The Foraker Group

At Foraker, we have always been champions for the one-page strategic plan. We savor a clearly stated, motivational, and grounded document that offers a map and a compass. The map tells you about the future and the compass reminds you of your true North – your DNA – your core purpose and values. Time and again, we see the value of this tool in your toolbox. But not until recently had I considered the power of a single word as a planning guide. Recently I was meeting with my peer support team from my own Catalyst experience and as we were going around the circle talking about the upcoming year and our goals, one of my colleagues honed in on it for us. “One word,” she challenged. New energy surfaced…. Read more »

The first 100 days of a new administration are often marked by a flurry of activity. With one party in control of the White House, the U.S. Senate, and the House of Representatives, significant legislative and regulatory changes are a near certainty. Many of these changes will affect nonprofits, either directly or indirectly, and some may require quick action to defend the nonprofit community and the ability to advance our missions. The National Council of Nonprofits has just published a look at six federal issues that will likely be taken up this year and what they mean for the sector. We encourage you to read the article “Nonprofits Need to Stand Together to Push for Smart Public Policies,” share it with your board and other stakeholders, and be ready to… Read more »

The Rasmuson Foundation is bringing back Michael Balaoing to Alaska! Michael joined Foraker in 2013 at the Leadership Summit and inspired us all with his pointed tips and energetic techniques to craft better nonprofit storytellers. He is back for a half-day training in Fairbanks – don’t miss it! Your Story Matters: How to Inspire Donors & Supporters January 17, 2017 8:30 am – 12:30 pm Fairbanks Community Food Bank  … Read more »

Deadline to respond is January 13, 2017. All Alaska nonprofits that receive at least $500,000 in grant funds from the state in a fiscal year are required to file a State Single Audit. Foraker believes the current audit requirements are onerous and take time and money away from critical nonprofit missions. For the past two years, Foraker has prioritized the need for a change to this requirement. We have been urging the state to change the audit requirements in the following ways: To raise the State Single Audit threshold from its current $500,000 to at least $750,000 to match the federal government threshold. To build into regulations an automatic increase in the state threshold to reflect expected increases in the federal threshold. In other words, if the federal threshold goes… Read more »

Please join us for the fifth Foraker Leadership Summit on April 3-4 at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. The theme is Stable, Resilient, Adaptable: The Tools to Take Us Forward.  Our guest speakers will bring some of the best thinking available on innovative solutions to the challenges of leading today’s nonprofit. Early bird registration is now open and will run through March 17. The early bird fee is $300, or $250 for Foraker Partners. After March 17, the fee will be $350, or $300 for Foraker Partners. You’ll find more here, including a link to registration and information on travel assistance for people coming from outside Anchorage and Mat-Su…. Read more »

Stable, Resilient, Adaptive: Tools to Take Us Forward This is the time for Alaskans, and especially nonprofit board and staff, to think big. The challenges facing us are significant. The needs in our communities are great. How do we begin? That’s our exploration at the 2017 Foraker Leadership Summit. This summit will be marked not just by envisioning new possibilities, but also by laying out a course for turning our dreams into reality. We will explore ways of working that are anchored by skills and tools we already know and enhanced by new ones that will take us where we need to go. It will be a time to look again at what makes us resilient. This is our charge as nonprofit leaders – to balance the need for stability… Read more »

The phones are ringing, people are stopping by, and emails are piling up. It could be just another day at the office, but that’s not what I am hearing or seeing. Instead there is urgency. There is commitment. There is pent up energy that wants to do something – and they are turning to you. In this post-election landscape, there is energy. If we could bottle it and store it until we had more time, more capacity, or more understanding, that would be ideal – but ideal is rarely our nonprofit reality. I have said many times since this election that perhaps the only certainty in this new landscape is the focus we can bring to our work. Your missions did not change. Your values did not change. You knew… Read more »

Thanksgiving often brings us an opportunity to share our time in our own or a friend’s home. Home can conjure up both good thoughts and also remind us of life’s challenges. I am thankful for many definitions of home. One of those definitions is the nonprofit sector itself. This home has a strong foundation that we build upon every day. Our sector is built on community. We are on the ground working with our neighbors and working to improve the places we live. We are woven together by our diverse people, neighborhoods, and country, and we are stronger as a result. Our sector is built on partnerships. We are relationship-based and we know that each connection with other organizations, businesses, and government strengthens our work and creates more lasting success…. Read more »

December 1, 2016 has been marked on the calendar of many nonprofit executives, human resources professionals, and payroll departments as the date that changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) were slated to go into effect. Those changes doubled the federal, annual minimum threshold for exempt positions to $47,476 ($913 per week) with automatic updates every three years. The rule was announced by the U.S. Labor Department in May. Today, however, a federal judge hit the pause button on the new changes. The judge agreed with arguments made in an emergency motion for a preliminary injunction filed by several states. The motion maintained that the Department of Labor overstepped its bounds with the significant increase made to the minimum threshold for exempt employees and the automatic updates. So, now… Read more »

Foraker CEO Laurie Wolf has joined the steering committee for Welcoming Anchorage, which is a special project of Anchorage’s First Lady Mara Kimmel and part of a national movement. Ms. Kimmel released the following statement yesterday and as we continue to be anchored to our core values, we fully support these important hallmarks of a healthy community. We welcome the opportunity to stand beside many other nonprofits and efforts across our state that share our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion for all Alaskans. You can find more information here about Welcoming Anchorage. Dear Welcoming Anchorage friend, Home is a place that we should all feel safe and secure.  Anchorage is our home.  Whether we are from a village upstream from where our city now sits, or a war torn community half-way around… Read more »