There is a line often directed to nonprofits that has been circulating for as long as I can remember. It goes something like this: “If only nonprofits could operate more like businesses.” For sure this is said not to insult, but with the best intentions. But for those of us in the field, who take our role of mission stewardship seriously, the intention is lost because it implies that we are acting recklessly and in disarray while our counterparts have the proven model. I mention this because it seems right now, perhaps more than most times, we should share the way we run our nonprofit corporations and stand up as a model to both business and government. Let us not forget that the C in our 501(c)3, 4, 6, 12,… Read more »

Seventeen-percent – that number represents the average of Alaska’s workforce that works for nonprofits. In rural and remote rural Alaska, it can be as high as 40%. Rarely is the sector talked about as an industry, but if we were, we would be the second largest Alaska industry based on employment – right behind oil and gas. The data is compelling for many reasons. One is the opportunity to look closely at what we are doing in the sector to both attract and retain this workforce. In 2006, Tom Tierney published an article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review called The Leadership Deficit in which he articulated his view of our future as a sector. A key element of that future was a high turnover of Baby Boomers and a… Read more »

There is a common saying: “It is lonely at the top.” I have been contemplating this saying as I enter my 18th year in leadership, including my two and a half years as Foraker’s CEO. I’m thinking about this mostly because of hard conversations I’ve had recently with Alaska leaders, and because of studies like Daring to Lead, which suggests new CEOs often leave their jobs during their third year because they feel isolated. I am also thinking about it because while there are certainly times I experience isolation, for the most part this is an experience I have managed to avoid. What can make leadership less lonely? And how do we stay and thrive in our work? Some research points to creating environments of support. We believe in this… Read more »

Do you wonder why some decisions seem better timed than others? Or why the expectations of some board members about their service do not fit with the discussions and activities the team needs today? Do you wish your board or staff would see why your line of questioning makes so much sense right NOW in your organization? When you are in a planning session do you struggle to find the balance between internal and external focus in your goals, or find that the board is holding you and your staff back from taking on new goals that would propel the mission forward? We hear about these tension-filled scenarios a lot, but unfortunately there is little science to give us the answers to eliminate the tension. More often, the gift instead… Read more »

The Nonprofit Finance Fund is conducting its seventh annual nationwide survey examining the state of the nonprofit sector, and we hope that you will take a few minutes to share your experiences. The survey, which is anonymous and takes about 10-15 minutes to fill out, collects data on challenges and trends among nonprofits. The results help illustrate the vitality of the sector in our state, define the challenges that we all face, and provide information that advances our collective advocacy work. Please take the survey and share it with other nonprofits in your network. Thanks…. Read more »

Just a reminder — this survey is open until January 30. We encourage you to participate. See the information below. Research tells us — and we know from our own experience — that it’s difficult to find and keep qualified fundraisers. Just how serious is the problem? We’re going to find out. We’ve been invited to take part in a study that will help define the extent of the “development deficit” both here in Alaska and around the country. Click here for the survey. Your responses will be confidential and anonymous. The survey will run through Friday, January 30. Please share your perspectives. Thanks…. Read more »

Several years ago nonprofit associations in the 5-state northwest region – Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington – came together to learn from each other how to better serve you and your organization. We have shared the various strategies we use in each of our states to assist individual nonprofits, along with the sector as a whole, to thrive. We feel our work has been enlightening about the services that are important to your organization. Thank you to those of you who participated in a survey for this project in the past. We’re asking you once again to share your thoughts with us. Your answers to our new survey will give us additional valuable information about the “state of the sector” throughout the Northwest. We are committed to using this… Read more »

Several years ago five state nonprofit associations in the northwest region – Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington – came together to learn from each other how we could better serve you and your organization. We have shared the various strategies we use in each of our states to assist individual nonprofits, along with the sector as a whole, to thrive. We feel our work has been enlightening and has better prepared us to offer services that are important to your organization. Our next step is to learn from you. Later this month we will launch a survey that will give us valuable information about the “state of the sector” in each of our states and throughout the Northwest. Watch for the announcement on the Foraker blog and please plan… Read more »

GrantStation polls organizations on the status of their grantseeking twice yearly in order to provide the nonprofit sector with a vivid, up-to-date snapshot of grantseeking today. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to help by completing their survey. Click here to get started. The survey results (which are free) can serve as a benchmark for your organization to compare your own grantseeking efforts with those of your colleagues. The more the respondents, the better the data that can be reported – so please include this survey request on your list serves, with membership groups, on Facebook, and more. We appreciate anything you can do to spread the word. GrantStation’s The State of Grantseeking – Survey and Report is underwritten by the Grant Professionals Association and the National Council of… Read more »

This Friday is the formal deadline for participating in our Salary & Benefits Survey. However, we are extending that deadline to next Friday, February 28, to allow more people to take part. You can read all the information about the survey by clicking here. If you have any questions or would like assistance completing the survey, please e-mail us at info@forakergroup.org or jjacobs@forakergroup.org. Thanks for your help. This survey is an important Foraker project and provides useful information to the state’s nonprofits…. Read more »