Our work in nonprofits is full of paradox. One of those is about how we grapple with data. On the one hand, we lack access to or capacity to get enough data to be as effective as we always strive to be, and on the other, we are awash in lots of data but again lack enough context or capacity to do anything meaningful with it. Something we often see in the latter case is that boards, especially, are bombarded with data but in essence have little information. Over the years, we have committed not only to gathering data but also to providing education and support to turn that data into knowledge that can lead your organization to strategic action. The “data to action trajectory” is our gold standard. With… Read more »

In November, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a standard requiring employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their employees are vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19. The U.S. Supreme Court stayed that requirement on January 13. This means that the court hasn’t struck down the standard but only put it on hold pending further action in lower courts. In other action, the court lifted injunctions against CDC rules that require vaccinations for all applicable staff of employers receiving payments under Medicaid and Medicare programs. Litigation in this case also continues, but the vaccination mandate is no longer blocked. We encourage Alaska nonprofit employers to continue examining their vaccination and testing policies to determine what is in the best interest of their staff and the people they serve…. Read more »

On November 4, 2021, OSHA released Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) regarding vaccine mandates for employers with 100 or more employees. Since last week’s release, the ETS has been challenged. Although a federal appeals court issued an order to stop the ETS, we encourage nonprofits with 100 or more employees to prepare to implement the ETS by its first deadline on January 4, 2022. The National Council of Nonprofits prepared a summary intended to answer most questions and provide assistance to nonprofit employers seeking to determine whether their organization is covered by the mandate and if so, to comply with the standard…. Read more »

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is directing significant funds to Alaska. There may be an opportunity for your nonprofit to apply for federal funds. In this video, Foraker’s Rachel Morse will walk you through how to find details about the funds in order to determine if your organization is eligible. You can contact Rachel directly at rmorse@forakergroup.org for specific questions on ARPA funds. We also encourage you to sign up for the Alaska ARPA email alerts and updates to stay in the know. As a reminder, one of the funding opportunities currently available is through a partnership with the State of Alaska and The Alaska Community Foundation. The ARPA Nonprofit Recovery Fund will have two rounds of applications – the first round is due November 19…. Read more »

Our approach every day at Foraker is to focus on strengths – strengths of the people, the places, and the missions we serve. Fault, blame, and shame have no place in our work as they rarely, if ever lead to resolution or learning. Instead, they only serve to polarize and shut people down from learning the very thing they set out seeking. It is, then, with a heavy heart that we are listening, watching, and reading the blatant anti-Semitism, racism, anti-LGBTQ, anti-science rhetoric happening in Anchorage. We recognize or perhaps just hope that this is a fringe set of voices designed to drown out the vast majority of people who are too upset, distracted, or eliminated from the conversation to hear their voices in what should be a civil public… Read more »

Responding to a number of inquiries from Alaska nonprofits, Foraker has been in productive discussions with leadership of the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services to reduce the financial impact from a recent cyberattack. We commend department leaders who are working to navigate fallout from the incident, which has resulted in late disbursement of grant funding to many nonprofits, some of whom have been waiting for several months to receive their funds. Understandably, this has caused financial difficulty for them. Foraker is working with the department to identify organizations that are facing significant financial hardship and have had to or are considering actions such as tapping into dwindling reserves, accessing and/or pursuing a line of credit to cover payroll and other expenses, letting staff go, or at the most… Read more »

Alaska law requires charitable organizations to register with the Department of Law prior to soliciting donations in Alaska (including organizations participating Pick.Click.Give.). The deadline to register as a charitable organization or paid solicitor is September 1 of each year. To renew a registration, a charitable organization must file a registration form with the required attachments and pay a $40 filing fee…. Read more »

On May 5, the Alaska House Labor and Commerce Committee heard testimony on the status of gender pay equity in Alaska. Foraker President/CEO Laurie Wolf presented research conducted by Foraker on behalf of the nonprofit sector. Thank you, Representative Spohnholz and Representative Fields. I am Laurie Wolf, President/CEO of The Foraker Group, which serves as the state nonprofit association for Alaska and the nonprofit capacity builder. As the voice for the nonprofit sector, Foraker appreciates the opportunity to speak before the committee on a topic we are truly dedicated to in our daily work and for the long haul. Part of our commitment to the sector is to be a source of research that can be turned into action to improve the lives of Alaskans and the communities where we… Read more »

Below is the testimony Laurie Wolf delivered on April 1, 2021, to the House Tribal Affairs Committee, chaired by Representative Tiffany Zulkosky: For the record, I am Laurie Wolf, President/CEO of The Foraker Group, which serves as the state nonprofit association for Alaska and nonprofit capacity builder across the state. Today I am speaking to you from Dena’ina land. As the voice for the nonprofit sector, I appreciate the opportunity to speak before the committee in support of HB 123. Foraker is honored to stand with Alaska’s indigenous people and all Alaska tribes. I am driven to be here today as I reflect and live our core values as an organization. Rather than just saying “Alaska” as our value, we specifically call out our value as Urban/Rural/Native/Non-Native to acknowledge the… Read more »

On March 11, 2021 President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into law – it’s the latest federal COVID relief package.  The far-reaching ARPA is packed with financial assistance for nonprofits, individuals, local governments, states, and small businesses.  Thanks to the tireless advocacy of the National Council of Nonprofits for ensuring nonprofits are included in the law.  We know Alaska nonprofits are wanting to learn more about specific parts of the ARPA that affect their organizations, their staff and volunteers, their clients and customers, their communities. 2020 was a tough year, and 2021 presents even more pressing challenges in responding to the global pandemic, and charting a solid, strategic path to long-term recovery.  The ARPA is a significant part of relief and recovery. In the summary below we identify… Read more »