The 2017 Leadership Summit is right around the corner! Follow along as we highlight our outstanding speakers and post previews of their conference workshops. Jeanne Bell, CompassPoint As executive director of CompassPoint, Jeanne leads an integrated practice of 22 people who use teaching, coaching, consulting, peer learning, and research to advance social equity work in the Bay Area, throughout California, and across the country. She is a leading thinker and engaging national speaker on nonprofit finance and strategy. Jeanne is also very active in the nonprofit sector’s infrastructure – committed not only to the success of CompassPoint and its clients, but to the vibrancy of the progressive sector’s essential scaffolding. To this end, Jeanne serves on both the board of directors and the editorial advisory board of The Nonprofit Quarterly and… Read more »

We’re busy putting together the final details for the 2017 Foraker Leadership Summit. We’re thrilled with the enthusiasm of our speakers and the information and insights they are bringing to Alaska. They’re excited to be joining us. Just a reminder — early bird registration ends Friday, March 17. The early bird fee is $300, or $250 for Foraker Partners. After March 17, the fee will be $350, or $300 for Foraker Partners. In recognition of the economic challenges facing nonprofits this year, we have not raised our fees from 2015 levels. If you’re coming from outside Anchorage, discounted rooms are available at the Hotel Captain Cook. The cost is approximately $140 plus tax per night. You can make your hotel reservations here. The group code is Foraker17. If you have questions about your reservation, please call… Read more »

The Internal Revenue Service is warning that a W-2 email phishing scam is moving beyond the corporate sector to school districts, tribal organizations, and nonprofits. According to the IRS, cybercriminals use various spoofing techniques to disguise an email to make it appear as if it is from an organization executive. The email is sent to an employee in the payroll or human resources departments, requesting a list of all employees and their Forms W-2. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said “this is one of the most dangerous email phishing scams we’ve seen in a long time. It can result in the large-scale theft of sensitive data that criminals can use to commit various crimes, including filing fraudulent tax returns. We need everyone’s help to turn the tide against this scheme.” More information is available on the IRS website…. Read more »

First Lady Donna Walker has announced that nominations are open for the Volunteer of the Year Awards. Started by First Lady Bella Hammond in 1975, the awards recognize Alaska volunteers who have displayed an extraordinary personal commitment to volunteer service, and have made a major impact on their community or state. “Over the years, we have recognized many exceptional individuals who have done amazing things for Alaskans,” said First Lady Walker. “I am so pleased to continue this tradition, and encourage Alaskans to nominate those in their communities whose selfless efforts make Alaska an even better place to live.” Nominations will be accepted through close of business on March 6, 2017. The First Lady’s Volunteer of the Year Executive Committee will review the nominations, and recipients will be announced in late May…. Read more »

The Foraker Group is honored to announce the Alice Galvin Catalyst Leadership Fund – our way of recognizing the contributions Alice made to us and to her community. The fund will offer financial support to participants in our Catalyst for Nonprofit Excellence program, which Alice helped to found. Alice Galvin was a catalyst herself. Her passion and commitment to supporting leaders in their chosen field was dynamic, genuine, and gracious. Foraker will be forever grateful to Alice for her belief that a leadership development program deeply rooted in the practice of emotional intelligence could elevate the level of success for nonprofit professionals. Alice, along with former BP Alaska President Steve Marshall, was the energy behind Foraker’s Catalyst program. Because of Alice, we are able to offer this innovative experience that… Read more »

The Rasmuson Foundation is bringing back Michael Balaoing to Alaska! Michael joined Foraker in 2013 at the Leadership Summit and inspired us all with his pointed tips and energetic techniques to craft better nonprofit storytellers. He is back for a half-day training in Fairbanks – don’t miss it! Your Story Matters: How to Inspire Donors & Supporters January 17, 2017 8:30 am – 12:30 pm Fairbanks Community Food Bank  … Read more »

Please join us for the fifth Foraker Leadership Summit on April 3-4 at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. The theme is Stable, Resilient, Adaptable: The Tools to Take Us Forward.  Our guest speakers will bring some of the best thinking available on innovative solutions to the challenges of leading today’s nonprofit. Early bird registration is now open and will run through March 17. The early bird fee is $300, or $250 for Foraker Partners. After March 17, the fee will be $350, or $300 for Foraker Partners. You’ll find more here, including a link to registration and information on travel assistance for people coming from outside Anchorage and Mat-Su…. Read more »

Stable, Resilient, Adaptive: Tools to Take Us Forward This is the time for Alaskans, and especially nonprofit board and staff, to think big. The challenges facing us are significant. The needs in our communities are great. How do we begin? That’s our exploration at the 2017 Foraker Leadership Summit. This summit will be marked not just by envisioning new possibilities, but also by laying out a course for turning our dreams into reality. We will explore ways of working that are anchored by skills and tools we already know and enhanced by new ones that will take us where we need to go. It will be a time to look again at what makes us resilient. This is our charge as nonprofit leaders – to balance the need for stability… Read more »

Thanksgiving often brings us an opportunity to share our time in our own or a friend’s home. Home can conjure up both good thoughts and also remind us of life’s challenges. I am thankful for many definitions of home. One of those definitions is the nonprofit sector itself. This home has a strong foundation that we build upon every day. Our sector is built on community. We are on the ground working with our neighbors and working to improve the places we live. We are woven together by our diverse people, neighborhoods, and country, and we are stronger as a result. Our sector is built on partnerships. We are relationship-based and we know that each connection with other organizations, businesses, and government strengthens our work and creates more lasting success…. Read more »

December 1, 2016 has been marked on the calendar of many nonprofit executives, human resources professionals, and payroll departments as the date that changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) were slated to go into effect. Those changes doubled the federal, annual minimum threshold for exempt positions to $47,476 ($913 per week) with automatic updates every three years. The rule was announced by the U.S. Labor Department in May. Today, however, a federal judge hit the pause button on the new changes. The judge agreed with arguments made in an emergency motion for a preliminary injunction filed by several states. The motion maintained that the Department of Labor overstepped its bounds with the significant increase made to the minimum threshold for exempt employees and the automatic updates. So, now… Read more »