The Foraker Group

Our approach every day at Foraker is to focus on strengths – strengths of the people, the places, and the missions we serve. Fault, blame, and shame have no place in our work as they rarely, if ever lead to resolution or learning. Instead, they only serve to polarize and shut people down from learning the very thing they set out seeking. It is, then, with a heavy heart that we are listening, watching, and reading the blatant anti-Semitism, racism, anti-LGBTQ, anti-science rhetoric happening in Anchorage. We recognize or perhaps just hope that this is a fringe set of voices designed to drown out the vast majority of people who are too upset, distracted, or eliminated from the conversation to hear their voices in what should be a civil public… Read more »

Responding to a number of inquiries from Alaska nonprofits, Foraker has been in productive discussions with leadership of the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services to reduce the financial impact from a recent cyberattack. We commend department leaders who are working to navigate fallout from the incident, which has resulted in late disbursement of grant funding to many nonprofits, some of whom have been waiting for several months to receive their funds. Understandably, this has caused financial difficulty for them. Foraker is working with the department to identify organizations that are facing significant financial hardship and have had to or are considering actions such as tapping into dwindling reserves, accessing and/or pursuing a line of credit to cover payroll and other expenses, letting staff go, or at the most… Read more »

To be 100% clear, we believe that every person who can be vaccinated should get vaccinated. We stand with science and public health. We stand for health and the economy as one and the same. We stand with our whole community and say: “we care.” We also understand that health disparity is deeply rooted in our country and in our state. This means that while we all might be floating in the same ocean we were never sitting in the same boat. At our last advisory board meeting, nonprofit and philanthropic leaders from around the state engaged in conversation on this topic. We reminded ourselves that while some are choosing to be unvaccinated, many others want the shot but have difficulty accessing it. Let me share one example of thousands… Read more »

Is it ever enough? This is the question that drives me, haunts me, inspires me, and motivates me more than any other question in these times. I feel it most acutely as I watch and read and learn about what is happening around the world and in our own country and in my community. I feel it as we enter into this next phase of the pandemic and acknowledge that this is not a temporary way of life like many of us thought in 2020, but a way of being that is likely to be measured in years not months. What can I do? How can I contribute? Where will it matter? Is any of that enough? I feel these questions bubbling up for me about my own actions, and… Read more »

Earlier this summer we asked you to help us better understand the landscape we are operating in, especially in light of COVID. Surveys are challenging on a good day, but in a time of so many unknowns and the desire to truly know, I am sure the number of surveys in your inbox is more than you want to tackle. Fair enough. We are grateful to each of you who did take the time. We had a sufficient enough response that I think you all might find yourself in these results. Before we dive into the findings, I want to share a few thoughts that are not as obvious in the survey results but provide the emotional underpinnings of the results. Perhaps I can best sum up this emotional state… Read more »

Are you an executive director ready to empower your team to take on leadership roles?  Lead Up! is designed for “mid-level” nonprofit professionals interested in growing their leadership and management skills. Our goal is to prepare the next group of diverse nonprofit executives with the tools to stretch and grow, and in the process – create a stronger constellation of staff members at your organization. Is there someone on your team that may be a good fit? This two-month intensive begins in October. The deadline to apply is September 17…. Read more »

We have two positions open. We are searching for a Finance Director – this person will have the opportunity to build upon a strong team and established infrastructure to maximize impact and value for Foraker and our Financial Shared Services partners. We are also searching for a Staff Accountant to compile and maintain general ledger and accounting records for various nonprofit organizations. Join our fun and hard-working team! Learn more about the positions here…. Read more »

Alaska law requires charitable organizations to register with the Department of Law prior to soliciting donations in Alaska (including organizations participating Pick.Click.Give.). The deadline to register as a charitable organization or paid solicitor is September 1 of each year. To renew a registration, a charitable organization must file a registration form with the required attachments and pay a $40 filing fee…. Read more »

Our virtual Fundraising Action Plan cohort provides a cost-effective way for your organization to focus on your fundraising strategies with a group of peers and experts on hand. We understand that fundraising can be a challenge for many organizations and that sometimes you just want to know what to do next. The Fundraising Action Plan cohort guides you through the steps you need to take NOW to get the funding results you want – just in time for end-of-year giving season.  This is a hands-on experience that will require you to do homework and real-time work with your donors with the support of your team — a cohort of peers and Foraker’s fund development experts. You will walk away with specific tools customized for your organization to use immediately (including organized donor data, a calendar action plan,… Read more »

The funny thing about anniversaries is that generally the only people who celebrate them are those who were there at the beginning. But then there are birthdays, where everyone can find some joy and celebrate with a cupcake. To that end, I am wishing Foraker a happy 20th birthday – we have become a part of many lives, not just the few who were there in the beginning, and for that we are all so grateful. Because of each of you and your interest, engagement, and connection, we are a stronger, more vibrant, and more visible sector than we were when we started. Many of you know our founding story – we were born with the idea of creating shared services for nonprofits. That idea germinated over time and was… Read more »