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 »

A recently released study — the 2013 State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey — details changes organizations are making after years of economic stress. You can read more about the survey here. A survey analyzer allows you to filter the national results by various categories. For example, 32 Alaska nonprofits took part in the survey and you can see the results for those organizations here…. Read more »

The Foraker Group was named a full state association member of the National Council of Nonprofits this week. According to the Council, the designation recognizes Foraker’s achievement as a leader for charitable nonprofits in Alaska. In a statement issued yesterday, the Council said: “The Foraker Group has been serving Alaska’s nonprofits for more than a decade. Led by Council of Nonprofits Board Member Dennis McMillian, The Foraker Group has been providing not just leadership and high quality trainings, but also a suite of back office services and consulting services, making Alaska’s nonprofits stronger every day.” The Council also recognized Foraker’s publication of Focus on Sustainability: A Nonprofit’s Journey, a guide for nonprofit staff and board members on how to approach sustainability more holistically…. Read more »

At the recent Foraker Leadership Summit, Diane Kaplan, President and CEO of the Rasmuson Foundation, launched the new Foraker book on nonprofit sustainability. The book, Focus on Sustainability: A Nonprofit’s Journey, was written by Dennis McMillian. You can read a summary by clicking here. The book is available for sale at the Foraker office, or on Amazon.com…. Read more »

Nonprofit Finance Fund is conducting its fifth annual nationwide survey examining the current state of the nonprofit sector and is looking for Alaska participation. The survey, which is anonymous and takes only 10 minutes to fill out, collects data on important financial and management issues facing the nonprofit sector. To take the 2013 survey, please click on this link before February 15. Also, please do pass on the link to other nonprofit managers you know—the more survey respondents, the more representative and accurate the findings will be. NFF will analyze the results and provide them to all of us—nonprofits, government, foundations, lending institutions, media, and umbrella organizations—in late March. Also, all survey respondents who choose to give their contact information will receive the results directly. The findings, and the comparison… Read more »