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 »

The Cold Climate Housing Research Center is initiating a pilot project this month to help Alaska nonprofits save money by making their buildings more energy efficient. The application process opens tomorrow for nonprofit and tribal building owners in the Fairbanks North Star Borough. The Fairbanks Nonprofit Retrofit Pilot provides energy audits and low-interest loans to nonprofit and tribal organizations as well as guidance through the entire energy retrofit process, including arranging an energy audit, prioritizing energy improvements, arranging financing, and coordinating contractors to complete the retrofit. In recent years, thousands of homeowners, small businesses and public buildings have taken advantage of energy efficiency programs to reduce operating costs. Homeowners have cut fuel use by an average 33% annually through AHFC’s Home Energy Rebate Program. The goal of the retrofit program… Read more »

Each year the Nonprofit Finance Fund conducts a survey that provides a view of the sector from a variety of angles. We encourage you to participate, as does the National Council of Nonprofits. Once the survey is compiled, the information can be used in many ways — as support for advocacy programs, to inform the public through the media, and to demonstrate the significant value of the sector to the vitality of communities. Results can be filtered by states, so the information from this survey is an excellent supplement to other research Foraker conducts, such as the ISER study on the impact of the sector on Alaska’s economy. You can view the results for Alaska from the 2013 survey by clicking here. Click here to get started. It will take… Read more »

Nonprofit Quarterly is a publication we depend on here at Foraker for news and analysis on issues affecting the sector. That’s why we were pleased last week to receive the NPQ Cohen Report in which author Rick Cohen listed what he believes are the top stories from 2013 with implications for the nonprofit sector. Click here to review Rick’s list. Let us know if you would add any stories…. Read more »

Foraker has been conducting surveys to support human resources management since 2002. It’s a service our Partners depend upon to make decisions about salaries and benefit programs. The next survey will launch soon. It is now conducted online, making it much easier to complete and tabulate. You will receive a notice when the survey is ready. We look forward to having as many organizations participate as possible…. Read more »

Making the relationship between board, executive, and staff work is a joint responsibility. Board and CEO both must seek a relationship that honors the organization’s values, purpose, and culture. There are several key questions that should be regularly addressed between the board and the CEO. First, is the board consistent in how much it delegates to the CEO? Does the board provide clear directions, expectations, and feedback? Next, have the board and the CEO adequately looked at succession and developed a plan of action to follow if the CEO were to leave unexpectedly? A succession plan is critical since no organization can be sustained without a CEO and no board should try to manage staff other than the CEO. At meetings, does the board or the staff do most of… Read more »

The Foraker Group has been busy over the past months working with organizations in crisis. Most had been strong nonprofits – all were providing services important to a large number of constituents. Now, they needed help. Unfortunately, they are not alone.Three years ago the last Foraker nonprofit economic study identified trends the sector could expect in the near future. From the data we found that probably too many nonprofits existed in Alaska. As a result, we predicted “the crash of the herd.” And because of shifting government funding priorities, we predicted a “funding crisis” was on the horizon. What’s the status now? Read Dennis’s latest newsletter to learn more…. Read more »