 08/09/2011
  Many articles have been written about founder’s syndrome. This occurs when a founder of an organization can’t differentiate him or herself from the entity.
• How Your Board is Elected Can Matter 09/01/2011
  There are as many ways to configure a board as there are boards.
• In Search of Board Diversity 08/06/2009
  
• Leadership Succession (guest contributor) 08/27/2008
  Dennis McMillian, President/CEO of The Foraker Group and Jim Maley, President/CEO of Alaska Children's Services and a member of the Foraker Group Operations Board attended training on succession planning earlier this year. Dennis asked Jim to write his reflections.
• Leadership Void for Sector Predicted 06/06/2007
  
• Managing Board CEO Relationships 01/01/2007
  The traditional role of the nonprofit board was to establish and monitor policy as well as determine the strategic direction for the organization.
• New Thoughts about the Life Cycle of Nonprofits -- from Symbiosis to Individuation 10/25/2011
  There have been many papers written on the life cycle of nonprofit organizations. While there are as many different descriptions of this cycle, most experts agree that a nonprofit organization goes through some maturation process. They eventually either mature, or they are stuck in some dysfunctional stage until they go out of business.
• So You Want to be a Nonprofit CEO? 11/06/2007
  Most people become a chief executive in a nonprofit through their passion for the organization's mission and their competence in implementing it.
• Take Time to Reflect 12/06/2007
  
• What I Did That You Should Consider 07/10/2007
  With the strong encouragement of The Foraker Group board, I applied for and was granted one of the coveted Rasmuson Sabbaticals in 2006.

• Alaska's Nonprofit Sector - A Major Participant in the State's Economy 07/10/2007
  Alaskans are certainly familiar with the good work performed by nonprofits across the state. We are enriched and informed through arts and cultural organizations - helped in times of need by health and human service agencies - cared for at hospitals.
• Getting ethics right - it's harder than you think 06/04/2008
  All corporations have the legal duty to avoid conflicts of interest. However, because of their civic and charitable missions, nonprofit corporations, specifically 501 (c)(3), (c)(4), and (c)(6) organizations, should exceed the law's expectations to maintain the public's trust.
• Meetings, Meetings, and More Meetings 09/16/2010
  While I was at United Way my staff threatened an intervention to restrict my meeting habit. I was literally going and coming from meetings from dawn to dusk, eight days a week! What were they to do? Send me to another meeting of "Meetings Anonymous?" I am not alone.
• More Tools for These Times - and reinforcement for the tools already provided 02/20/2009
  
• Moving Forward in Uncertain Economic Times 04/08/2009
  
• Nonprofit Restructuring 09/16/2010
  
• Points to Consider When Founding a Nonprofit Organization 01/01/2007
  Regardless of the data that suggests that Alaska already has more nonprofits per capita than any other state, The Foraker Group continues to receive calls daily from individuals throughout the state wanting to form a new organization.
• Ready for the next Alaska recession? 10/14/2011
  For the last three years, while the rest of the country was in recession, Alaska maintained some sense of normalcy.
• The Economy: How Will It Impact You? 12/10/2008
  
• The New Reality is One-Year Old 09/16/2010
  
• The Next Trend -- Structural Evolution 04/14/2012
  We predict three major trends for the coming decade – a funding crisis, "the crash of the herd," and a need to restructure the sector.
• The Pre-elevator Speech - Keep it Shorter and Sweeter 09/16/2010
  
• There is a "New Reality" – And it’s About Time 05/13/2009
  
• Time for a Corporate Checkup 09/11/2008
  One of the hallmarks of American medicine is the checkup - the time to have a good look-see before anything is wrong.

• A Case for Fundraising Events? 05/15/2008
  If the title of this article is not provocative, you've probably not been to a Foraker class. We've spent the last eight years trying to convince nonprofits that event fundraising is not a good idea. So, you might ask, why am I now willing to write a paper on making the case for events?
• A Competitive Debate 09/16/2010
  
• Another Issue to Address - Capital Campaigns 04/14/2012
  During the past year, The Foraker Group focused on trends impacting Alaska's nonprofits. One of those is a "funding crisis" that we predict will occur in Alaska in large part because of federal budget cuts.
• Budget Strategies for Tough Times 01/17/2009
  
• In Search of Alpha Donors 06/18/2009
  
• The Permanent Fund Dividend Initiative 07/10/2007
  One truth of charitable giving is that donors must be asked in order to give.
• The Secret to Raising Money 09/16/2010
  
• What to Do When Alaska's Nonprofit Funding Assumptions Change? 11/06/2007
  The headlines in Alaska cause concern. Our Congressional delegation is under scrutiny that could overshadow the good they have done for our state for so many years.

• Peer Networks, a Simple Strategy with Real Results 01/17/2008
  
• Rasmuson Foundation Completes 11th Grant Maker Tour 09/23/2007
  

• A New Year's Resolution - I'll Learn How to Better Manage My Organization 07/10/2007
  A key factor in nonprofit sustainability is "human capacity" - and a key element in developing that capacity is education.
• Crisis Management for the Nonprofit Organization 03/11/2008
  

• Foraker Benefits Plan revisited 09/16/2010
  
• Healthcare Reform - The Foraker Response 09/16/2010
  
• Special Report – Health Reform Update 09/16/2010
  
• The Stockdale Paradox and Thoughts on The Foraker Group Benefits Plan 11/02/2008
  On October 1, 2008, The Foraker Group and Premera Blue Cross/Blue Shield implemented an innovative health insurance plan for Foraker Partners.

• A New Series of Articles and a New Approach 09/14/2008
  The ISER (Institute for Social and Economic Research at UAA) study provided useful facts on our sector's strengths and vulnerability. I have presented these facts to over 1,000 community leaders around the state in 20 communities at local Chamber and Rotary meetings.
• Happy Holidays - 2011 12/14/2012
  Even with the challenges we are facing in our sector, we have a lot to be grateful for this holiday season. We have jobs with impact. We help people live healthy lives, we support families, and we educate, entertain, inspire, and engage people.
• Happy New Year - 2010 09/16/2010
  
• Nonprofit Trends for Alaska, 2011-2020 02/17/2011
  
• Reflection on the Summit 02/13/2008
  
• Ten Years and Counting 02/16/2011
  
• The Historical Timeline for The Foraker Group -- From Vision to 2012 01/14/2012
  As Foraker turns eleven, we want to document the effort it took to grow from a “little” vision to what we are now.