Picking, Clicking and Giving just got easier! The new and improved search feature on the PFD application online makes it simpler than ever to find the Alaska nonprofits you'd like to support.

Here's how it works:

1: As you file for your PFD online, you'll be guided through the Pick. Click. Give. page as one of your steps. Check out the new look of that page:

2: You can then narrow down the list of participating Alaska nonprofits by region or you can review a complete list of organizations in alphabetical order:

3: Your search options don't stop there! Click the "search" button on the left side of the page to unveil additional new ways to search. Want to look at all the groups in your community? Or see all the nonprofits working with kids? The new search feature lets you search by keyword, city, organization type and program.

And don't forget: You are not limited to supporting only one organization. If you'd like to direct a portion of your PFD to more than one group, just click the "add" button on the bottom of the page - below the amount box - and add another. Add as many as you'd like!

Pick. Click. Give. makes making a differece so easy. And now with the new PFD application search options, you can support groups working hard on the issues you care about in Alaska.

Why not donate $25 from your PFD to your favorite Alaska organizations when you file online this January? Get a head start NOW by browsing through a list of eligible nonprofits.

And you can help us spread the word by becoming our Fan on Facebook and following @pickclickgive on Twitter and also by letting your friends know they, too, can make a difference in Alaska.

Have you Picked Your Click to Give?

Alaskans donated $3,600 to the nonprofit Friends of Alaska CASA through last year's Pick. Click. Give. program.

But what is a CASA?

The term CASA refers to a Court Appointed Special Advocate who speaks up for abused and neglected children in court. These dedicated volunteers are critical for children because in many cases social workers have overwhelming caseloads interfacing with upwards of 90 children. CASA volunteers, on the other hand, is responsible for just one child which allows them to focus all of their attention and energy to promote the best interest of that child.

CASA volunteers go to court with the child, meet with social workers and teachers, and get acquainted with every adult that is important in the child's life. This familiarity helps them to gain a better idea of the child's individual needs and to make recommendations to the court on behalf of the child. Their hard work greatly improves the outcomes for abused and neglected children in Alaska and literally doubles the chance that a child will be placed in a permanent, stable home or be reunited with their family.

Friends of Alaska CASA is an organization that supports these CASAs in our state. The money the organization received through Pick. Click. Give. will specifically help them recruit and train 10-15 more volunteers. That's at least 10-15 Alaska children that will get essential one-on-one support as they navigate the court system.

Laura Haywood, President of Friends of Alaska CASA/Juneau volunteer, has been a CASA for five years and is only on her third case. She says, "In the CASA world, it's quality not quantity."

Learn more about how your funds are supporting this special program:

Friends of Alaska CASA is just one of many local organizations striving to make a positive impact on the lives of Alaskans.

What Alaska nonprofit has made an impact on your life? Share your story below and make sure to pick out the Alaska nonprofits you'll be donating to this January through Pick. Click. Give.

This past year, over a half a million dollars were donated to Alaska nonprofits through the Pick. Click. Give. program. For many organizations, the support could not have arrived at a better time. Because of the economic downturn, donations to many nonprofits have declined at the very time when demand for services is up.

One organization that is helping Alaska families through difficult times is the American Red Cross of Alaska.

With volunteers from Barrow to Metlakatla and Eagle to Dillingham, the statewide organization helps over 44,000 Alaskans every single year.

Many Alaskans sent their thanks to the Red Cross of Alaska by donating a total of $15,825 when they filed for their PFDs online.

Where does the money go?

• Your donations provide food, clothing, shelter and other essential items such as medication for those that lose their homes due to flooding, fires, winter storms or other natural disaster here in Alaska.
   
• Your donations ensure that all Alaskans have a safe warm place to sleep by providing rental assistance and other temporary bridges to help Alaska families get back on their feet.
   
• Your donations make sure that every Alaska has a warm Christmas.

Michelle Houlihan, Executive Director of the Red Cross of Alaska, explains:

Individual donors like you are the lifeblood of the Red Cross of Alaska and many local organizations. This January you'll have an opportunity to say thanks to local non-profits making a difference one family at a time in Alaska. Pick your clicks now and help spread the word.

Have you Picked Your Click? Please encourage your family and friends in Alaska to do so as well.

Here in Alaska, we have the fastest growing senior population in the country. Age is a primary factor in Alzheimer's Disease. And one local organization that is caring for those affected by the disease is the Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska.

The organization received over $2,800 in donations from the Pick. Click. Give. program this past year. Since the Alzheimer's Resource is an Alaska-based organization - as are all organizations you'll find listed this January when filing for your PFD online - all of the money donated stays within the state of Alaska.

Where does the money go?

One program that is almost entirely funded by private donations atAlzheimer's Resource of Alaska is the SAFE (Senior Assistance For Essentials) Program which provides very small items for very low income seniors. These items greatly improve the quality of life of individuals but aren't typically available through traditional funding.

* Your donations helped buy a coffee card for man who lives in assisted living but still enjoys to get out on his own and walk down to the coffee shop every morning.

* Your donations bought two sets of clean sheets for a lady who lives independently and couldn't afford to replace her stained and torn sheets.

