The Foraker Group

The Department of Health and Social Services and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium invite you to take part in “Healthy Alaskans 2020” by sharing with them the health priorities for you and your organization. Visit their website at www.HA2020.alaska.gov before Oct. 22, 2012, to take a brief survey and to find out more about this initiative…. Read more »

Are you new to the nonprofit world — or do you just want to brush up on your skills? Are you looking for better ways to serve your organization? Whether you’re staff, a board member, or a volunteer, The Foraker Group has a class for you. In October and November we are offering 2 NEW FINANCE CLASSES in addtion to our board and staff forums and Special Briefings. Visit our class calendar to see what’s available and then register for a class that will help you enhance your skills. GoToMeeting teleconferences and video conferences must be paid in advance of the class. If we don’t have at least seven people registered for a class three working days before it’s to be held, we have to cancel it. For more information… Read more »

Are you a chair of a board who would like to network with other board chairs? Could you use some useful techniques? This one-hour discussion, facilitated by Foraker CEO Dennis McMillian, is an opportunity for board chairs throughout the state to connect. Specific topics will be determined based on participant interest. This is a distance course offering via teleconference. Click here for more details and to register…. Read more »

Pick.Click.Give. was highlighted today on Nonprofit Quarterly’s newswire under the headline “Pick. Click. Give. Exhibits Alaskan Generosity Even in Hard Times.” Click here to read the article…. Read more »

Recently we conducted focus groups with Partners to learn how to improve services. As in prior research, we learned that they appreciate what we do – at least those who participated in the process do. One surprising finding was that while those Partners value what we do, they did not know many of the services we provide. This article is aimed at refreshing your knowledge on the range of services we now offer. From the beginning, Foraker focused its capacity building activities in three areas – back room support we call “shared services,” training for boards and staff we call “educational opportunities,” and various consulting services we call “organizational development.” Then two years ago, we embraced our role as the state’s nonprofit association. These four core areas define what Foraker… Read more »

The Foraker Group is offering a series of webinars to help nonprofits that are part of PCG 2013. Join your PCG peers for a series of conversations to make the most of your involvement in the program. Check out the opportunities. Pick.Click.Give. — Making the most of your participation — available on October 15 and November 14. Click here for more information and to register. Pick.Click.Give. — Communication series. Exchange ideas and suggestions about strategies and tactics for promoting your nonprofit through Pick.Click.Give. and ensure you are up to speed on this year’s marketing strategies. Each session will have a special focus, so consider joining them all. Click here for more information and to register. Pick.Click.Give. — Donor relationship series. Exchange ideas and suggestions about strategies and tactics for connecting… Read more »

This year’s Funders Forum corresponds with the Alaska Federation of Natives Conference and will be held at the Marriott Hotel Downtown Anchorage on Wednesday, October 17, from 10 a.m.- 12 p.m. It is a great opportunity for people to meet with a wide variety of grant makers who have an interest in funding projects in Alaska. Please share the flyer below with friends, family, colleagues, and contacts who will benefit from: Understanding how funders collaborate Learning about successful projects Having questions answered Please RSVP to jwhite@forakergroup.org or 907-743-1209 by October 10, 2012. There is no charge for this event…. Read more »

Just as Alaskans will receive their Permanent Fund Dividend checks in their bank accounts today, more than 400 nonprofit organizations will be receiving their donations from the 2012 Pick. Click. Give. campaign by the end of October. Alaskans gave in record numbers this year, according to data provided by the Permanent Fund Dividend Division of the Alaska State Department of Revenue. As of April 1, 2012, the close of the regular three-month filing period for the annual PFD, over 23,000 individuals had pledged more than 37,000 gifts totaling more than $2,200,000. “The impact of donations from Pick. Click. Give. ripples through communities in many ways,” said Debbie Bitney, Director of the Permanent Fund Division. “More hungry families and children can be fed, more animals can be rescued, public broadcasting stations… Read more »

Development, or fund development, is the term used today by nonprofits for the fundraising function. In prior newsletters we have written articles on raising money – most have been on the process of how to raise funds in a sustainable fashion. Sustainable fund development occurs when prospects are engaged and cultivated over time then asked to provide financial support – first given opportunities to connect to the nonprofit’s mission and then asked to give. When their generosity is reinforced, it creates sustainable revenue for a charity. This is important since charitable giving provides one way to secure unrestricted funding, the kind of funding all nonprofits need to thrive. Unrestricted cash is one of the cornerstones of the Foraker Nonprofit Sustainability Model©. (Another way is through mission related, earned revenue.) Today… Read more »

Please save these dates for the next Foraker Leadership Summit — April 22-23, 2013. This is our third summit and we’ll be addressing the topic “Telling Our Stories — As Leaders, As Organizations, and As A Sector.” The conference will take place in Anchorage at the Hotel Captain Cook. Watch this blog and our newsletter for more information…. Read more »