The Foraker Group

Let’s face it: planning for fundraising goals is always a good idea, but finding the time is hard. Our team can help you get organized. 

Our new, three-part virtual course, Fast Track Fundraising: It Starts with a Plan, will guide you through the process of drafting a fund development plan for the next year. Templates and real-time exercises will help you organize donor data, create a gift chart, draft/update case language, and calendar key action items.

Note: This course will focus on creating fund development plans for charitable giving – not government funding or earned revenue, such as ticket sales or memberships. This course is best suited for organizations that have some current charitable giving experience and seek to stabilize, diversify, and strengthen unrestricted charitable revenue.

Launching on May 28, the course consists of three, three-hour webinars of interactive instruction and real-time work sessions, with homework in between classes. Optional (but encouraged!) office hours are included.

You will leave this three-part series with the following: 

• A one-year draft fundraising plan: a map to guide your work

• Updated “case for support” language to use in donor communications

• A gift chart based on your real data to help you create a realistic fundraising plan for the next year

• A calendar of actions to keep you on track

• Next steps so you make sure that you meet your goals

This class is for your organization’s staff member who leads fund development work. Up to one additional member of your staff and/or board is encouraged to participate. The total cost for each organization to participate is $2,250 or $1,800 for Foraker Partners.

Get on the fast track for fundraising. Get a plan!  If you are interested, please fill out this form (Fast Track Fundraising Inquiry Form) by May 1.

For more information, contact Foraker’s Senior Director of Philanthropy, Emily Groves, at egroves@forakergroup.org

PROGRAM SCHEDULE 

Class 1: Wednesday, May 28: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm 
Overview: Why Do I need a fundraising plan?

• Learn the Theory
• Set Overarching Goals
• Create a Gift Chart

Class 2: Wednesday, June 11: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm 
Start Getting it Done

• Identify Your Audience and Key Messages
• Reassess Your Fundraising Infrastructure
• Set Key Objectives

Class 3: Wednesday, June 25: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm 
Put it All Together

• Determine Metrics for Success
• Create your plan for accountability and measuring success
• Create Accountability

Following Foraker’s rigorous nationwide recruitment effort using our comprehensive Leadership Transition services, Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) has selected Esther Pitts to serve as its next President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Pitts is a long-time Alaskan, Mat-Su resident, and currently serves as the Chief Community Impact Officer (CCIO) at MSHF. She will succeed retiring CEO Elizabeth Ripley and formally step into the role on May 1, 2025.

Ripley announced last year that she would retire to spend more time with family, travel, and explore other community opportunities. In anticipation, MSHF Board of Directors (Board) engaged with The Foraker Group to lead a thoughtful and thorough selection process. The search spanned the nation, garnering interest from over 75 applicants. Through a series of complex and intensive interviews, the Board narrowed the field, and Pitts emerged as a unanimous choice.

“Throughout the interview process, Esther consistently demonstrated the community-centered values that are at the heart of our organization,” said MSHF Board Chair Lisa Wade. “We had the privilege of reviewing many highly qualified candidates from across the nation, but at every key moment, Esther stood out—not only for her impressive healthcare experience but also for her authenticity, compassion, and unwavering dedication to advancing the MSHF mission. She truly embodies our organization’s values, and we are excited to see her lead and thrive as our next President and CEO.”

Pitts is an accomplished healthcare executive with over 20 years of leadership experience in healthcare, nonprofit governance, government contracting, and small business management. Having lived in Alaska since 1991 and in Wasilla since 2015, she has a deep personal connection to the community and a strong commitment to improving the health and well-being of its residents. With a proven background in building strategic partnerships, leading cross-functional teams, and managing complex community projects, Pitts has played a key role in driving positive health outcomes in the state.

“Our team at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center (MSRMC) is excited to welcome Esther as she steps into her new role as President and CEO,” said MSRMC Interim CEO James Bunch. “Her extensive background in healthcare and unwavering dedication to Alaska and its communities make her the perfect choice for this role. We are confident in her vision and look forward to working together to make Mat-Su the healthiest borough in the state.”

