It’s back-to-school time, and families all over Alaska are shifting their schedules, settling in to new routines, and preparing for the fall and winter. At Foraker we are getting into our fall routine with the launch of our new training schedule. We are also watching the leaves turn just as fast as we are noticing our fall and winter days filling up with board and staff planning retreats. We anticipate this routine every year, and we are ready. Like most back-to-school conversations, we thought we would share what we did over the summer and what’s in store for the new “school year.” This summer, we went on three different kinds of expeditions. The first was our regular hiking trail. This is the route we have traveled with minor adjustment for… Read more »

You have heard us talk many times about a central theme of the Foraker Nonprofit Sustainability Model – the right people. This topic has many layers to it. It’s about recruiting and engaging the right board members at the right time and equally about the critical partnership between the board and the CEO. Getting either of these wrong can create huge distractions for the organization as it struggles internally with trust and communication instead of focusing its work on the leadership required to deliver mission. These experiences are far too common and, while we offer many tools to help boards and staff get recruitment on the right track, many organizations bypass this help and hope for the best. This is a whole topic worthy of many newsletter articles, but today I… Read more »

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 »