Applications are now available for the 2011 Pick.Click.Give. program. If you are interested in participating, begin today to complete your application. Last year many organizations needed help with their paperwork after they had filed. If we receive your application by May 31, 2010, you will be notified of any missing information or problems and given a chance to correct those issues. If the application comes in between May 31 and the deadline of June 15, 2010, there simply may not be enough time to make corrections and still meet the final deadline.

Important note: Even if you participated in Pick.Click.Give. in 2009 or 2010, you must apply again for the 2011 program. Also be aware that new requirements have been added to the application, and new information has been added to the Frequently Asked Questions this year. Read the application and FAQ sheet carefully.

If you have questions, please contact Laurie Wolf at The Foraker Group – 907-743-1206 or lwolf@forakergroup.org.

April 16 -- An innovative program designed to make philanthropic giving easier for Alaskans is one step closer to permanence. A bill passed by the Alaska State Legislature on today will extend the PFD Charitable Contributions Program, known as Pick.Click.Give., by removing the three-year sunset provision that was included in the original 2008 authorization.

Senate Bill 171, sponsored by Senator Kevin Meyer, passed the Senate this afternoon. The bill, which carried language offered by Representative Bill Thomas to extend the program, had already passed the House of Representatives.

The bill also establishes a $250 nonprofit application fee to address the ongoing administration costs of Pick.Click.Give. Start-up costs for the program were supported by private funding.

Pick.Click.Give. allows Alaskans to make charitable donations when they file online for their Permanent Fund Dividend. Now in its second year, Alaskans have used the program to direct more than $1.45 million in charitable giving to qualified nonprofits, community foundations, and campuses of the University of Alaska.

SB171 will be transmitted to Governor Parnell for signature, and, if signed, takes effect January 1, 2011. This year's Pick.Click.Give. program, including the agency application, is not affected by SB171.

More information about Pick. Click. Give. is available online at www.pickclickgive.org.

The final days for Alaskans to Pick. Click. Give. are quickly approaching, and the campaign is progressing well.  Thus far this year, 7,742 Alaskans have made 11,387 pledges to the 366 organizations participating in the program. As of Monday, March 22, a total of 477,586 applications for the 2010 PFD had been filed online.

The percentage of Alaskans who are choosing to give has remained steady through the 2010 filing period at nearly 2 percent of all PFD filers, with nearly half of those choosing to support more than one organization. Last year, approximately 1 percent of filers, or about 5,100 Alaskans participated in the program, donating a total of $550,000.

In addition, the state has fixed its computer system and it will be possible for Alaskans who had difficulty making a donation earlier this year to go back and Pick.Click.Give.  Between April 5 and May 31, 2010, every Alaskan will have a second chance to make a Pick.Click.Give donation – this option is available to people who tried unsuccessfully to donate, would like to make additional donations, or would like to make new donations.

Find out more about Pick. Click. Give.

Did you apply for your PFD in the last week but are unsure whether you successfully filed a donation through the online PFD application or not?

Here's how to check:

On the PFD site on the left-hand side - below the photo of Deborah Bitney, Permanent Fund Dividend Division director - is a link called “My PFD” where, if you filed and signed electronically, you can check whether you successfully made a donation.

1. The first page is a Warning that you had better be the person who you say you are.

2. The second page is a place to enter your Social Security and other identifying information.

3. The third page is where you submit your myAlaska login and ID just as you did when you filed.

4. Finally, you will see a record of your current application status. Look to the “Payment Status” field, and you can see whether you made a contribution.

If you meant to donate but couldn't in the first few days of the year, we'll have information for you on this blog as soon as we know how you'll be able to go back and donate.

Did you have any trouble donating through your PFD online application this year? If so, please share your stories here so we can troubleshoot.

The number of people who have successfully filed a charitable donation to eligible Alaska nonprofits through the PFD Charitable Contributions Program, also known as Pick Click Give., has shot up in the hours since the State reported that the technical problems had been resolved.

Today’s participation rate among people who filed for their 2010 Permanent Fund Dividend is 667 percent higher than during the first four days of the New Year. We have received a number of personal reports of success in completing the donation process when filing online. Complaints received by Pick. Click. Give. staff are way down.

