As we mark our country’s celebration of independence this week, I am ruminating on the strength of our interdependence. Indeed, we see far too many examples these days of people who speak of independence in a way that is dividing us. Some days those voices come with great power, both real and perceived. Independence – and equally interdependence – doesn’t mean that we are all going to agree all the time. When he visited the United States in the mid-1800s, the French statesman Alexis de Tocqueville keenly observed that the success of American democracy was the result of “associations of a thousand kinds.” Today our sector is still incredibly diverse and includes all political parties and every religion, all of which, like many of you, are organized under the federal… Read more »

There are productive conversations occurring in our state and our sector about the economy and its impact on organizations – and there are other conversations that aren’t so productive. I have been pleased with the approach of many of our nonprofit leaders to their budgets and to figuring out ways to find stability and resiliency in the face of uncertainty. I have seen new thinking, creative ideas, and a recommitment to the best practices of our work in building operating reserves, focusing on unrestricted cash, and diversifying revenue. Unfortunately, while many in our sector are setting a great example, there are still too many conversations about how our sector is wasteful and not accountable or transparent enough in the way we spend our resources. I hear and read most of… Read more »

In our sustainability model one of the questions we encourage board and staff to ask is: “Who are the top five existing or potential partners who can help make our mission work?” I have enjoyed hearing the answers from board and staff because they vary greatly between the two and because the insights often inspire relationships to be created or strengthened. But there are two new questions we also need to be asking: “who are the top five existing or potential partners that can help make our community stronger? And what is our role in that work? Our premise has always been that you can’t achieve mission by yourself, but thinking only about mission is getting us stuck. We also have to focus on the greater cause so we think outside… Read more »

Last month I talked about CEOs who were considering imminent, or not too distant, departures from their jobs. This month I want to focus on those who are staying and need to remain grounded during these uncertain times. While many of our organizations have not yet felt the economic punch that is coming, most of us have experienced some level of anxiety about our overall ability to serve our communities in this economy. Not only is this to be expected, I would honestly be a little worried if all of you weren’t seriously considering the changes in our landscape that will affect us for the foreseeable future. I applaud those of you who have become involved and used your voice. This is the time to speak up for the good… Read more »

Maybe it’s the increasing stress of running a nonprofit during challenging economic times. Maybe it’s the increasing expectation of the fast pace we are expected to keep. Or maybe it’s the leadership deficit bubble we expected would burst in 2008, but is now playing out. Whatever the reason, lately I’ve had a notable increase in conversations about executive succession – with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I am excited for the people who are asking about it because I know they are ready for a break and that they have served the nonprofit sector with their dedication and wisdom. On the other hand, of course, I am concerned that so many seasoned leaders will exit at the same time. We often say that no more than a third of… Read more »

Diversify your funding base – it’s too risky to rely on a single funding source. Plan for the future – know who you are and where you are going. Make values-based decisions – this applies to every decision from programming, to staffing, to board composition, to budgeting. Have your internal house in order and focus on effectiveness and efficiency. Seek new ways of doing your work and look for the most leverage to make every dollar and every effort count. Use your collective voice for change. Notice anything about these six thoughts? They should sound familiar. Why? Because not only are they best practice in the nonprofit field, but you are likely doing or at least working toward all these practices in your own business models. You have also likely… Read more »

It’s the New Year and everyone is reflecting on the past and making projections for the upcoming year. Depending on your mood, you are either jubilant about the possibilities or wary of the forecast. These two extremes could easily be justified by reading the news about our sector or the updates on our efforts to fix our state’s economic system for the long term. The rollercoaster of emotions is ever-present but our role, all of our roles, during turbulent times is to find our stability and focus on our strength. After all, the nonprofit sector is the foundation of our communities. We drive employment. We provide essential services. We are the watchdog, and we ask critical questions about the communities and environments where we live. We ensure that Alaskans have… Read more »

There are so many reasons to feel and express gratitude throughout the year and, yet, often it takes a holiday or some external reminder for us to stop a moment and give one of the best gifts we can to ourselves as leaders – to be thankful. We have no shortage of demands on our time, our energy and our missions to do more and do it better. But for a moment, perhaps just the time it takes you to read this post, let’s stop and give thanks. Like you, I have a personal list of people and experiences that I am grateful for every day. Top among them are my family, close and forever friends, the Foraker staff, and this work in Alaska that I so truly love. But… Read more »

Maybe it’s the fiscal climate, or maybe it’s the prevailing myths of our sector, but for whatever reason I find that nonprofit board and staff members alike have a common misperception – that our greatest competition is other organizations. This refrain comes up in fundraising conversations all the time, and far more subtly in explanations about why one organization cannot partner with another to achieve a greater result for the communities we serve. Those of you who follow our newsletter know this isn’t the first time I’ve brought up the subject of competing with one another. In our August newsletter I wrote: …as our state experiences economic uncertainty, our solutions need to be about what binds us together, not what separates us. We will have many opportunities to work together to… Read more »

Last week, a headline caused me to ruminate on a persistent challenge for us in how we do our work. The headline was: How 5-year old Sophia Cruz Changed the National Discourse on Immigration with a Note to the Pope. The challenge is: How do we know the right messenger for our stories? This is a question I find myself asking in a variety of contexts. Like me, you have likely found yourself in different roles within an organization – as a board member, staff member, volunteer, parent, ambassador, participant, advocate, or paid or unpaid advisor. On the inside maybe nothing changed – after all, you were still you. But the reality is that different roles create the opportunity for different voices to be heard.   There are days in my… Read more »