The Foraker Group

Nonprofit leaders often joke, in that not funny way, that the work nonprofits do is the best kept of secrets. We tell each other this as if saying it makes it better. It doesn’t. This is not a new revelation, of course. Over the many years, we at Foraker along with you have tried in many ways to rise from obscurity and tell our collective and individual stories. Collectively we have walked the line of making the story just enough about us to be noticed while keeping the emphasis on the work that happens in our communities because we exist. To that end, there have been human interest stories rather than headlines about how we mitigate and sometimes even end human suffering, how we propel the arts into the public… Read more »

Like never before… You are rising up. You are anxious. You are using your voice. You are scared for the people you serve and for the state you love. You are showing up. Your efforts are making a difference. We hear you. We see you. We all understand that we face an unprecedented effort to dismantle Alaska’s safety net – creating so many holes that we don’t know where people will land, dismantling the infrastructure that supports arts and artists like no other state in our union, undermining our children, our students, our elders and our most vulnerable, eroding support for science, education, and our fellow Alaskans who live in rural communities. Never before have all of these attacks happened all at once and with such force. And yet, here… Read more »

Thank you to all the nonprofit leaders who are offering public testimony on the state’s budget. We encourage more of you to do the same. During public testimony you are given just two minutes to make your point. Here are a few tips to make that time count: Start with your “call to action” – what do you want them to do? Share the impact in real-world terms (stories), not just numbers – for every statistic, a story. Offer sources for more information. Talk about the impact in your community, not just about preserving your organization. If you do talk about your organization, make sure to describe how you leverage resources and provide jobs. Lastly, be respectful. Your message will be more powerful if you are gracious in your approach…. Read more »

There will be harm and unimaginable grief from the lack of an override today, but know that the fight is not over. The Legislature still has options and there will be action to take in the coming days and weeks. These are unprecedented times in our state and for our sector. And while I understand all too well the obstacles in front of us, I want to say how very proud and impressed I am with every nonprofit that has mobilized – not just standing up for their mission and the people they serve, but also standing up for the sector and for Alaska. This could have been a moment that divided us, pitting organization against organization and mission against mission. Instead, day after day I have seen solidarity. This… Read more »

Yesterday the House Finance Committee heard from many – including Foraker’s President/CEO Laurie Wolf, Diane Kaplan (Rasmuson Foundation), Jim Johnson (UAA), Becky Hultberg (Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association), Melanie Bahnke (Kawerak), and more – testifying on the impact of the Governor’s vetoes. You can listen to the recording here. You can read Laurie’s testimony here…. Read more »

Even if your organization is not directly impacted by the state budget, you will likely feel the indirect effects. We encourage you to use our Indicators of Financial Crisis tool to be prepared. A stressed organization can make ill-advised decisions, especially in the financial arena – and the results can be damaging. This tool can help you assess where you are financially and plan for the future. Use the tool. You can find the print version here…. Read more »

The 2020 Census is just around the corner. More than two years ago, Foraker convened the Alaska Census Working Group (ACWG) to advocate for a fair and accurate count of all Alaskans in the census. The ACWG is a nonpartisan, multi-sector collaboration with representation from business, local, state, and federal governments, nonprofits, Alaska Native organizations, the University of Alaska, and others. We’re pleased that Mayor Ethan Berkowitz recently appointed Foraker President/CEO Laurie Wolf and ACWG Chair and Foraker Operations Board member Gabe Layman to the Anchorage Census Complete Count Commission. These appointments give Laurie and Gabe more opportunity to advocate for a successful census and ensure that all Alaskans are counted. Learn more about the Alaska Census Working Group here…. Read more »

Yesterday we hosted a conference call for Alaska’s nonprofits to talk about how we amplify the nonprofit community response to the line-item vetoes in Governor Dunleavy’s budget. Our message was clear. As a nonprofit, including 501(c)(3) organizations, you have a responsibility to stand for your mission and engage in public policy. There has never been a more important time to engage on behalf of all Alaskans you serve. If you are worried about lobbying restrictions, call us. But don’t sit this one out. Your strongest voices will come from your board and your stakeholders (donors, volunteers, participants). Engage them all. If we divide, we will all fall. We must stand together to override the budget vetoes. We have very little time to make this happen. Celebrate our democracy this weekend… Read more »

Yesterday we hosted a conference call for nonprofits to talk about how we amplify the nonprofit community response to the line-item vetoes in Governor Dunleavy’s budget. We heard from you that you need tools to navigate the next steps. To that end, we have crafted a message template for you to use as a guide. We encourage you to use it to create a message to share with your board and others to help them when they contact their legislators. Call to Action – Please follow these steps: Step 1 – Gather your stakeholders: board, staff, donors, volunteers, participants. Step 2 – Provide them with a contact list of all the legislators. Start with your own district and then move on to the whole list – it is essential to… Read more »

A message from Laurie Wolf, President and CEO Today, Governor Dunleavy used his line-item veto to cut over $400 million from the FY2020 state budget, adding to $280 million in cuts already made by the legislature. These cuts represent some of the largest we have seen to health and human services in our state’s history. And these figures do not take into account the loss of $22 million in matching federal funds. Let’s be clear, these cumulative cuts will have an impact on every Alaskan. As we have been saying for some time now, Alaska only truly works when we work together – nonprofits, business, and government. These cuts will mean the loss of essential services, and our most vulnerable will be the most harmed. More people will go without… Read more »