The PFD Division is encouraging Alaskans to use the online application and the Pick. Click. Give. option.

Further, the PFD Division is working to create a process that allows Alaskans to Pick. Click. Give., even if they already submitted their online application without making charitable contributions. We are looking forward to spreading the word about this “do over” opportunity as soon as we receive details.

We at Pick. Click. Give. are grateful to each of you for your patience. Hundreds of Alaska nonprofits and individuals went to extraordinary lengths to promote and utilize Pick. Click. Give. as a way to encourage individuals to support the causes they care about.

We are hopeful that if you experience any difficulties with the online application, please email the details of your experience to pickclickgive@pickclickgive.org and we will relay them immediately to the State.

You can also share your experiences with Pick. Click. Give. on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pickclickgive) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/pickclickgive).  Make sure to fan and follow us to stay up to date on the latest information!

Technical problems prevent PFD applicants from taking part in Pick.Click.Give.  State asks people who want to give to file after the problem is resolved.

We have received numerous reports today that people have been unable to make the Pick.Click.Give. function work when they filed online for their PFD.  As soon as we heard about these problems, we got in touch with the head of the Permanent Fund Division and asked that immediate attention be given to this situation.  As you know, the state is responsible for the technology and manages the system that allows people to make a donation when they complete their PFD application.  The Permanent Fund Division is trouble-shooting the problem right now and has asked us to share this message with you.

Dear PFD Applicant,

We are experiencing technical difficulties with regard to the charitable contributions program: Pick.Click.Give.  Our technical professionals are working to fix the problem.  If you intend to donate a portion of your dividend to your favorite nonprofit, we ask that you please come back to file when this notice states we have resolved the issue. The filing season is open through March 31st, so there is plenty of time. All eligible applicants will be paid on October 7th 2010. Thank you for your patience.
                          --Permanent Fund Dividend Division

We will send more information on this situation as soon as it becomes available to us. 

-- The Foraker Group

Food Bank of Alaska received $28,000 from donations made through the PFD Charitable Contributions Program. That means that thousands of Alaskans picked the Food Bank, clicked on their listing when applying for their PFD online last January, and gave to them.

But what does this REALLY mean to the organization? We had the opportunity to interview the folks at Food Bank of Alaska about Pick. Click. Give. 2009.

Name: Marleah LaBelle
Title: Communications Manager
Organization: Food Bank of Alaska
URL: www.foodbankofalaska.org
Org Facebook: www.facebook.com/foodbankofalaska

What did Food Bank of Alaska received through the 2009 PFD Charitable Contributions Program and what are those funds going to?

What does $28,000 mean to Food Bank of Alaska?

• We could purchase 2,800 turkeys. (Food Bank of Alaska purchases 16,000 turkeys for holiday food distributions that occur in Anchorage and across the state);
   
• It would allow us to pay for shipping costs of U.S.D.A. commodities to rural Alaska for one month;
• It will help us keep our four trucks running smoothly on the road for three months (includes fuel, maintenance and insurance).

Why is a program like Pick. Click. Give. important for Alaska nonprofits?

Pick. Click. Give. is important for Alaska nonprofits because it provides much needed funding and diversifies sources of funding. It also allows Alaskans to support their favorite nonprofits easily.

What is the actual impact of individual donors to an Alaska nonprofit and to the Food Bank?

The impact an individual donor has on Food Bank of Alaska is to help us achieve our mission and our belief that “No one deserves to be hungry.” For every dollar donated, Food Bank of Alaska can access 5 pounds of food.

What is the Food Bank of Alaska doing this year to incorporate Pick. Click. Give. into their outreach?

Food Bank of Alaska will make the information available on our website and through our Facebook Fan page. We will also include the information in our monthly Volunteer newsletter and our Advocacy Alerts.

What other tips would you give to Alaska nonprofits in terms of leveraging Pick. Click. Give. for their organization?

Communicate clearly with your constituents the organizations’ mission and manage your brand closely. Communicate with donors and media regularly to capitalize on awareness.

What would you say to Alaskans about the importance of individual philanthropy and how Pick. Click. Give. can help?

