The Foraker Group

Alaska’s Pick.Click.Give program will have an aggressive new focus in 2012, the result of surveys done over the past year. Research completed in October revealed a discrepancy between the kinds of charities people said they wanted to give money to and what they actually supported when giving through the Pick.Click.Give program. Read more-… Read more »

The annual Pick. Click. Give. campaign is underway. In the first 100 hours of 2012, the program saw over $275,000 in pledges from Alaskans across the state. According to the Permanent Fund Dividend Division, as of 6 a.m. this morning there were 5,319 pledged gifts from 3,387 people whose average pledge equaled $82 per donor. At this rate, if the same number of people file online in 2012 as did in 2011, the program is on track to generate $1.99 million for the over 400 charitable causes on the Pick. Click. Give. list. “These first days’ numbers suggest there is reason for optimism that we may reach this year’s goal of $2 million for the state’s nonprofit sector through Pick. Click. Give.,” said Jordan Marshall, manager of initiatives and special… Read more »

Project leaders behind the popular Alaska charitable effort known as Pick. Click. Give. hope to make 2012 the biggest year yet for Alaska nonprofits in the program. With the January 1 opening of the filing period for Permanent Fund Dividends fast approaching, a statewide Pick. Click. Give. public awareness campaign is now in full swing. Program managers spent much of 2011 conducting market research and other behind-the-scenes planning to make 2012 the most successful yet for the statewide philanthropy initiative. Pick. Click. Give. allows Alaskans to make charitable contributions to one or more of over 400 eligible nonprofit organizations when they file online for the annual dividend. Click here for more on the research and goals…. Read more »

Despite signs the economy is improving, nonprofits that rely on state money should brace for at least two more years of tough times, a new report warns. Read more-… Read more »

Alaska Community Foundation (ACF) is a part of a much larger movement that is nearing the end of its first century of existence, according to ACF president Candace Winkler. As we compare ourselves with older community foundations across the nation, we realize the magnitude of the work we are doing – and the work that’s ahead of us. Established 16 years ago, the Alaska Community Foundation works to grow philanthropy and build community in an effort to improve the quality of life here, now and forever. In our large state, that can be a daunting task. Read more-… Read more »

What’s up with air travel? Every seat on every flight is full and there is always a long standby list. Today was no different. I was in Seattle to work with one of our long-term consultants, Suzanne Lagoni. We’re completing the last draft of our sustainability book so it can go to press in 2012. We can’t wait! This was almost my last flight of 2011. I only have a trip to Kenai, one to Juneau and one to Fairbanks for work this year – after Christmas we’ll fly south to see my parents. This year I will fly over 130,000 miles, most in Alaska and work related. This travel is in sync with a primary Foraker goal – to truly serve our whole state and not be viewed as… Read more »

Foraker has been publishing surveys to support human resources within Alaska nonprofits since 2002. This year brings more improvements for our Partners: Efficiencies from automating in 2010 make it possible to repeat the full survey in 2012 – salary and benefits – rather than doing a salary-only version as we’ve done in the past. We’re also moving up the publication date significantly to best support our Partners that operate on a July-to-June fiscal year. Survey participation will run November to mid-December. Pricing on the survey is the same as 2010 and greatly below other market surveys: $75.00 – Foraker Partners that participate in the survey $150.00 – Foraker Partners that do not participate $250.00 – Other nonprofit organizations that participate in the survey $300.00 – Other nonprofit organizations that do… Read more »

This week, Chicago and the Independent Sector’s conference entitled R-Evolutionary This topic will sound familiar to anyone who regularly reads our newsletter or this blog. The world is in a massive state of change led by technology and human nature’s adaptation to that change. The smidgen of insight this time is that when we have expressed our understanding of these pending changes, we have tried our best to not sound alarmist, nor too far out, so you could hear the message. What I learned this trip is that messengers far smarter and more articulate than I report the same frustration when they express their understanding of this new reality. We heard again that the new world will be less hierarchical, more networked, and institutions with the ability to quickly adapt… Read more »

The Foraker Group is actively working with the National Council of Nonprofits to save the charitable giving incentive, which is at risk as part of the budget negotiations going on right now in Washington D.C. Federal tax law currently provides an itemized deduction to encourage individuals to give to charitable organizations whose missions they support. The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (the Super Committee) is looking for ways to reduce the federal budget deficit through spending cuts, entitlement reforms, and changes to the tax code. Politicians from across the political spectrum have put forward plans to address these issues, and most propose changing the charitable deduction in one way or another. Yet no one knows the true impact that any of these proposals will have on the ability of… Read more »

Today I am in Kansas City, MO at the Midwestern Youth Summit sponsored by the US Department of Education. It is designed to hear the voices of youth throughout the country on what is needed to improve education in America. The summit is held in partnership with the National Leadership Conference for Camp Fire USA, where I am proud to serve as a trustee on the national board. The youth at the summit developed nine action plans to enhance the experience of high school students and encourage them to finish school and attend college. The Kaufman Foundation and Sprint Foundation were the lead sponsors for the event, which was attended by over 150 youth from the surrounding area. The smidgen of insight today is that while many organizations work with… Read more »