Alaskans aren’t strangers to snow, but last week’s storm in Prince William Sound was exceptional. Foraker certificate graduate Rochelle van den Broek produced a couple of videos that show the impact on local residents. Her work is being viewed extensively on Facebook and YouTube. Take a look here…. Read more »

Alaska Community Foundation (ACF) is a part of a much larger movement that is nearing the end of its first century of existence, according to ACF president Candace Winkler. As we compare ourselves with older community foundations across the nation, we realize the magnitude of the work we are doing – and the work that’s ahead of us. Established 16 years ago, the Alaska Community Foundation works to grow philanthropy and build community in an effort to improve the quality of life here, now and forever. In our large state, that can be a daunting task. Read more-… Read more »

What’s up with air travel? Every seat on every flight is full and there is always a long standby list. Today was no different. I was in Seattle to work with one of our long-term consultants, Suzanne Lagoni. We’re completing the last draft of our sustainability book so it can go to press in 2012. We can’t wait! This was almost my last flight of 2011. I only have a trip to Kenai, one to Juneau and one to Fairbanks for work this year – after Christmas we’ll fly south to see my parents. This year I will fly over 130,000 miles, most in Alaska and work related. This travel is in sync with a primary Foraker goal – to truly serve our whole state and not be viewed as… Read more »

This week, Chicago and the Independent Sector’s conference entitled R-Evolutionary This topic will sound familiar to anyone who regularly reads our newsletter or this blog. The world is in a massive state of change led by technology and human nature’s adaptation to that change. The smidgen of insight this time is that when we have expressed our understanding of these pending changes, we have tried our best to not sound alarmist, nor too far out, so you could hear the message. What I learned this trip is that messengers far smarter and more articulate than I report the same frustration when they express their understanding of this new reality. We heard again that the new world will be less hierarchical, more networked, and institutions with the ability to quickly adapt… Read more »

Today I am in Kansas City, MO at the Midwestern Youth Summit sponsored by the US Department of Education. It is designed to hear the voices of youth throughout the country on what is needed to improve education in America. The summit is held in partnership with the National Leadership Conference for Camp Fire USA, where I am proud to serve as a trustee on the national board. The youth at the summit developed nine action plans to enhance the experience of high school students and encourage them to finish school and attend college. The Kaufman Foundation and Sprint Foundation were the lead sponsors for the event, which was attended by over 150 youth from the surrounding area. The smidgen of insight today is that while many organizations work with… Read more »

You’ll never guess where I am tonight – the Philippines! Well sorta. Tonight was the 31st year of Maharlika, a celebration of the Filipino community in Anchorage. Money is raised to support scholarships and other worthy causes. The sell out crowd was dazzled by great music and dancing that rivaled Vegas! And WOW, everyone was decked out in their finest. Foraker’s own Malu Antonio from Shared Financial Services was not only involved in planning and implementing this event, she and her family and friends entertained us with their great dance moves. Tonight’s smidgen of insight is that we live in a state full of opportunity to experience culture from around the world. Let’s celebrate this diversity while we acknowledge our common humanity through such exposure. Dennis… Read more »

Flathead Lake Montana — October 9, 2011 While this may look like Alaska, today I am at Flathead Lake where the University of Montana conducts research on fisheries and climate change. The Montana Nonprofit Association asked us to assist them in a retreat with one of their most significant members. I was lucky enough to get to come to this beautiful part of our country, just outside of Kalispell about 65 miles south of the Canadian border. My smidgen of insight this time is how lucky we are in Alaska to live in an environment that so many people in the Lower 48 wish for. While Montana is truly beautiful and has many wilderness areas, it is still easier for people to invade their remote places than it is in… Read more »

Nome — September 28, 2011 Locals complained that the summer of ’11 was not so nice. It was rainy and cold. But Mother Nature must have felt sorry for them since today had to be one of the nicest late September days on record here. I was in town to facilitate a Funder’s Forum for a group of grant writers from Nome and neighboring villages. These sessions are where the Denali Commission, Mental Health Trust, Alaska Housing, HUD, USDA, DCCED, and Rasmuson present their programs and connect with local communities so they will ask for funding for their priority projects. These sessions have been held for over a decade and have been presented in at least a dozen communities. They are useful for the communities and also a great way… Read more »

“Community Building for Alaska,” is a two-day workshop facilitated by Louise Van Rhyn, a passionate social entrepreneur from South Africa, on October 24-25th at the APU Campus in Anchorage. This experiential workshop will bring together community leaders, philanthropists, business leaders, and citizens from rural and urban Alaska. Share your knowledge and experience, become engaged, and participate in meaningful community building dialog. Space is limited. Click here for more information or to reserve your seat…. Read more »

I took a brief sabbatical from the blog because my travels during the summer were more personal, so I had fewer work related insights. But now that fall is here, the normal hectic pace at Foraker is on steroids and we are all booked solid through the year. We are not complaining, just stating the fact that we are busy. A lot of this work is predictable, but it seems we are doing much more than last year at this time. Yesterday and today I was in Kodiak. A beautiful place in the rain or shine and this trip we had both. Yesterday was with one of my favorite boards, the Senior Citizens of Kodiak. They are smart, engaged, and partnering as they should with their ED. They are a… Read more »