Not that many years ago, it seemed few nonprofits did strategic planning. Sure, some of the larger more sophisticated nonprofits or the affiliates of national groups would develop a strategic plan. However, a majority of nonprofits relied on what was in the head of their executive director as the map for the future. Even those with a written plan did it in a way that did not produce the kind of buy-in needed for the plan to be a living, breathing asset for the organization.

In some cases the senior staff developed what they called the strategic plan. Certainly, those of us who work day-to-day in an organization are the most knowledgeable about programs, services, and the environment – so many would argue that senior staff are the best to develop such a plan. One small problem with that approach is that the board is to establish the direction for the organization, not just set and enforce policy. In other words, one of the two long established and agreed upon roles of the board is to be the organization’s think tank – setting the direction. While a board has the legal responsibility to ensure adherence to mission, it also has the responsibility for establishing its direction for the future. It is ultimately the board’s role to develop the strategic plan.    [Read More... ]

• McMillian presents sustainability model at Philanthropy Northwest conference
• Pick.Click.Give. organizations announced for 2010 program
• First checks for 2009 Pick.Click.Give. campaign to be sent this month
• Foraker Certificate Program begins 10th cohort
• Fall class schedule available
• Update on our Health Insurance Program

At its annual conference last month, Dennis McMillian briefed members of Philanthropy Northwest on the steps Alaska nonprofits are taking toward sustainability. Dennis outlined the Foraker Nonprofit Sustainability Model© during a break-out group looking at capacity building initiatives in our region.

Foraker has raised awareness among Alaska organizations of the conditions that help a nonprofit along the path to sustainability. Now funders and nonprofits outside our state want to know more about the Foraker model. Just as a reminder, those sustainability conditions are:

• Unrestricted dollars
• Focus
• Board-staff balance
• Collaborations

You can learn more about the model here. Let us know how it’s working in your organization. We’re collecting sample strategies to share in future newsletters.

The Alaska Department of Revenue has accepted 364 nonprofit organizations and all the campuses of the University of Alaska as eligible for the second PFD Charitable Contributions Program – or Pick.Click.Give. Qualifying organizations represent the diversity of nonprofits around the state. A list is available at www.PickClickGive.org and can be searched alphabetically by organizations, or by services and geographic area. Also available at the site is information on the program, including answers to those questions most frequently asked by Alaskans.

We strongly encourage organizations in the program to start communicating with their stakeholders about the option of PickClickGive. The success of the program lies in each organization helping to spread the word. Foraker will be offering a number of classes to help organizations make the most of the PickClickGive Program. Following are the dates and times. Please sign up for these free classes on our website.

Teleconference

• 10/14/09 from 4:00-5:00
• 10/19/09 from 10:00-11:00
• 11/19/09 from 12:00-1:00

On site - Anchorage

• 10/19/09 from 8:30-9:30
• 10/22/09 from 9:00-10:00
• 11/10/09 from 3:00-4:00
• 11/19/09 from 1:30-2:30

On October 26, checks will be mailed to organizations that were part of the inaugural Pick.Click.Give. program. In this mailing, organizations will receive the bulk of donations made by Alaskans when they filed on-line for their PFD dividends in the spring. More than 5,100 Alaskans donated approximately $545,000 in 2009. The Department of Revenue reports that between 6,000 and 7,000 PFD applications still need to be reviewed for eligibility. When that is complete, any donations made by those applicants will be distributed – either in January or as part of the fall 2010 distribution, depending on how long the eligibility review takes.

Stay current on news about Pick.Click.Give. on the program's web site, on Twitter, Facebook, and on the Pick.Click.Give. blog.

Eighteen nonprofit professionals from across Alaska make-up the latest cohort for the Foraker Certificate Program – an innovative series of classes offered by The Foraker Group in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The program is designed for people in leadership positions who want to enhance their management skills and explore a full range of issues and best practices to use in their organizations.

It is based on the "cohort" model of participation with class members going through the coursework together. This model creates opportunities for building a peer network that can serve as a resource both during and after the program. To date, more than 200 people have graduated from the program.

The schedule of fall classes offered by The Foraker Group has been posted at https://www.forakergroup.org/calendar/index.cfm?fa=listevent. In line with our goal to offer Alaska nonprofits high quality training at affordable prices, we will continue to teach on-site classes primarily in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Mat-Su. This move has allowed us to significantly reduce travel costs. To make up for not being in your community, we now offer a broad range of our courses via distance delivery – about one-third of our fall classes will be offered this way. People who take classes by distance delivery report that the process works well for them.

We also still come to a community when we hear of significant interest in our classes. We ask that you guarantee a minimum of ten, paid participants before we make our travel arrangements. If you are interested in this option, please call Vicki Lewis at 907-743-1200.

For a full list of Foraker educational opportunities, please go to https://www.forakergroup.org/calendar/index.cfm?fa=catalog_types

Foraker will be on the road this winter providing an update on our health insurance program. We are excited about the progress of the plan and look forward to sharing information on this timely topic. A full listing of dates and locations is available on our website. Below is a sample of our offerings:

• 10/19/09 from 2:00 – 4:00 - Anchorage
• 11/2/09 from 9:00 – 11:00 - Mat-Su Valley
• 11/19/09 from 12:00 – 2:00 - Fairbanks
• 12/3/09 from 3:00 – 5:00 - Juneau
• 12/4 from 12:00 - 2:00 - Sitka
• 12/8/09 from 11:30 - 1:30 - Homer

Visit the Foraker blog and give us your thoughts. Let us know, for example, what you’re doing in the way of organizational planning – the subject of Dennis’s column this month.