The Foraker Group

The Foraker Group is pleased to announce that we are official members of the National Council of Nonprofits. Help us celebrate and check out their announcement here…. Read more »

Alaskans are showing their true color, and it is Pick Click Give green. As of this morning, two weeks into 2011, more people have made more donations totaling more pledged dollars than the first year of Pick Click Give. $555,600 to support the causes you care about. Great going! To see all the organizations on the Pick.Click.Give. list for 2011 and to learn more about the program go to www.pickclickgive.org… Read more »

For Immediate Release Contact: Jordan Marshall, 907-334-0510 Pick. Click. Give. Opening Week Shows “Remarkable Growth” ANCHORAGE: Wednesday, January 5, 2011 – Project organizers say early 2011 Pick. Click. Give. participation figures are extremely encouraging. As of today, 81,805 Permanent Fund Dividend applications have been filed online with 2,975 individuals making 4,414 pledges for a total of $224,475.00. “Alaskans are demonstrating their generous spirit as they increase their use of Pick. Click. Give.,” said Jordan Marshall, a project manager for Rasmuson Foundation, which is a major supporter of the program. “Right now we are seeing an average participation rate of 3.6 percent, which is more than double than last year’s average rate. This remarkable growth is encouraging for the participating causes that are doing important work in our communities.” Marshall said… Read more »

It is not often you will find me excited about surfing the web. I see technology mainly as a utilitarian tool that should be used sparingly in order to devote more time to actually connecting personally to people. You might also know that I am completely committed to the sector – including all its facts and statistics. However, I know that sharing those facts has much less impact if they aren’t reinforced through stories. So I was very pleased that I found this YouTube video that captures the statistics of our sector in a compelling way – a way I think people notice more than if I or anyone else just recited them. Take a few minutes to watch and be inspired by our world. Thank you for all you… Read more »

People who rely on Alaska’s nonprofit organizations — and that includes just about all of us — need to look at a recent report on the economic health of the sector. It’s sobering and mirrors a broader issue that Alaska leaders have talked about for years — the need to move away from heavy dependence on the oil industry and federal funding and set up systems that equitably balance the cost of providing needed programs and services. This is the lead for a recent Compass article by Dennis McMillian that was published in the Anchorage Daily News. Read the full piece here…. Read more »

There are a few general rules about board giving. The most important is “opportunity, not obligation.” This means that if the board members feel like they “have to” give, then it is likely they will not give at the level that makes them feel good or is helpful to the organization in the long term. If this conversation starts for the first time when the organization wants to approach a funder, it is easy to get stuck in “how much” rather than “why” it’s important that board members make a charitable contribution to the organization. I encourage organizations to remember several important points about board giving: As lead investors, board members show the community and funders that they believe the organization is a good financial investment and can be trusted…. Read more »

Can our Board of Directors simply vote on a question by email? Will the decision then be a valid decision of the board? By Steve Mahoney, Esq., Consultant to The Foraker Group Interesting questions for a board to consider. To answer we need to take some steps through general corporate common law, the Alaska Nonprofit Corporations Act (AS 10.20), and then our corporate documents. First, common law principles of actions taken by board members are set on three premises: That all directors are aware of what is being discussed and decided and have been given adequate notice, along with the ability to attend the meeting where the decision is being made. That no conflicts exist, or none remain undisclosed, that would place in question the board’s decision. That in practicing… Read more »

The list is posted on the PickClickGive website. It represents roughly 90% of the total donations. There will be a much smaller second installment for some organization that will include all the charitable gifts from PFD filers that are still under review by the State. That number should be available in early November. Specific donor information and a check will be coming to each organization by mail in the next few weeks. Please trumpet these numbers, thank your donors, tell your stories of impact, post updates on your Facebook pages, Tweet, email your friends, contact your local media. Every chance we get to raise awareness of PCG is an opportunity to grow donations through the program in this upcoming year…. Read more »

The growing popularity of Kiva,DonorsChoose, and other charity sites that allow online donors to earmark their gifts to specific projects makes a lot of people in the nonprofit world nervous. But two fund-raising consultants say that rather than fearing those groups, charities should embrace their approaches for seeking earmarked gifts as an additional tool to raise money online. Read more-… Read more »

In an earlier post, we linked to a blog post on the Chronicle of Philanthropy blog about a new study that offers a “value” to a Facebook fan. While the post there may have been simply informing nonprofits about a new study and asking how the study might change the way a nonprofit thinks about its social media investments, this post is troubling for several reasons: They offer no guidance to nonprofits regarding how to start thinking about the value of fans on Facebook; They offer no commentary on the findings in the study which are questionable at best. More than anything, nonprofits should not be looking simplistically at the “value” of a fan as this study presents value. The inherent value of a Facebook fan goes far beyond a… Read more »