PFD recipients Pick. Click. Give and receive

Alaskans waiting anxiously for the month of October is equivalent to that exact feeling when its nearing Christmas time. Alaskan citizens having their permanent fund dividends, or PFD, either mailed or deposited to their bank accounts this month look forward to the various ways extra money in their pocket will stretch for themselves.

A down payment towards a new vehicle, a month’s worth of rent, or even paying off a credit card is a rewarding feeling itself. Being able to have the choice of donating it is even better. Through the PFD Charitable Contributions Program Alaskans have the choice to “Pick. Click. Give” to participating non-profit organizations of their choice.

This is the second year for the Pick. Click. Give program. Throughout the campaign months from January 2010 to May 2010, a total of nearly $1 million dollars coming from more than 9,500 Alaskans have been made towards the program. This is nearly twice the amount from last year’s contributions. 100 percent of proceeds go straight to the organization of choice.

The purpose of this program is to support eligible non-profit organizations in a reliable way. Donors are able to donate at least $25 up to their entire dividend through the PFD application process, which is filed in the beginning of a new year.

The first year of Pick Click. Give. Was already a success on its own. Preliminary figures from the Alaska Department of Revenue estimated about 5,163 Alaskans filing online selected the option to donate towards a non-profit. The approximate donation totaled to $545,000.

Although donations through the Pick. Click. Give program are only filed online, it is still encouraged for donors to make a direct contribution to the specific non-profit serving the community. A list of all participating organizations can be found on the official PFD Charitable Contributions Program website, www.PickClickGive.org.

The program would not be successful without the generous contributions made from the Rasmuson Foundation. They helped to fully establish the Pick. Click. Give. program and will be paying for the majority of the operating costs for the first three years, including any costs incurred by the state of Alaska to process donations. Other organizations worth recognizing for the tremendous success are: the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, ConocoPhillips, BP, the Mat-Su Health Foundation, the Foraker Group, and the United Way of Anchorage. The Nerland Agency has been an integral part of marketing who helped spread the message about the power of individual giving.