The Foraker Group

Maybe it’s the fiscal climate, or maybe it’s the prevailing myths of our sector, but for whatever reason I find that nonprofit board and staff members alike have a common misperception – that our greatest competition is other organizations. This refrain comes up in fundraising conversations all the time, and far more subtly in explanations about why one organization cannot partner with another to achieve a greater result for the communities we serve. Those of you who follow our newsletter know this isn’t the first time I’ve brought up the subject of competing with one another. In our August newsletter I wrote: …as our state experiences economic uncertainty, our solutions need to be about what binds us together, not what separates us. We will have many opportunities to work together to… Read more »

We’re pleased with the response to the conversations we’re sponsoring — along with the Rasmuson Foundation, First Alaskans Institute and the State of Alaska — on the state’s fiscal challenge. Nonprofit leaders are learning more about the issue and sharing their perspectives on possible approaches we can take to meet this challenge. In November we’ll be in Juneau on the 3rd, Fairbanks on the 10th, and Bethel on the 17th. Go to the Foraker calendar to register for one of these sessions. To read coverage of the Anchorage meeting, please go to this article in the Alaska Journal of Commerce. Plan to attend one of the remaining sessions so your voice can be heard…. Read more »

As our state faces economic challenges, how will nonprofit organizations take action? As a nonprofit leader, are you engaging in the conversation about fiscal stability? Join us in Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks, Bethel or via webinar as we discuss the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. At each of the sessions, we will: Explore the positive economic impact of the sector Engage in lively conversation with other nonprofit leaders on the most up-to-date information on the state’s economy Activate our voice in the statewide dialogue Presenters will include: Pat Pitney, State of Alaska Randall Hoffbeck, State of Alaska Jordan Marshall, Rasmuson Foundation Liz Medicine Crow, First Alaskans Institute Laurie Wolf, The Foraker Group Mike Walsh, The Foraker Group Detailed agendas will be released soon. Check back at www.forakergroup.org Space is limited…. Read more »

Last week, a headline caused me to ruminate on a persistent challenge for us in how we do our work. The headline was: How 5-year old Sophia Cruz Changed the National Discourse on Immigration with a Note to the Pope. The challenge is: How do we know the right messenger for our stories? This is a question I find myself asking in a variety of contexts. Like me, you have likely found yourself in different roles within an organization – as a board member, staff member, volunteer, parent, ambassador, participant, advocate, or paid or unpaid advisor. On the inside maybe nothing changed – after all, you were still you. But the reality is that different roles create the opportunity for different voices to be heard.   There are days in my… Read more »

As transition has occurred from the leadership of Dennis McMillian to Laurie Wolf, we at Foraker – both board and staff – have remained grounded in our founding purpose and values. We are in a solid place because we know who we are and what we want to accomplish. To honor our tradition and celebrate the gifts that Dennis McMillian brought as a founder, we have inscribed what our values mean to us on the wall of the hallway in the Foraker office. This hallway connects our training room with our boardroom and will serve as a constant reminder that the decisions we make in our board and staff meetings will have a lasting impact on the interactions we have with each of you. Please see the photos below of the Foraker… Read more »

In celebration of their 40th anniversary M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust is visiting the Anchorage area and hosting a reception for our nonprofit friends at Anchorage Museum. You’re invited! The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust is celebrating 40 years of generosity, stewardship and thriving communities by coming to Alaska. Please join me at a reception at the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center to meet the Murdock staff and Trustees. Monday, September 14, 2015 12:00 – 1:30pm Hearty hors d’oeuvres and refreshments Business casual attire Please RSVP to rsvpevents@murdock-trust.org… Read more »

After 15 years at Foraker – preparing classes, teaching, facilitating, coaching and mentoring – I have adopted a few concepts that I believe can help people in the sector take a new look at the way they work. One is: “go slow to go fast.” I use this phrase particularly when advising organizations on how to approach effective, relationship-based fundraising. It is often true that nonprofits are in a big rush to raise money and will try any quick fix to bring in dollars. They simply forget that successful fundraising is never about money and always about relationships. And, relationships take time. “Going slow to go fast” means that we are willing to spend time doing what matters most for our organization so we have the greatest chance for success…. Read more »

The Foraker Group office will be closed Wednesday, August 26 and Thursday, August 27 for a staff retreat. The office will reopen Friday, August 28…. Read more »

In an effort to help Alaska’s nonprofit leaders feel more comfortable “lifting their voices” to support their organizations and the sector, we have revised some of our advocacy classes. If it’s been a while since you took an advocacy class, or you want to learn more about how to conduct effective advocacy, consider our class “Building a Culture of Advocacy” which will be offered onsite in Anchorage on Sept. 3. Now is the time to work at least some time into your schedule to focus attention on public issues affecting you and the sector. In this course you will learn more about the important link between active advocacy and meeting mission, and how to build a stronger and more effective internal Culture of Advocacy within your organization. Does your board… Read more »

Many things distinguish us as individual nonprofits – the type of service we provide, our location, the length of time we have been in business, the number of staff we have, the size of our boards. Still, as nonprofits there are at least six characteristics that let us know we are one. What I appreciate about the six is that they are framed in the positive. Often our sector is framed by what we are not, i.e. NOT-for-profit, or in the case of international organizations known as NGOs, NOT a government entity. As a result, some scholars have tried to retitle our sector in a more positive light – the social sector, the independent sector, or as Adam Braun said in a recent talk in Anchorage, “the purpose sector.” These… Read more »