The Foraker Group

Each year we ask you to tell us how you compensate your staff. With your participation in the Foraker Salary & Benefit Survey, we are able to create a tool for Alaska nonprofits to use in making important personnel decisions. The survey is designed to help you establish a salary for a new position, evaluate salary norms within the Alaska nonprofit sector, and compare your organization’s benefit offerings and total compensation competitiveness. The report can be used to find information relevant to you – breaking the data down by job titles, organization budget size, and by sub-sector. New this year, we are asking organizations to specify staff gender in order to gauge pay equity in our sector. The link below will take you to a secure online survey that allows you… Read more »

Diversify your funding base – it’s too risky to rely on a single funding source. Plan for the future – know who you are and where you are going. Make values-based decisions – this applies to every decision from programming, to staffing, to board composition, to budgeting. Have your internal house in order and focus on effectiveness and efficiency. Seek new ways of doing your work and look for the most leverage to make every dollar and every effort count. Use your collective voice for change. Notice anything about these six thoughts? They should sound familiar. Why? Because not only are they best practice in the nonprofit field, but you are likely doing or at least working toward all these practices in your own business models. You have also likely… Read more »

We want you to succeed. We know new executive directors face challenges – and we are creating a safe space where you can find support as you face those challenges. Foraker’s Executive Leadership Initiative will assist executive directors who have been in their position for less than three years and want to take the next step in leading their organizations and increasing job satisfaction. Participants will enhance their professional skills and, even more important, will become part of a network of peers who support each other to build on their strengths and tackle their challenges of running a successful nonprofit. This program is aimed at executive directors who have worked hard to learn their jobs and serve their organizations – and may now want additional knowledge, perspective, and support. At… Read more »

We were saddened to learn today that Brent Kapansky passed away over the weekend from a medical condition. Brent served as an accountant for financial shared services from 2010 until the end of 2015 when he left Foraker to pursue other career interests. Brent cared deeply for the nonprofit sector and for the Foraker Partners he served. He was a good friend to all of us in the office, always pitching in when anyone needed a little extra help. Outside the office Brent was an avid sports fan and was loyal to both the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox. He loved sharing game highlights with us. We send our deepest sympathies to Brent’s family and friends…. Read more »

Nonprofits around the country spoke out against a proposal from the Internal Revenue Service that would have created a reporting system encouraging nonprofits to ask for, store, and report donor Social Security numbers. In response to nonprofit organization’s concerns and push-back from lawmakers, news came today that the IRS withdrew the proposal. The proposed regulations could have imposed significant costs and burdens on nonprofit organizations, created public confusion and disincentives for donors to support the work of nonprofits, and could have lead fraudulent actors to increase their targeting of donors and reputable nonprofit organizations. The Foraker Group will continue to monitor and actively respond to important public policy issues. We thank you for joining us in a strong, collective voice for the Alaska nonprofit sector. Read the comments that The Foraker Group submitted to the… Read more »

Nonprofits around the country spoke out against a proposal from the Internal Revenue Service that would have created a reporting system encouraging nonprofits to ask for, store, and report donor Social Security numbers. In response to nonprofit organization’s concerns and push-back from lawmakers, news came today that the IRS withdrew the proposal. The proposed regulations could have imposed significant costs and burdens on nonprofit organizations, created public confusion and disincentives for donors to support the work of nonprofits, and could have lead fraudulent actors to increase their targeting of donors and reputable nonprofit organizations. The Foraker Group will continue to monitor and actively respond to important public policy issues. We thank you for joining us in a strong, collective voice for the Alaska nonprofit sector. Read the comments that The Foraker Group submitted to the… Read more »

Nonprofits around the country spoke out against a proposal from the Internal Revenue Service that would have created a reporting system encouraging nonprofits to ask for, store, and report donor Social Security numbers. In response to nonprofit organization’s concerns and push-back from lawmakers, news came today that the IRS withdrew the proposal. The proposed regulations could have imposed significant costs and burdens on nonprofit organizations, created public confusion and disincentives for donors to support the work of nonprofits, and could have lead fraudulent actors to increase their targeting of donors and reputable nonprofit organizations. The Foraker Group will continue to monitor and actively respond to important public policy issues. We thank you for joining us in a strong, collective voice for the Alaska nonprofit sector. Read the comments that The Foraker Group submitted to the… Read more »

Nonprofits around the country spoke out against a proposal from the Internal Revenue Service that would have created a reporting system encouraging nonprofits to ask for, store, and report donor Social Security numbers. In response to nonprofit organization’s concerns and push-back from lawmakers, news came today that the IRS withdrew the proposal. The proposed regulations could have imposed significant costs and burdens on nonprofit organizations, created public confusion and disincentives for donors to support the work of nonprofits, and could have lead fraudulent actors to increase their targeting of donors and reputable nonprofit organizations. The Foraker Group will continue to monitor and actively respond to important public policy issues. We thank you for joining us in a strong, collective voice for the Alaska nonprofit sector. Read the comments that The Foraker Group submitted to the… Read more »

It’s the New Year and everyone is reflecting on the past and making projections for the upcoming year. Depending on your mood, you are either jubilant about the possibilities or wary of the forecast. These two extremes could easily be justified by reading the news about our sector or the updates on our efforts to fix our state’s economic system for the long term. The rollercoaster of emotions is ever-present but our role, all of our roles, during turbulent times is to find our stability and focus on our strength. After all, the nonprofit sector is the foundation of our communities. We drive employment. We provide essential services. We are the watchdog, and we ask critical questions about the communities and environments where we live. We ensure that Alaskans have… Read more »

Alaska’s nonprofit sector got some great news this Friday when the U.S. House of Representatives voted to make important charitable giving incentives permanent. Alaska nonprofits have been working with Foraker and other state nonprofit associations to help bring positive change to federal law. The incentives will help to promote, encourage and reward charitable giving to nonprofit organizations of all shapes and sizes. The legislation passed the Senate earlier in the week and is now on the way to President Obama for signature. The legislation includes components that encourage small businesses to make food donations to local food banks, encourages private landowners to conserve land by establishing conservation easements, and fosters increased charitable giving by individuals through their Individual Retirement Accounts or IRAs. According to Laurie Wolf, Foraker President/CEO, “this federal legislation brings real change… Read more »