The Foraker Group

To everything there is a season and, yes, there are budget seasons. We are in one now – for federal and state governments, and for your nonprofit. If you have a fiscal year that begins in July, you are very likely drafting a budget for the next year. (For those of you with a January or October fiscal year, your season has past, and you are well on your way to living your budget.) Budgets come in all sizes and all complexities. They can be simple and straightforward, as well as incredibly detailed and nuanced. They can be about millions of dollars or about thousands. All of our organizations benefit from this financial roadmap, and yet in Alaska we know from our recent survey work that too many organizations (19%)… Read more »

Recently we conducted a survey of the mood of the Alaska nonprofit sector. We wanted to measure what we had been hearing anecdotally. The mood survey is complete and we received a representative sample from organizations across the state and sector. What we learned didn’t surprise us – you are anxious. The more revealing answers lie in the details. Overall, board members have more anxiety than CEOs. This is interesting on several fronts: 1) There are more board members than CEOs so the anxiety has a multiplying effect. 2) Board members typically represent other sectors of our economy so they have a different perspective of how the economy is affecting the work. 3) CEOs are particularly adept at dealing with challenges and difficult situations – it almost comes with the… Read more »

On Thursday President Trump signed an executive order that could have a significant impact on the charitable nonprofit sector. Although the law has not changed and the executive order is somewhat confusing, it essentially instructs the IRS to look the other way when it finds that a nonprofit or religious organization violates the Johnson Amendment. This provision in the tax code, named after President Lyndon Johnson, is intended to keep politics and the money that flows to political candidates out of charitable nonprofits. Recently the Foraker Governance Board issued a statement calling for support for nonprofit partisanship, and we stand with over 4,500 nonprofits across the country who submitted a similar call through a letter to Congress. We feel strongly that any attempt to repeal the Johnson Amendment is completely… Read more »

Are you an Alaska nonprofit professional in a leadership position? Come enhance your management skills and explore a full range of issues and best practices to use in your organization.The Certificate in Nonprofit Management program features courses developed to apply classroom teachings directly to your workplace, case studies directly related to issues facing Alaska nonprofit organizations, and a network of fellow professionals. Information on program dates and a curriculum overview can be found here. The deadline for applications is June 2, 2017…. Read more »

In our public policy alert issued earlier today, we encouraged nonprofit leaders to contact their legislators. One of the opportunities we shared was public testimony on HB115. Those times have now changed – the only time to comment on the bill will be tonight from 5:00 – 6:30 pm. Here are the instructions for testifying: You must sign in to testify by 6:30 p.m. testimony limited to 2 minutes. You can testify in person, at a Legislative Information Office, over the phone, or via email. To testify via telephone outside of an LIO, it must be arranged through the chair’s office prior to the hearing by calling 907-465-4968. You can also testify by email to: Senator.Mia.Costello@akleg.gov You can learn more about the current HB115 here…. Read more »

Today The Foraker Governance Board issued the following statement to the Alaska legislature on the importance of a comprehensive fiscal plan that includes a progressive revenue measure. The Foraker Group, as Alaska’s State Nonprofit Association, has strongly and consistently stated, through its 2015, 2016, and 2017 Public Policy Priorities, and through our advocacy and outreach activities with members of the state legislature, that passage of a comprehensive fiscal plan is essential, and that an income tax must be part of such a package. We urge the state legislature to work diligently now to pass an income tax that is part of a comprehensive long-term fiscal plan that promotes strong rural and urban communities, and protects Alaska’s most vulnerable populations, education, and cultural life.  As individual board members we are prepared… Read more »

At our leadership summit earlier this month, we launched a new tool to help you assess the financial health of your organization — it’s our “Indicators of Financial Crisis.” We all know that a stressed organization operating with the best of intentions can still make ill-advised decisions – especially in the financial arena – and the results can be damaging. We also know that sometimes seeing a financial crisis is difficult. Our new tool will help you spot if you’re in crisis or coming close to one. Once you know, you’ll be able to take the steps to recover. After you take the assessment outlined in this tool and if you believe action is needed you have several options. You can tap the expertise on your board or another outside resource. You may… Read more »

Creating a theme for our biennial leadership summits starts with listening to Alaska’s nonprofit boards and staff and inviting Foraker staff to share what they are hearing and feeling when they’re out in your communities. This year, our theme Stable, Resilient, Adaptive: Tools to Take Us Forward was born from this process. We see a landscape of two distinct characteristics: either boards and staff are hunkering down and digging in to grasp stability or they are looking beyond their traditional answers and attempting (and sometimes succeeding) in positioning their mission as resilient by changing the way the work gets done or worse, changing their core premise. To be sure, there is lots of gray in between, but the premise of this conference was that either extreme is not the answer… Read more »

We appreciate the time committed by more than 450 nonprofit professionals who engaged in thoughtful and meaningful conversations this week at our leadership summit. For those of you who were not able to attend, you may review the presentations and handouts from our speakers on our website. Whether or not you were at the summit, we offer this list of ways we can continue to connect. 1. Participate in quarterly advocacy check-ins. Once each quarter, Director of Public Policy Mike Walsh hosts a dialogue on issues affecting the sector. Mark your calendars for June 7 at 9:00 am. for the next session. Remember – the best time to advocate is when your legislators are out of session and in your communities. You can also join our Public Policy Alert list to keep up with important policy issues…. Read more »

More than 660 Alaska nonprofits participated in Pick.Click.Give. this year, and we were very pleased when we learned the results of the 2017 campaign. By the end of the PFD filing period on March 31, 26,128 Alaskans pledged $2,702,450 — an amazing total from many generous donors. Congratulations to all the organizations who worked hard to let Alaskans know about their missions — and to the PCG staff, the Alaska Humanities Forum, and the United Way of Anchorage who supported their effort…. Read more »