The Foraker Group

Relationship reckoning – reorientation – reassessment. These words don’t just reflect trends coming out of the pandemic but also reflect behavior we see every day in our board rooms, staff rooms, volunteer pools, and maybe even in our personal relationships. We are indeed in a state of flux in our connections to one another and in the ways we choose to spend our time. I say this not as an outsider to it all but as a person who is both living it and seeing it across the sector. In my lifetime, the only point of mild comparison to what I see today is what happened after 9/11. Americans made one-time donations to a common cause more than ever before, and then shifted their giving and volunteerism dramatically to areas… Read more »

You’re invited to the 2023 Foraker Leadership Summit! Join us on May 11 & 12 at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage to stretch your thinking and discover ways to put new ideas into action. We’ll also host a virtual pre-conference on May 4. What’s the conference about? Each Summit has a theme to inspire and grow nonprofit and tribal leaders. This year the theme is Reimagining the Way We Work. The uncertainty of the last few years has tested our long-held assumptions about how and where we make mission work. And it has us thinking “Why are we doing it this way? Is there a better way?” Our time together will be spent with the intention that we cannot simply “go back” to how we used to do things, but rather we must take what we have learned and move forward with strength. We… Read more »

As Alaska’s nonprofit state association, we connect with policy makers, businesses, and other nonprofits to highlight the positive impacts nonprofits have on our state. Positioning the sector as a credible voice is a role we take seriously. Each year a joint committee representing Foraker’s Governance and Operations Boards analyzes issues affecting the Alaska nonprofit sector. In addition to ensuring that we are nonpartisan, Foraker’s Public Policy Committee uses four criteria (see How does Foraker decide which issues to focus on?) to analyze issues and recommend annual priorities. We are excited to work together on reaching our 2023 advocacy objectives. We invite you to join us in advocating for the following issues that have an impact on your mission and the sector – you can learn more about each of these objectives here…. Read more »

Alaskans applying for their PFD can pledge all or part of their dividend to their favorite nonprofits. The deadline to apply and Pick.Click.Give. is March 31. Now is the time for participating nonprofits to: Make sure your community and constituents know you’re an option! They can’t pick you if they don’t know to look for you! Check in on your 2022 Pick.Click.Give. donors and encourage them to give again. Use the marketing toolkit on the Pick.Click.Give. Nonprofit Central website to find images you can use on social media, newsletters, signature lines, and more. Learn more here…. Read more »

Last March, we launched our Pre-Development toolkit for organizations planning new facilities, expanding existing ones, or renovating. The site is chock-full of guidance and resources and we want to know – is it helping? If you have used the site, please provide us with quick feedback in this short survey…. Read more »

In any given year, or month, or day we face challenges to doing our missions well. These challenges aren’t new, but the tsunami of so many hitting at the same time prevents us from performing at the level our missions require – and that must change. It was with these thoughts in mind that I addressed the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee last month. I briefed legislators on the contributions nonprofits make to the Alaska economy, along with some of the challenges facing the sector and actions they can take to help us meet these challenges. I encourage you to listen to this recording of the committee hearing. Questions after my presentation provide important insights to how the committee members think about the issues facing Alaska. In my testimony I… Read more »

  We welcome Dylan Faber, Liz Qaulluq Cravalho, Dr. Pearl Kiyawn Brower, and Tim Thompson– all previous Foraker Operations Board Members – to our Governance Board. We are incredibly grateful for their dedication in serving on our board and strengthening Alaska’s nonprofit sector. Learn more about our board here…. Read more »

If you’re considering applying for federal funds or have general questions about federal funding resources, we’re offering individual appointments with Zoe Olson, our Federal Funding Navigator. In these sessions, Zoe can help you navigate technical application questions and connect you with resources for learning about federal grant opportunities and grant writing resources as well as general questions about reporting and compliance. Use our contact form to inquire about scheduling a 30 minute meeting. Please include a few sentences about your interest in federal grants…. Read more »

Alaska Board Match is an online match tool created to help nonprofits establish more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming board rooms. This site also assists in pairing Alaskans ready to serve local nonprofits in need of board members. Alaska Board Match is designed to address barriers to access of information, networks, and resources. Unfortunately, there is a historical gap in the demographics of many boards and the populations they serve. There is an increased demand nationwide to identify, recruit, and retain qualified candidates from under-represented groups who are diverse in race, age, gender, and lived experience. Also, a growing number of volunteers want to put their professional and personal skills to use in their communities. You can find the site here.    … Read more »

The Foraker office will be closed on Monday as we reflect and commit again to our own role in creating and sustaining just and welcoming nonprofits that serve our communities…. Read more »