The Foraker Group

Are you looking for an inspiring and knowledge-packed day to increase your skills in securing major gifts? The Washington Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals invites Alaska board members, CEOs, and development officers to attend its annual symposium on October 10 in Seattle. Top fundraisers from around the country will share their insights on successful major gift strategies. Take your questions to Seattle and come back with renewed enthusiasm for ways to support your organization’s mission. Click here for more information on sessions and speakers…. Read more »

The Nonprofit Finance Fund, in collaboration with the National Council of Nonprofits, has released findings from its 2014 State of the Sector Survey. The fund concluded that “the economic recovery is leaving behind many nonprofits and communities in need,” and found that: 80% of respondents reported an increase in demand for services, the 6th straight year of increased demand. 56% were unable to meet demand in 2013—the highest reported in the survey’s history. Only 11% expect 2014 to be easier than 2013 for the people they serve. We urge you to view the full report. We also hope you will read the perspective of the Council on the findings. By the way, 93 Alaska organizations participated in the survey. Thanks to everyone who took time to contribute the Alaska perspective… Read more »

The Foraker Group Salary & Benefits Survey© for 2014 is now available. One-third of our Partners participated, and overall participation was sustained over 2012. Survey results include: Spreadsheets – aggregate and break-out – for salaries Graphs and tables for benefits Comparisons to previous survey results Major trends in benefits Changes in health care costs and compensation Benefit graphs are shown in aggregate for 2014. Benefit tables also provide additional detail and a second way to review the range of practices among our nonprofits. If your organization participated in the survey, please contact us at 907-743-1200 to purchase the results at the discounted rate. If you were not able to participate, click here to purchase your copy…. Read more »

We want to call your attention to scholarship opportunities for a special event coming to Seattle this November – the 2014 Independent Sector National Conference, November 16-18, at the Sheraton Seattle. This conference is the premiere networking event in the charitable sector, bringing together grantmakers and nonprofits of all sizes. It will be packed with sessions on everything from the next generation of evaluation to crafting your organization’s stories to a first look at what the 2016 election means for our sector. It will also feature plenaries from major thought leaders, debates on new trends with issue experts, networking events, and a special reception at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Independent Sector is making available scholarships to attend the conference, which are designed especially for small and medium-sized nonprofits…. Read more »

Board work continues to evolve. Thirty years ago board norms were different. Boards met monthly. They used a strong executive committee that met between board meetings to manage the executive director’s actions – EDs made few decisions without the board’s permission. Only on rare occasions did the board or executive committee meet by phone. There were no faxes – board packets were sent by mail. Communications has drastically changed, and Dennis has some thoughts on just that. Read more here…. Read more »

This year we are partnering with Independent Sector, the leadership network for nonprofits, foundations, and corporations, to bring its 2014 National Conference to Seattle on November 16-18. The conference will feature programs highlighting the sector’s biggest names, alongside breakout sessions focused on the most complex questions of the day. With pre-conference sessions targeted to emerging leaders and policy pros, and a full conference roster of cutting-edge content for professionals and executives, the IS conference will arm leaders with the knowledge and connections they need to work toward the greater good in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, across the country and around the world. On-line registration is now open. Foraker Partners are entitled to receive a discounted registration rate. To learn more, visit the conference website or contact Liz Culkin at… Read more »

Alaskans set a record in 2014 for donations made to local nonprofits through Pick.Click.Give. More Alaskans than ever before participated in the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) charitable donation program, sharing millions of dollars with Alaska’s nonprofits. According to the Alaska Department of Revenue, as of April 1, 26,773 Alaskans donated $2,771,400 from their PFDs, which is $325,950 or 13% more than last year. The average amount donated per person was also record-breaking, increasing by 11% from $94 in 2013 to $104 in 2014. Overall, 4.8% of Alaskans who filed online for the PFD made donations through Pick.Click.Give. Read more details here. Foraker congratulates everyone involved in Pick.Click.Give. and thanks Alaskans who gave part of their PFD to help other Alaskans. We especially thank those who gave part of their PFD… Read more »

GrantStation polls organizations on the status of their grantseeking twice yearly in order to provide the nonprofit sector with a vivid, up-to-date snapshot of grantseeking today. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to help by completing their survey. Click here to get started. The survey results (which are free) can serve as a benchmark for your organization to compare your own grantseeking efforts with those of your colleagues. The more the respondents, the better the data that can be reported – so please include this survey request on your list serves, with membership groups, on Facebook, and more. We appreciate anything you can do to spread the word. GrantStation’s The State of Grantseeking – Survey and Report is underwritten by the Grant Professionals Association and the National Council of… Read more »

Have you heard about the “Double Your Dividend” sweepstakes for Pick.Click.Give.? Alaskans who make a gift between now and March 31 have a chance to win a cash prize equal to the amount of the 2014 PFD. You’ll find all the details here. To help you promote “Double Your Dividend,” PCG has developed the graphics below for you to use in social media, on your website, and in your emails. Double Your Dividend Icon DYD FB Cover Photo Three Kids DYD FB Cover Photo Dogs DYD FB Cover Photo Food Distribution 1 DYD FB Cover Photo Food Distribution 2 DYD FB Cover Photo Two Kids DYD FB Cover Photo Alaskans You also can print and distribute this flyer about the sweepstakes. It’s a quick, easy way to give Alaskans an… Read more »

In his newsletter article this month, Dennis emphasized the need for nonprofits to be involved in public policy. You can read his comments here. This week the president of the National Council of Nonprofits echoed that message in an address in Washington, DC, which he made as part of philanthropy week. Tim Delaney believes the real action takes place in state legislatures and urged nonprofits to focus on their state representatives at least as much as their congressional delegation. You can read his comments which were reported in Nonprofit Quarterly…. Read more »