The Foraker Group

We recently alerted you to the unauthorized use by GoFundMe of 1.2 million nonprofits on their online giving platform. GoFundMe has issued an apology and offered steps to walk back their practice of using the names, logos, and other key identifiers of nonprofits without their knowledge or consent. At the same time, they have been charging exorbitant fees or “tips” to the for-profit vendor. Our alert also provided a link for authorized users of each nonprofit to remove their organization from the GoFundMe website. If you have not taken those steps, do it today. This past week, we learned that these unethical fundraising practices of both using nonprofits information without consent and charging high fees is quickly becoming common in the industry, with Charity Navigator being the latest in a… Read more »

“What yesterday we might have called obstacles, today are opportunities that make us unstoppable.” –Amanda Gorman, UNICEF Ambassador, from her new poem With This Bright Voice In Alaska, we know all too well about earthquakes and harsh weather events. They can be unexpected, jarring, and full of significant consequences for people and places we care about. “Lifequakes” are similar to those natural events with their uncertainty and impact, but they are more personal. Lifequakes can result from a shift in our professional or home life and can disrupt us alone, our family, our community, or the world. No matter the magnitude, these earthquakes and lifequakes get our attention and can propel us into action. 2025 had plenty of quakes to rattle our days as they shifted the ground beneath our… Read more »

We know we’ve asked for your participation in several surveys lately — and we truly appreciate your time. There’s a good reason we keep coming back to you: high-quality, rigorous data helps us tell the real story of Alaska’s nonprofit sector to funders, policymakers, and the media. Your participation ensures that the story is accurate, powerful, and grounded in lived experience. We are conducting a new statewide survey to understand how government funding cuts and policy changes continue to affect nonprofit organizations and tribes in Alaska. Earlier this year, following the administration’s announcement of a federal funding freeze, we moved quickly to assess the potential impact. The initial results showed a catastrophic threat to the health and well-being of Alaskans and the organizations that serve them. Now, almost a year… Read more »

After a four-year hiatus, our Catalyst program is back. In Catalyst, we emphasize that courageous leadership is not about being the smartest person in the room or having all the answers, it’s about showing up as the unique leader you are. If you are looking for an opportunity to reflect on what’s most important to you and on becoming more intentional with your time and energy, this program is for you. Catalyst is not about learning strategies for the day-to-day management of your organization – we don’t teach you how to write an employee manual or balance a budget (We have other courses for that!). Instead, we focus on bigger questions about what success looks like to you. You will walk away with a powerful sense of purpose, tools for feeling grounded in your… Read more »

There are times in everyone’s life that feel especially difficult. These experiences can be unnoticed by many, even while they feel intense and all-consuming to the people experiencing them. Then there are times when we have a more collective experience of hardship. In these moments, it may not be something you experience directly, but you are still drawn into it in ways that spur you to action and help you pause to consider the ramifications. This is such a time. During the pandemic, I often reflected that we are all in the same ocean, but we are not in the same boat. Indeed, depending on one’s geography, health status, age, and many other privileges and complications, the pandemic felt very different at a personal level. Nonprofits also had a varied… Read more »

The Executive Leadership Intensive (ELI) is a virtual program designed for executive directors and tribal administrators who have been in their current positions for up to three years and want to take the next step in leading their organizations and increasing job performance. Throughout the program, you’ll strengthen your relationship with your board, explore management and planning strategies alongside an experienced mentor, and learn from a network of peers who share your challenges and aspirations. Applications are due December 12. The program starts on February 5. Learn more here…. Read more »

Yesterday, the National Council of Nonprofits (of which Foraker is a member) and its national partners filed a lawsuit to ensure that 42 million Americans (including over 60,000 Alaskans) and the nonprofits that support them can continue to count on SNAP.  Today, the federal court judge in Rhode Island issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) in the lawsuit brought by NCN and a broad coalition of other plaintiffs seeking to protect SNAP benefits! Under the TRO, the Trump Administration is required to distribute contingency funds to continue food assistance. While temporary, this order provides immediate relief to the 42 million Americans who otherwise would have lost access to food assistance, and the thousands of nonprofit food banks and food pantries that have been stepping up in their communities to fill… Read more »

Very recently, GoFundMe launched an online giving platform for more than a million nonprofits without the knowledge or consent of those nonprofits. As soon as this came to our attention, advocacy efforts began across our network through the National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) to address this deeply flawed approach. Nonprofits rely on transparency, trust, and control over their own fundraising. GoFundMe’s actions undermined that trust and the integrity of the nonprofit sector. Thanks to effective advocacy by the National Council of Nonprofits, GoFundMe has now issued this statement. While they have not agreed to take down the site, they have committed to shifting to an opt-in only model and making it easier for nonprofits to remove themselves from the platform at their discretion. According to their statement and conversations with… Read more »

After months of planning and an extensive search using our comprehensive Leadership Transition services, Foraker has helped place Gina Bastian as the new Executive Director of Assets, Inc. Ms. Bastian was chosen from a diverse field of candidates in a nationwide search. As the Executive Director, Ms. Bastian will be responsible for overseeing Assets’ day-to-day operations while working with the board on strategically positioning the organization for future growth and increased impact. Ms. Bastian comes to Assets with a great wealth of leadership experience and a passion for having positive impact in her community of Anchorage. Prior to Assets, Ms. Bastian worked for the State of Alaska’s Department of Vocational Rehabilitation as well as previously serving on the board of Assets, Inc. Ms. Bastian’s first day was September 29. Ms…. Read more »

Typhoon Halong has devastated Alaska’s western coast. We remain deeply concerned about every person and whole communities tragically impacted by this disaster. In response, a growing list of local, regional, and statewide partners have come together to establish the Western Alaska Disaster Relief Fund, housed at the Alaska Community Foundation. In Alaska we help each other and stand with each other. Please consider a gift today to help your fellow Alaskans…. Read more »