Individual philanthropy shows us how strong a community is – how much neighbors care about the community and about one another. Donations can help feed hungry Alaskans, or help a senior with heating assistance, or provide books for children from low income families. They are all gifts that make life a little better for our neighbors, and in turn, our community.

Have you Picked YOUR Click for January 2010?

The Alaska Department of Revenue has accepted 365 nonprofit organizations and all the campuses of the University of Alaska as eligible for the second PFD Charitable Contributions Program – or Pick.Click.Give. 

The goal of Pick.Click.Give. is to increase the number of people who give to Alaska nonprofits, as well as the total amount of charitable dollars that are donated.  The program became law last year and allows Alaskans who file on-line for their PFD to donate all or part of it to eligible charitable, educational and nonprofit organizations, including the University of Alaska and community foundations. The costs for the program are being paid by Rasmuson Foundation to encourage the growth of philanthropy in Alaska.

The organizations that qualified for the 2010 PFD application represent the diversity of nonprofits around the state.  The list of qualifying organizations is available at www.PickClickGive.org.  The list can be searched alphabetically by organizations, or by services and geographic area.  Also available at the site is information on the program, including answers to those questions most frequently asked by Alaskans. 

Promotion of Pick.Click.Give. is made possible through financial support from Rasmuson Foundation, the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, ConocoPhillips, BP and the Mat-Su Health Foundation.  The Alaska Giving Coalition, The Foraker Group and the United Way of Anchorage are working with the Rasmuson Foundation and the Department of Revenue to implement the program.

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More than 5,100 Alaskans give $545,000 through their Permanent Fund Dividend

The Alaska Giving Coalition has announced preliminary results from the first Pick. Click. Give. campaign.  The new program allowed Alaskans filing on-line for their 2009 Permanent Fund Dividend to give all or part of it to qualifying nonprofit organizations, community foundations or campuses of the University of Alaska.

According to preliminary figures from the Alaska Department of Revenue, 5,163 Alaskans filing on-line selected the option to give to a nonprofit.  Those Alaskans made a total of 7,572 donations – some choosing to give to more than one organization.  The approximate total for the amount donated is $545,000.  Specific organization contribution totals and the final figure will be available in October when dividend checks are determined and disbursed.

“We were optimistic that Alaskans would respond to this new way of giving to their favorite nonprofits,” Alaska Giving Coalition Chair Jim Caldarola said.  “We are thankful to each and every individual donor who chose to make a charitable contribution with part of their dividend check.  It shows a wonderful commitment by Alaskans for Alaska nonprofits.”

More than 330 organizations qualified for the 2009 program and represented the diversity of nonprofits around the state.  Each met a series of criteria laid out in the law establishing the program, which was passed by the Alaska State Legislature in May 2008.  The program is authorized for three years, at which time it will be evaluated and the legislature will decide whether to continue it. 

Caldarola credits the participating nonprofits for helping the program succeed. 

“They reached out to their existing stakeholders through newsletters, websites and emails to spread the word about Pick. Click. Give.  They recognized that their ability to communicate about the impact of their mission to their constituents makes a powerful difference in their ability to raise resources. 
 
A new application process is currently taking place to qualify organizations for the 2010 program. Nonprofits must apply again this year, even if they were part of the 2009 program.  Information and application forms are available at www.PickClickGive.org, by calling 1-888-785-GIFT (4438) or by emailing pfdinfo@forakergroup.org.
 
The 2009 Pick. Click. Give. public awareness campaign was made possible through financial support from  the Rasmuson Foundation, the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, ConocoPhillips and BP.  The Alaska Giving Coalition, The Foraker Group and the United Way of Anchorage are working with the Rasmuson Foundation and the Department of Revenue to implement the program.

APRN's Ed Schoenfeld covered Pick. Click. Give. in a report yesterday.

Backers hope a new charitable-giving program will help Alaska service groups hit hard by the nation’s economic downturn. But its proceeds will not make it into nonprofit groups’ coffers until later next year. The “Pick. Click. Give.” program stems from legislation introduced by a Southeast lawmaker.

Listen to the full segment.