Pitts holds a master’s in business administration with a focus on healthcare leadership and a bachelor’s in business administration, both from Capella University. She is a Certified Professional Healthcare Risk Manager (CPHRM) and holds certifications in human resource management. She also supports her

community through board service with Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API), All Alaska Pediatric Partnership (A2P2), Best Beginnings, and Mat-Su College Advisory Council.

“I am deeply honored to accept this role and lead an organization that continues to make a lasting impact in the Mat-Su,” said Pitts. “This community is my home, and it is a dream realized to lead an organization so vital to the health and well-being of our residents. I am humbled by the opportunity to collaborate with our community and partners, working together to build a healthier, brighter future for all who call the Mat-Su home.”

For nonprofits, municipalities, and tribes receiving state payments through approved grants, contracts, and reimbursements, those payments must be made on time. If they are not, critical services to Alaskans are threatened. Organizations should not be expected to perform work and then have to wait unreasonable amounts of time to be paid – and that’s what has been happening for some time now.

Today, Representative Rebecca Himschoot and Senator Scott Kawasaki introduced HB 133 & SB 129 in their respective chambers. The companion bills aim to bring parity in state payment on par with current statutory protections for private contractors who deliver public works projects. HB 133 & SB 129 ensure both state and federal pass-through funds are disbursed promptly to nonprofits, local government, and tribal organizations, benefiting the people of Alaska.

Foraker is joining with the Alaska Municipal League (AML) to push for approval of HB 133 & SB 129. Together, we have a stronger voice. Last year, we issued joint resolutions on the impacts of delayed payments, and we are pleased to work with AML and the bill sponsors now to make payment parity a normal course of business for the state.

Here’s how you can support our efforts:

• Contact your legislators in both the House and the Senate. Let them know that the health and well-being of Alaskans and Alaska’s economy depend on a strong, healthy partnership among nonprofits, municipalities, tribes, and the State of Alaska. Prompt payment for services is an expected part of this partnership.
• Write a letter of support. Join with colleagues in a formal letter or email to bill sponsors that outlines specific challenges you have experienced with delayed payments. Your letters will become part of the public record. The volume of communications will demonstrate a united front on this important issue. We have put together a brief guide on how to draft a letter, including an outline and tips to make the letter more effective.

The Impact of Delayed Payments

For many years, Alaska nonprofits, municipalities, and tribes have told us about the increased challenges caused by the materially long delays in payments due from state agencies for money authorized by the legislature and for services essential to Alaskans. To better understand the severity of the issue, we surveyed the impact of delayed payments over the past two years. We received 46 responses from a diverse range of organizations. In all cases of delay, the important work of nonprofits was disrupted. Read the report.

You can find a press release announcing the legislation here.

In the vein of never missing an opportunity to make your organization stronger, these steps will put you and your team back into a space of control while thinking strategically about your next move. Even if you never have to take out these tools and use them, having done the work will place your organization on solid ground. Take the time to “go slow, to go fast.” Your mission is worth it!

