The Foraker Group

While most nonprofits are founded by volunteers and can be maintained by volunteers for years, I’ve concluded that eventually, if a nonprofit is to survive the transition away from its founder, the board must hire staff to maintain momentum. The first staff to be hired is typically the CEO, and it is the only staff person the board hires. At The Foraker Group we have witnessed many situations where organizations that have been in business for decades fall apart. One of the common characteristics is the departure of the founder with no professional staff to continue momentum. The founder’s zeal may have masked the nonprofit’s capacity. When determining if an organization’s staff consists of the right people, this question must be asked: Is the organization being supported because of its… Read more »

We just learned that Rasmuson Foundation was one of 10 foundations across the country to win a 2013 HUD Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships for its support of the Pre-Development Program. Pre-D is underwritten by Rasmuson, the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, Denali Commission, Mat-Su Health Foundation, and the state of Alaska. It is managed by Foraker. The program is based on the principle that capital projects are more likely to succeed if they are well planned and affordable to operate. Read the announcement from Rasmuson here. Learn more about Pre-D here…. Read more »

It’s a pretty good bet that most nonprofit organizations have a board of directors. These volunteers serve as guardians of organizational and community assets. Unfortunately, after analyzing data from 4,000 nonprofit boards across the country in 1996, Barbara Taylor, Richard Chait, and Thomas Holland found that “effective governance by a board of trustees is a relatively rare and unnatural act. Only the most uncommon of nonprofit boards function as it should by harnessing the collective efforts of accomplished individuals to advance the institution’s mission and long-term welfare.” Still Taylor, Chait, and Holland assert that boards are necessary to guide nonprofit performance. “A board’s contribution is meant to be strategic, the joint product of talented people brought together to apply their knowledge and experience to the major challenges facing the institution.”… Read more »

Many of you know Simone Joyaux from the trainings she’s given in Alaska for AFP. We’re pleased she was interested in reading Focus on Sustainability: A Nonprofit’s Journey. And we certainly appreciate her kind comments. Check out her blog, click here…. Read more »

Defining the right people for your organization is more than simply meeting a list of criteria or qualifications. The right people are those who can use the values and culture of the organization to move it in the direction articulated in its plan. The right people aren’t all the same. In fact, the board and staff are likely to make better decisions if a diversity of perspectives exists. Recruiting and retaining the right people ensures that each person believes in and is connected to the purpose and values of the organization, is aligned with them, and has a passion for the mission. That is the glue that holds them together. Since nonprofits require a board, and if sustainable, a staff, then all individuals must agree on what should be done… Read more »

From time-to-time Alaska funders gather to talk with the nonprofit community about potential funding opportunities. The next Funders Forum will take place on Tuesday, October 1, at Juneau Arts and Humanities, 350 Whittier — next to Centennial Hall — from 10:30 to 11:30 am. This forum is a great opportunity to join a number of Alaska’s most significant funders who will present important information on how to access funding for capital projects and capacity building. Participating funders include Rasmuson Foundation, The Alaska Mental Health Trust, The Denali Commission, MatSu Health Foundation, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, HUD, USDA and the State of Alaska. There will be time for you to learn what is most important to each funding source and time will be available to ask questions specific to your project…. Read more »

While a nonprofit’s focus can become hazy through a lack of clear direction, organizations can also lose focus because of success. This happens when an organization is approached by other nonprofits, government entities, or funders to take on a project simply because it is a successful organization – whether or not the project is within the organization’s focus. For example, a food bank known for its outstanding work might be asked to take on a struggling farmers market. The board of the food bank might discuss this option and be tempted by potential revenue and the opportunity to meet a community need. Still, this move could pull from the original focus of the food bank. The board then needs to decide if taking on the farmers market would threaten the… Read more »

The National Council of Nonprofits has alerted us to a conference call to be conducted by the White House on Friday regarding the process for helping uninsured individuals enroll for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity for factual information on ACA and how it could affect your organization and constituents. The call will occur on Friday, September 20, at 10:30 am Alaska time. According to the White House, “this call will showcase some of the best practices for partnerships that will help to prepare uninsured Americans to enroll in health insurance through the marketplaces starting on October 1, 2013. Faith-based and other community groups are playing key roles in this work, and we look forward to discussing additional ways… Read more »

It’s come to our attention that rumors are being circulated about penalties for employers who don’t notify their workers of health exchanges available under the ACA. We want to share the information below that came to us from the Alaska Chamber. According to Jerry Geisel of BusinessInsurance.com, employers will not be fined by federal regulators if they fail to distribute to employees health care reform law model notices about the availability of public health insurance exchanges. Using a question-and-answer format, the U.S. Department of Labor said that while employers should provide such notices to employees by Oct. 1, “there is no fine or penalty under the law for failing to provide the notice.” While the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is clear that penalties cannot be imposed, “Internet-based rumors… Read more »

Strategic thinking is important for all nonprofit leaders. It’s how they know what success looks like. Many put more emphasis on developing a strategic plan than on having ongoing strategic discussions. Looking ahead and adapting to the emerging environment is a critical behavior for sustainability. But in addition to ongoing discussion and reflection about the future, you also need a written strategic plan at least every five years. The strategic plan we develop typically fits on one page. Brevity makes a plan more useful, memorable, and therefore more relevant to the actual operations of the organization. We believe it is critical that everyone is on the same page. The shorter the plan, the less likely the organization will stray from its core ideology. Our strategic plan includes three sections: core… Read more »