Like never before… You are rising up. You are anxious. You are using your voice. You are scared for the people you serve and for the state you love. You are showing up. Your efforts are making a difference. We hear you. We see you. We all understand that we face an unprecedented effort to dismantle Alaska’s safety net – creating so many holes that we don’t know where people will land, dismantling the infrastructure that supports arts and artists like no other state in our union, undermining our children, our students, our elders and our most vulnerable, eroding support for science, education, and our fellow Alaskans who live in rural communities. Never before have all of these attacks happened all at once and with such force. And yet, here… Read more »

Thank you to all the nonprofit leaders who are offering public testimony on the state’s budget. We encourage more of you to do the same. During public testimony you are given just two minutes to make your point. Here are a few tips to make that time count: Start with your “call to action” – what do you want them to do? Share the impact in real-world terms (stories), not just numbers – for every statistic, a story. Offer sources for more information. Talk about the impact in your community, not just about preserving your organization. If you do talk about your organization, make sure to describe how you leverage resources and provide jobs. Lastly, be respectful. Your message will be more powerful if you are gracious in your approach…. Read more »

There will be harm and unimaginable grief from the lack of an override today, but know that the fight is not over. The Legislature still has options and there will be action to take in the coming days and weeks. These are unprecedented times in our state and for our sector. And while I understand all too well the obstacles in front of us, I want to say how very proud and impressed I am with every nonprofit that has mobilized – not just standing up for their mission and the people they serve, but also standing up for the sector and for Alaska. This could have been a moment that divided us, pitting organization against organization and mission against mission. Instead, day after day I have seen solidarity. This… Read more »

Yesterday the House Finance Committee heard from many – including Foraker’s President/CEO Laurie Wolf, Diane Kaplan (Rasmuson Foundation), Jim Johnson (UAA), Becky Hultberg (Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association), Melanie Bahnke (Kawerak), and more – testifying on the impact of the Governor’s vetoes. You can listen to the recording here. You can read Laurie’s testimony here…. Read more »

The 2020 Census is just around the corner. More than two years ago, Foraker convened the Alaska Census Working Group (ACWG) to advocate for a fair and accurate count of all Alaskans in the census. The ACWG is a nonpartisan, multi-sector collaboration with representation from business, local, state, and federal governments, nonprofits, Alaska Native organizations, the University of Alaska, and others. We’re pleased that Mayor Ethan Berkowitz recently appointed Foraker President/CEO Laurie Wolf and ACWG Chair and Foraker Operations Board member Gabe Layman to the Anchorage Census Complete Count Commission. These appointments give Laurie and Gabe more opportunity to advocate for a successful census and ensure that all Alaskans are counted. Learn more about the Alaska Census Working Group here…. Read more »

Yesterday we hosted a conference call for Alaska’s nonprofits to talk about how we amplify the nonprofit community response to the line-item vetoes in Governor Dunleavy’s budget. Our message was clear. As a nonprofit, including 501(c)(3) organizations, you have a responsibility to stand for your mission and engage in public policy. There has never been a more important time to engage on behalf of all Alaskans you serve. If you are worried about lobbying restrictions, call us. But don’t sit this one out. Your strongest voices will come from your board and your stakeholders (donors, volunteers, participants). Engage them all. If we divide, we will all fall. We must stand together to override the budget vetoes. We have very little time to make this happen. Celebrate our democracy this weekend… Read more »

Yesterday we hosted a conference call for nonprofits to talk about how we amplify the nonprofit community response to the line-item vetoes in Governor Dunleavy’s budget. We heard from you that you need tools to navigate the next steps. To that end, we have crafted a message template for you to use as a guide. We encourage you to use it to create a message to share with your board and others to help them when they contact their legislators. Call to Action – Please follow these steps: Step 1 – Gather your stakeholders: board, staff, donors, volunteers, participants. Step 2 – Provide them with a contact list of all the legislators. Start with your own district and then move on to the whole list – it is essential to… Read more »

A message from Laurie Wolf, President and CEO Today, Governor Dunleavy used his line-item veto to cut over $400 million from the FY2020 state budget, adding to $280 million in cuts already made by the legislature. These cuts represent some of the largest we have seen to health and human services in our state’s history. And these figures do not take into account the loss of $22 million in matching federal funds. Let’s be clear, these cumulative cuts will have an impact on every Alaskan. As we have been saying for some time now, Alaska only truly works when we work together – nonprofits, business, and government. These cuts will mean the loss of essential services, and our most vulnerable will be the most harmed. More people will go without… Read more »

A message from Foraker’s President/CEO Laurie Wolf: As nonprofit leaders we make difficult financial decisions every day and are driven to do what is best for the communities and people we serve. We know that the essential services we provide, the gifts we create for our communities, and the economic opportunities that are derived from our sector all work because we do it as partners with government, business and industry, and individual philanthropists. No one operates in a vacuum, and we need each other. Even if your organization receives no direct government funding, each decision by our policy makers has an impact on the people and places we serve. This is Alaska – we are all connected. When faced with a drastic budget proposal earlier this year, Alaskans spoke up… Read more »

To Alaska Nonprofit Leaders: This morning the Governor’s office released its proposed Fiscal Year 2020 budget. All budget documents can be found on the website for the Office of Management and Budget. I encourage you to examine the proposed budget and understand what it can mean to your mission and your organization. I also encourage you to keep three important points in mind: Please know that the work you do matters. Remember that this is a proposal. There is a long road ahead of us before a final budget is approved. The legislature is the only branch of government with the power to appropriate money, which it does through a comprehensive budget bill. When the governor receives this bill, he can veto all or portions of it (the line-item veto),… Read more »