1. Focus on compliance! There was never a more important time than now to have your internal house in order. Check your compliance list twice when it comes to funding and personnel compliance with the law and the rules of each granting agency. Since the pandemic, we have seen a national and statewide shortage of auditors, so make extra time to bring in the professionals.
2. Ask yourself (and the team) “to what end?” as you are navigating your next steps. This question should help you slow down, think strategically, and get your team on board with the right next step. Too often, when we feel in crisis, the temptation is to do something immediate, even if it does not help the bigger situation. Asking “to what end” offers the opportunity to imagine the result of your actions to ensure you are moving in the right direction for your mission.
3. Write down your financial scenario plan to include your best- mid- and worst-case scenarios from thriving to shutting down with grace. Hopefully, you don’t have to ever use this document but knowing it and having it keeps you and your team calm in a storm.
4. Document your staffing scenario plan – from status quo to furloughs, layoffs, and terminations with respect and lots of communication. Considering this well in advance of using it (hopefully, you never will) provides space to think about some of the hardest decisions you will make as a leader. Be sure to tie this plan to the finance plan so that you know what kind of financial landing you can offer, if needed.
5. Consider your crisis communication plan Generally, the following points should be your guide in any communication plan. Don’t forget to start by defining clear and specific audiences before you determine the exact message, the exact strategies for delivery, and the right messenger(s) to carry it out.
   • Facts are shocking enough – stick to them – be honest.
   • Focus on the impact on the economy and people’s lives as a result of the loss of your work – not just the work itself.
   • Generally, share a story with every statistic and a feeling for every fact. Help people feel the consequences of this decision.
   • Place blame in the right spot if that is what you are planning to do, or don’t do it at all.
   • Focus on what you are doing, not just what you are not doing – in other words, don’t accidentally undermine all your other work by focusing on the negative. Show strategic thinking and collective decision-making.
   • People want to be part of a solution. Give them an action step if you can. Even if it is to make a call or send a letter.
   • Stay abundant – this is all bigger than just your organization, so don’t make it just about you. Recognize others who are doing good work and the ecosystem that you operate within.
6. Determine your leverage in public policy Who has the most influence on the outcome you seek? What information do you need to provide? Who is your most effective messenger? How often and in which way will you communicate?
   • If your conversation is about the efficiency of funding, make sure you have “done your math” to tell policymakers about how their investment saves government money at every level.
7. Don’t lose hope. You have the power to determine what happens next, given the situations in front of you. Stay in a place with your team where you are making the best decisions given the best information you have with the time that you have. Don’t forget to find some joy in the work and with each other.
8. In each of these action steps, remember to communicate early and often to your internal team. No surprises should be your goal when it comes to the board and staff. Get a rhythm of communication that your team can expect and stick to it unless there is an urgent reason to shift course. This helps everyone pay more attention to what they need to know and when they need to know it.

We are in this together, so stay connected. Reach out even if you don’t know what you need or don’t have the words. We are here to help. Give us a call.

Never let a crisis go to waste.

Find the opportunity in the chaos.

Look for the connections to make things better.

Find a new way to see what is happening by joining together.

Find our own ground and help others find theirs.

These are the things I have been thinking about as we create ways to keep you informed, keep you connected, and keep us moving forward during these incredibly turbulent times. We are leaning all the way in with trusted tools, new data turned to action, lots of communication, and a bunch of tried and true ways to help you feel less isolated.

In a few weeks, we present again one of our signature opportunities to draw you together – The Foraker Leadership Summit. This is the largest gathering of nonprofits in the state, and we welcome as many of our tribal administrators and council members as can attend, too. We are stronger together.

Every two years, we come together around a specific theme and dive deeply through an interactive two days. No talking heads, no “tracks” to get you sidelined, just plenty of engagement and connection with people from across our state, from every mission, and from varied backgrounds, all looking to learn their way forward.

We draw our theme and inspiration each time from our Foraker Nonprofit Sustainability Model. We didn’t have a crystal ball back when we picked the theme, but we simply could not have picked a more timely topic than the essential nature of collaboration and partnerships.

We believe that our strength as a sector is our ability to work with others – as mission is ALWAYS bigger than a single institution. We believe that these relationships can be simple and personal – the sharing of ideas and information or be deep in complexity, bringing multiple sectors and groups together from vastly different points of view to create something better than any one entity could do alone. Sometimes, I refer to this latter idea as 1+1=12 because it is the magnification of possibilities rather than the smooshing together of ideas that does so much good for the people and places we aim to serve.

The way that Alaska’s nonprofits and tribes are centered in our communities means we are poised to be the nexus of these essential relationships and federal, state, and municipal governments, for-profits, and donors are in our orbit as we find new and long-standing effective ways to make Alaska work.

Of course, in the last six weeks, our federal partners have been deeply shaken, and the sector has become a target, not an ally, to too many. We know that this is neither efficient nor practical as Alaska’s economy and whole ecosystem rely on each partner to do its part.

So, what next? Will attending the Summit solve it all? No, of course not. But we do know that our future will look differently going forward, and we need to be ready to know ourselves and our larger goals more clearly. We know we will need to adapt our thinking about how we can achieve what is right and needed, even if the way that we do it has to change. This is a space to make the time for these conversations and considerations.  

Our facilitators are all ready to meet the moment with you and consider our way forward together.

Now more than ever, I hope to see you at the Leadership Summit, and if you can’t attend, we will keep finding new ways to share ideas as we navigate with each other.

We are standing with you.

Laurie