Barrow, July 24, 2012 When I arrived in Barrow yesterday it was sunny (no surprise) and 66 degrees!!! (BIG SURPRISE!!!) It was raining and 50 degrees 725 miles to the south in Anchorage. Today’s smidgen of insight; go figure? Is it time for beachfront property on the Slope? Dennis… Read more »

Mountain View Diner, Alaska Today the staffs of the Rasmuson Foundation and The Foraker Group met for the first time! In reality many people knew each other already but the two staffs have never met at a special event. And there are some people on each staff that had never met each other, even though the institutions are strategic partners and coordinate efforts to support Alaska. The snippet of insight today is that even though Alaska is like a small town where everyone knows each other’s business, we still need to be intentional to connect. Through partnerships we are stronger. The Foraker sustainability model points out that one of the critical factors for sustainability is partnerships. Identify your partners and celebrate your success!! Dennis… Read more »

1,500 feet over the Brooks Range — July 16 Today Gretchen Specht, Foraker’s Controller, and I visited Anaktuvuk Pass. This remote community was established in the 1960’s when the only Inupiaq community living away from the coast settled in a mountain pass where their primary subsistence food, caribou, migrate. I recommend this as a great place to visit for a bucket list. We came as a part of a capacity building initiative funded by Shell and USDA. In a few hours we helped two organizations with accounting questions, connected other leaders to resources to enhance their food pantry and establish a clothes closet for those in need, guided a young Native entrepreneur toward a process so he could realize his dream, provided assistance to the museum seeking accreditation, and maybe… Read more »

The Patient Protection Affordable Care Act or (ACA) is re-confirmed as the law by the Supreme Court. We have received calls about the impact of this decision. The simple response is as employers we can either offer insurance to our employees or our employees will need to find their own coverage. Click here to learn more…. Read more »

Barrow At the end of whaling season the residents of Barrow celebrate their bounty. It’s called Nalukataq. The successful crews who work together to harvest this important and meaningful subsistence food now share with the entire community. Elders sit around the perimeter of the activity to observe and assure all is well while children run freely in the excitement of the moment. The traditional blanket toss, first used as a technique to spot whales, is a highlight for all adding to the high energy and celebration. Today’s smidgen of insight is that community and celebration are intertwined. We need each other and having predictable ways of expressing this connectedness is important. Dennis… Read more »

Each year the Rasmuson Foundation generously offers sabbaticals to nonprofit leaders, allowing them to take time away from the office to refresh and energize. Learn more about the program and how you can apply by clicking here…. Read more »

Just a reminder — the deadline for applying for this year’s Foraker Certificate program is June 28. Click here for more information…. Read more »

Hello from the sunny capital of Alaska – Juneau. This trip began yesterday in Cordova, which was finally snow free. The Prince William Sound Science Center was celebrating with their dignitary-filled event, the Copper River Nouveau. From there I arrived in Juneau to visit with a nonprofit about CEO transition, another about a capital project, and a third about their sustainability. I leave tomorrow for Kodiak to meet with the senior staff of a significant organization, then back to Anchorage Monday night to catch a 6:30 AM train to Seward on Tuesday for strategic planning with another board. The snow is gone!!!! (At least at sea level) And the cruise ships have arrived. Today three boats were in Juneau increasing the population by almost 20%!! On their busiest days they… Read more »

You can add board members and staff to your Partner account. It’s an easy way to be sure everyone stays up to date on trends in the sector and has access to the latest Foraker news. It’s an easy process. Click on “my account” under Quick Links on the home page. Enter the email and password for the primary contact for your organization. Click on “manage additional accounts” and add the name and email of each board member and staff. Need help? Contact Andrew Cutting at 907-743-1221…. Read more »

Greetings from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge where we met with community leaders, did basic finance training and had opportunities to help connect people to resources available to their community. For people who never leave their western, urban core community, it’s hard to understand the sense of community within and the isolation from outside of communities like in Kaktovik. I wish every Alaskan, everybody, could have the experience I feel so fortunate to regularly experience in my job. That leads to today’s smidgen of insight. Life is neither more ideal nor tragic in small communities. In smaller communities there are a few people engaged enough to make a difference and from time to time those who are engaged have conflicting opinions about what should be done. The only difference is… Read more »