The Foraker Group

Are you an Alaska nonprofit or tribal leader? Do you want to enhance your management skills and explore new techniques to effectively lead your organization? The Foraker Certificate in Nonprofit Management features courses focused on issues facing Alaska nonprofits and provides access to a network of fellow professionals. Applications are now open for the 2024 cohort. The deadline to apply is June 7. Learn more here…. Read more »

Foraker seeks an organized individual with a solutions-based approach to serve as its Operations Manager.  Foraker’s Operations Manager will be responsible for creating, implementing, and updating operational infrastructure and systems to build on Foraker’s recent growth and position the organization for fulfilling its purpose – to strengthen Alaska’s nonprofits – into the future.  The ideal candidate will be a self-starter with strong communication and collaboration skills and at least three years of experience managing operational projects. You can learn more about the position here…. Read more »

The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has announced major reforms to the Uniform Guidance, the set of common rules governing most federal grantmaking to charitable nonprofits, state, local, and Tribal governments.  The reforms correct longstanding challenges in the government grants process that have limited nonprofit effectiveness, discouraged qualified organizations from seeking and performing under federal grants, and wasted billions of dollars and countless hours in needlessly complex reporting requirements. Specifically, the revisions to the OMB Uniform Guidance, which becomes effective October 1, 2024, address longstanding problems in recovering actual costs, advance equity by removing bureaucratic barriers, and make other significant reforms that will reduce burdens and costs of seeking, performing, and reporting on grants using federal funds…. Read more »

Springtime in Alaska is the time that tests our convictions the most – the time when you can still ski, snowshoe, and snowmachine, and there are more moments to walk or ride on pavement, gravel, and hard ground – a time of hope and a bit of pleading for slightly more sunshine and slightly less gray as the daylight invites us to do more and hibernate less. This is truly the time of year that reminds me that I get to hold a lot of emotions, energy, and ideas all at once. It is also the time of year that my mindset matters. Our work in the nonprofit sector also looks and feels like the weather – the highs and lows are palpable and most days ridiculous to juggle. The… Read more »

When does the fun part start? More than any other question I received over a few days with a recent cohort of executive directors, this was the question that grabbed everyone’s attention. Everyone wanted to know. Everyone needed to know. I could see it in all the faces on my screen – I could feel it in the urgency of their voices. I knew that question all too well as I have asked it so many times in my career. And because I had found my answers enough times, I was in a position at that moment (and all the other times I have heard this question) to hold some space for the answers to unfold. I say unfold because it is a journey for each person to find both… Read more »

Help us create a tool for Alaska nonprofits to use in making important personnel decisions. Your participation in our salary and benefits survey allows us to generate a report to help you establish a salary for a new position, evaluate salary norms within the Alaska nonprofit sector, and compare your organization’s benefit offerings and total compensation competitiveness. Why should I participate? The report is only as good as the level of participation—the more participation, the more statistically significant and reliable data will be available to help Alaska’s nonprofit community advance conversations about competitive compensation practices. And, if your organization participates, you’ll receive a $100 discount off the price of the full report. The survey is open for participation through April 5, 2024. What do I need to complete the survey? The survey… Read more »

Update March 6, 2024 This morning the subcommittee voted to preserve full funding for the Human Services Community Matching Grants and the Community Initiative Matching Grant. We did it! Nonprofit power at work! Thank you to everyone who reached out to the subcommittee. We will continue to monitor these appropriations as the budget makes its way through the legislative process. Please stay alert for announcements about opportunities to provide public testimony to the full Finance Committee.  March 5, 2024 The House Finance Subcommittee on Health and Social Services is proposing significant cuts to the Department of Health – Human Services Community Matching Grant ($300,000 or a 23% reduction) and the Community Initiative Matching Grant ($400,000 or a 70% reduction).  These matching grants provide essential services to Alaska’s most vulnerable populations…. Read more »

January is a time when we hold our annual meeting per our bylaws. We take care of Foraker’s business at this meeting including a review of our audit and our investments. It is a big day and one that makes me feel proud that we are doing all we can to support Foraker as a strong business that is working to strengthen Alaska’s nonprofits. Foraker’s board structure is unique compared to state associations and capacity building organizations. Our two statewide boards oversee Foraker. The Governance Board is responsible for legal, financial, and mission stewardship, and the Operations Board keeps us connected to the sector we serve. The Governance Board is comprised of leaders from the for-profit sector, local and tribal governments, higher education, and key philanthropies. It ensures that Foraker… Read more »

Last month we rolled out our public policy priorities for 2024. This month I want to share more about this work and call your attention to some specific actions we need from each of you. Back in 2009, Foraker formally became the state nonprofit association and part of a group of 42 peer organizations across the country. This action not only validated our role in the convening and research but it also got us thinking differently about our role in public policy. Our signature effort to that point had been publishing nonprofit economic reports, and writing the original legislation and hiring the lobbyist to create what is now Pick.Click.Give. We didn’t engage much in public policy until I became CEO in 2015. Since then, we have taken part in extraordinary… Read more »

Are you ready? This year promises to be one in which your full participation will be in high demand. Not only is it a national and local election year that by all current indications will do more to divide us than unite us, but we are also bringing with us the persisting challenges of 2023 as we continue to reckon with workforce challenges, declining funding, and significant leadership transitions in our board and staff spaces. I wrote last month about our superpower as a sector to hold on to our belief that everything will turn out for the best, and I am digging deep into that place as I prepare with you for 2024. We are ready for you with tools and resources to keep you focused, motivated, and connected…. Read more »