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 »

We just learned that Rasmuson Foundation was one of 10 foundations across the country to win a 2013 HUD Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships for its support of the Pre-Development Program. Pre-D is underwritten by Rasmuson, the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, Denali Commission, Mat-Su Health Foundation, and the state of Alaska. It is managed by Foraker. The program is based on the principle that capital projects are more likely to succeed if they are well planned and affordable to operate. Read the announcement from Rasmuson here. Learn more about Pre-D here…. Read more »

From time-to-time Alaska funders gather to talk with the nonprofit community about potential funding opportunities. The next Funders Forum will take place on Tuesday, October 1, at Juneau Arts and Humanities, 350 Whittier — next to Centennial Hall — from 10:30 to 11:30 am. This forum is a great opportunity to join a number of Alaska’s most significant funders who will present important information on how to access funding for capital projects and capacity building. Participating funders include Rasmuson Foundation, The Alaska Mental Health Trust, The Denali Commission, MatSu Health Foundation, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, HUD, USDA and the State of Alaska. There will be time for you to learn what is most important to each funding source and time will be available to ask questions specific to your project…. Read more »

I think of my grandfather when I say, “I remember when-.” Well- I remember, I think it was in 1996, when Diane Kaplan dreamed one of her big dreams and promoted that vision to Ed Rasmuson. She proposed that one way to invest their (then) limited funding to leverage more dollars for Alaska projects would be to invite leaders of the most significant institutional funders, both foundations and corporations, to Alaska where they could learn about our unique challenges and opportunities. She assumed that the Rasmuson Foundation would have much more potential for impact in cooperation with these enlightened funding partners. At that time the Rasmuson Foundation’s payout was approximately $300,000 – not even close to the $20 million the foundation gave out last year. Elmer Rasmuson also supported the… Read more »

The challenges facing Alaska nonprofits that rely too heavily on government funding was covered recently by the Alaska Dispatch, an online news service. The story, which includes comments from Foraker President Dennis McMillian, echoes the message we have been delivering for some time now: Alaska nonprofits are overly dependent on government grants and need to diversify their funding sources. The story also talks about the success of Pick.Click.Give. in promoting individual giving. Foraker’s work has shown that individual giving and earned income are two sources of sustainable revenue that need to be developed by nonprofits if they hope to survive and thrive. Click here to read the article…. Read more »