In less than one month, new rules go into effect that benefit nonprofits in their relationships with local, state, and federal governments. The Office of Management and Budget’s Uniform Guidance, published at the end of last year, mandates that governments at all levels must reimburse nonprofits for some or all of their indirect costs (sometimes called administrative or overhead costs) for work performed under a wide variety of contracts and grants when federal grant money is involved. For the past year, federal agencies have been revising their regulations in order to ensure consistency with the new federal reforms. OMB is expected to release Interim Final regulations from most federal agencies that will take effect by December 26, and all governments at all levels will be obligated to follow the new… Read more »

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Council on Financial Assistance Reform (COFAR) released new regulations scheduled to take effect on December 26, 2014 that will have a significant impact on nonprofits. While the results promise to be positive for nonprofits, the regulations will require changes in the way grants and contracts are managed when federal grant funds are involved. Please click here for review from the Council on the new regulations…. Read more »

Periodically I review the Letters from the CEO archive to make sure that I don’t repeat myself (too much), and to monitor how many months in a row I’ve written one of these articles. We have published the newsletter since 2004 and it became a monthly service in 2006. In July we marked the 100th publication! In our October newsletter, I shared my thoughts on what it’s been like to develop these monthly messages. I hope you have found them helpful and that you’ll share your thoughts with me. Click here for the article. –Dennis… Read more »

You can manage much of the information on your organization on line. Use your Partner log-in to update your board list (so each board member receives the monthly newsletter and other important information), review your Partner Assessment Survey, and assure that contact information is correct. If you have questions, contact Andrew Cutting at 907-743-1221, or via email at acutting@forakergroup.org…. Read more »

The American Gives More Act is an important piece of legislation to support the nonprofit sector. It extends three charitable giving incentives that have expired and provides taxpayers an extended period to claim charitable deductions. The Council supports the legislation and provides information for your use on its website – just click here. Foraker has joined with Philanthropy Northwest in sending supporting letters to Senators Murkowski and Begich. Please make your voices heard on this important issue. If you’d like more information, call the Foraker office at 907-743-1200…. Read more »

The Nonprofit Finance Fund, in collaboration with the National Council of Nonprofits, has released findings from its 2014 State of the Sector Survey. The fund concluded that “the economic recovery is leaving behind many nonprofits and communities in need,” and found that: 80% of respondents reported an increase in demand for services, the 6th straight year of increased demand. 56% were unable to meet demand in 2013—the highest reported in the survey’s history. Only 11% expect 2014 to be easier than 2013 for the people they serve. We urge you to view the full report. We also hope you will read the perspective of the Council on the findings. By the way, 93 Alaska organizations participated in the survey. Thanks to everyone who took time to contribute the Alaska perspective… Read more »

The Foraker Group Salary & Benefits Survey© for 2014 is now available. One-third of our Partners participated, and overall participation was sustained over 2012. Survey results include: Spreadsheets – aggregate and break-out – for salaries Graphs and tables for benefits Comparisons to previous survey results Major trends in benefits Changes in health care costs and compensation Benefit graphs are shown in aggregate for 2014. Benefit tables also provide additional detail and a second way to review the range of practices among our nonprofits. If your organization participated in the survey, please contact us at 907-743-1200 to purchase the results at the discounted rate. If you were not able to participate, click here to purchase your copy…. Read more »

We want to call your attention to scholarship opportunities for a special event coming to Seattle this November – the 2014 Independent Sector National Conference, November 16-18, at the Sheraton Seattle. This conference is the premiere networking event in the charitable sector, bringing together grantmakers and nonprofits of all sizes. It will be packed with sessions on everything from the next generation of evaluation to crafting your organization’s stories to a first look at what the 2016 election means for our sector. It will also feature plenaries from major thought leaders, debates on new trends with issue experts, networking events, and a special reception at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Independent Sector is making available scholarships to attend the conference, which are designed especially for small and medium-sized nonprofits…. Read more »

Board work continues to evolve. Thirty years ago board norms were different. Boards met monthly. They used a strong executive committee that met between board meetings to manage the executive director’s actions – EDs made few decisions without the board’s permission. Only on rare occasions did the board or executive committee meet by phone. There were no faxes – board packets were sent by mail. Communications has drastically changed, and Dennis has some thoughts on just that. Read more here…. Read more »

This year we are partnering with Independent Sector, the leadership network for nonprofits, foundations, and corporations, to bring its 2014 National Conference to Seattle on November 16-18. The conference will feature programs highlighting the sector’s biggest names, alongside breakout sessions focused on the most complex questions of the day. With pre-conference sessions targeted to emerging leaders and policy pros, and a full conference roster of cutting-edge content for professionals and executives, the IS conference will arm leaders with the knowledge and connections they need to work toward the greater good in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, across the country and around the world. On-line registration is now open. Foraker Partners are entitled to receive a discounted registration rate. To learn more, visit the conference website or contact Liz Culkin at… Read more »