If you are thinking about joining our Year-End Giving Game Plan, now is the time to act. Fill out our interest form by September 4 to take the first step toward a more organized, strategic, and successful year-end giving season. Your future self will thank you! Our virtual intensive, The Year-End Giving Game Plan, will not just guide you through a year-end giving campaign, it will set you up on a successful path to better engage with your donors in the long-term.     You will leave this three-part intensive course with the following:   More organized donor data that segments certain donor groups  A custom donor impact report (relationship-building tool), drafted for your audience  A campaign calendar to map out your request timeline  Custom ask language to be used in all request communications (i.e. a request letter + request emails) Post-campaign thank-you… Read more »

In a world where we are often rewarded for doing more, going deeper, or moving faster, there is real value in slowing down. In fact, it is the very gift of a pause that allows us to be most effective at more – deeper, wider, and faster. Going slow to go fast has been a truism in the Foraker lexicon for a very long time, but its application only seems to deepen across organizations both in the way we approach the work and in the way we deliver a service. For most nonprofits right now, the needs are only increasing, and the weight of that demand can feel heavy. Doing more with fewer people and less money or energy is not the answer, but often the unspoken expectation. We often… Read more »

We know that year-end fundraising might be the last thing on your mind right now—but trust us, your future self will thank you for planning ahead. Now’s the perfect time to commit to a successful giving season. And we’re here to help you do it in a fun, creative, and cost-effective way. Our virtual intensive, The Year-End Giving Game Plan, will not just guide you through a year-end giving campaign, it will set you up on a successful path to better engage with your donors in the long-term. You will leave this three-part intensive course with the following: More organized donor data that segments certain donor groups A custom donor impact report (relationship-building tool), drafted for your audience A campaign calendar to map out your request timeline Custom ask language to… Read more »

Recent actions by several online fundraising platforms—including creating donation pages for nonprofits without their knowledge or consent—have highlighted the need for stronger standards that protect both nonprofits and donors. That’s why we’re joining nonprofit leaders across the country in supporting four principles for ethical online fundraising: Nonprofit Consent: Nonprofits must have the power and agency to decide for themselves how and when to engage with online fundraising platforms before they solicit or collect donations. Transparency: Donors must have the power and information they need to decide whether to make a donation through an online fundraising platform. Partnership: Online fundraising platforms must recognize nonprofits as valued, equal partners. Accountability: Online fundraising platforms must be accountable to nonprofits, donors, the public, and the appropriate regulators. Learn more about the principles and endorse… Read more »

In March 2026, Alaska Attorney General Stephen Cox announced lawsuits against six crowdfunding platforms for creating donation pages for all charitable nonprofits in the nation without their knowledge or consent. The lawsuits allege that these companies, along with another dozen or more, used publicly available data to generate fundraising pages for over a million 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofits – including all charitable nonprofits in Alaska. The sites are now actively soliciting donations through those pages without first obtaining permission from the organizations or even telling them that the sites exist. The lawsuits involve the violation of three Alaska laws. Until these websites are taken down, it is imperative that every nonprofit inform donors about trusted ways to give. Ultimately, building and keeping donor trust and relationships is central to a nonprofit’s… Read more »

Last year, Congress addressed a variety of changes to the tax code in H.R.1, which was signed into law on July 4, 2025. The legislation included many shifts that impact nonprofits, for-profits, and individuals. In particular, the new law marks one of the most significant shifts to charitable giving rules in recent history, affecting how donors of all sizes, from small donors to major philanthropists and corporate partners, approach their contributions. This guide highlights three major areas of impact. Impact 1: The universal deduction returns: A win for every American household After years of advocating, the bipartisan effort to see a universal charitable deduction is now law. Beginning in 2026, taxpayers who take the standard deduction will once again receive a limited tax deduction for charitable donations – up to… Read more »

Raising charitable revenue to perform our missions is part of the nonprofit equation. Organizations rely on different levels of charitable funding, and each organization has strengths and challenges depending on how much of its budget is driven by charitable contributions as opposed to mission-related earned income. That said, often our staff and board teams overall are undertrained, underprepared, and yet incredibly optimistic about what it takes to raise and appropriately steward charitable revenue and relationships. I appreciate the optimism. We need that kind of energy and belief in our missions, but optimism without a solid plan, useful research-backed training, and a good dose of myth-busting makes this work harder than it should be. Recent federal tax changes are now in effect and will impact charitable giving. These changes will primarily… Read more »

We recently alerted you to the unauthorized use by GoFundMe of 1.2 million nonprofits on their online giving platform. GoFundMe has issued an apology and offered steps to walk back their practice of using the names, logos, and other key identifiers of nonprofits without their knowledge or consent. At the same time, they have been charging exorbitant fees or “tips” to the for-profit vendor. Our alert also provided a link for authorized users of each nonprofit to remove their organization from the GoFundMe website. If you have not taken those steps, do it today. This past week, we learned that these unethical fundraising practices of both using nonprofits information without consent and charging high fees is quickly becoming common in the industry, with Charity Navigator being the latest in a… Read more »

Very recently, GoFundMe launched an online giving platform for more than a million nonprofits without the knowledge or consent of those nonprofits. As soon as this came to our attention, advocacy efforts began across our network through the National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) to address this deeply flawed approach. Nonprofits rely on transparency, trust, and control over their own fundraising. GoFundMe’s actions undermined that trust and the integrity of the nonprofit sector. Thanks to effective advocacy by the National Council of Nonprofits, GoFundMe has now issued this statement. While they have not agreed to take down the site, they have committed to shifting to an opt-in only model and making it easier for nonprofits to remove themselves from the platform at their discretion. According to their statement and conversations with… Read more »

Have you checked out the Alaska Funders Directory lately? The Alaska Funders Directory is a curated list of over 200 foundations, corporations, and other entities that have an interest in supporting Alaska nonprofits and projects. We’ve added nearly 30 funders to the site in the last three months. Check it out and contact us if you need support…. Read more »