* Your donations bought a hot water heater for a family in rural Alaska who lived over a year without one.

And then there are the grapes. Check out this video to learn more about how your small donations through the PFD Charitable Contributions Program are making a big impact, one Alaskan at a time:

Pick. Click. Give is about giving back to the Alaska community. The Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska is just one organization of many that is making a difference in our home state.

Follow Pick. Click. Give. on Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/pickclickgive] and Twitter [http://twitter.com/pickclickgive].

What is YOUR story about the impact of Pick. Click. Give. on fellow Alaskans? Pick Your Clicks now and help spread the word.

When you Pick. Click. Give., it's up to you where your money goes. But rest assured that 100% of each donation goes directly to the organization or organizations you've selected.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Rasmuson Foundation, the state incurs no administrative costs to run the program for its first three years. That means every dollar - and we mean every dollar - you donate is directed straight to the organizations you pick when you file for your PFD online.

Through the 2009 Pick. Click. Give. program, Kenai Peninusula Food Bank received $1,875 that will help them process a million pounds of food this year, says Linda Swarner, executive director, in her Letter to the Editor in the Peninsual Clarion.

The America Red Cross of Alaska received just over $15,000 dollars to help support Alaska families who have lost their homes due to fire, flood or other natural disaster. (You can watch a video about the impact of Pick. Click.)

Now that's the kind of impact you can make.

When you pick the organization(s) you wish to support while filing online for your PFD in January 2010, you'll have the option to check a box that authorizes the state to send your name, contact information and the amount you give when it sends the contributions to an organization. Or you can choose to remain anonymous. It is entirely up to you.

If you choose to reveal your name, that means the organization(s) you support will know about your contribution and be able to share with you how it's being used as well as publicly recognize your support.

What organizations are you picking in 2010? It's time to pick your clicks!

Alaskans Pledge More Than $500,000 of their PFD

ANCHORAGE – The check is in the mail. Literally. In the next few days, hundreds of Alaska nonprofits will receive a welcome windfall in the form of a check from Pick. Click. Give. The cash arrives thanks to thousands of voluntary donations pledged through our state’s Permanent Fund Dividend online application.

For many organizations, the support could not arrive at a better time. Because of the economic downturn, donations to many nonprofits have declined at the very time when demand for their services is up. Many Alaska families are struggling to make ends meet and are reaching out to nonprofits and charitable organizations for assistance.

Lutheran Social Services will use their funds to help families with emergency expenses such as temporary housing and bus passes. CASAs for Children will train more volunteers to advocate on behalf of abused and neglected children. American Red Cross says the donations are coming at just the right time to help with emergency response in their busiest time of year. Tundra Women’s Coalition will use their funds to furnish a new building that is just ready to open to house the increasing number of women escaping domestic violence.

Over 5,500 individuals pledged 7,500 donations totaling approximately $550,000 through Pick. Click. Give.[1] The amount each organization will receive ranges between $25 and over $28,000. Access the full list of organizations and the amount each will receive in this payment. A list sorted by organization name can be found at www.PickClickGive.org.

These funds are unrestricted financial contributions. They can be used to support vital programming provided by Alaska’s nonprofit social and human services frontline providers, arts and educational organizations, campuses of the University of Alaska, and community foundations across the state.

The importance of private donors

As part of its work to help Alaska nonprofits become sustainable, The Foraker Group stresses the need for organizations to build their base of individual donors. Pick. Click. Give. is one way organizations can connect with new donors -- the ones who will help them begin the long-term relationships that lead to a greater supply of unrestricted dollars, and ultimately, better chances of sustainability.

Looking ahead

The checks now arriving in the mail are the results of Pick. Click. Give.’s first year in operation. Alaskans will file for the 2010 dividend beginning January 1 and will again have the opportunity to support the nonprofit organization(s) of their choosing with voluntary deductions from $25 up to the entire amount of their dividend when they file online. A full list of organizations that will appear in the 2010 cycle is available at http://www.pickclickgive.org/pfd/.

About the program

The PFD Charitable Contributions Program, also known as Pick. Click. Give., was established by the Alaska State Legislature in 2008 and provides an unprecedented opportunity to raise awareness of the power of individual giving. The program is authorized for three years and is made possible thanks to a collaboration between the Alaska Giving Coalition, The Foraker Group, United Way of Anchorage, and the State of Alaska Department of Revenue PFD Division. Rasmuson Foundation provided a grant to pay for the first three years of administrative expenses so every dollar donated goes directly to the designated organizations. Pick. Click. Give. outreach is supported by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, BP Alaska, Mat-Su Health Foundation, and ConocoPhillips.

Information on the PFD Charitable Contributions Program can be found at www.PickClickGive.org. Alaskans can join the campaign in social networks including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, and learn more on the blog at www.PickClickGive.org/blog.

[1] The payout to Pick. Click. Give. organizations this week does not yet account for donations made by individuals who submitted applications still under review at the PFD Division and all pledges are subject to garnishments and withdrawals.

We're back! And here's the official announcement...

Organizations announced for 2010 Pick.Click.Give. program
365 Alaska nonprofits and campuses of the University of Alaska to be listed

ANCHORAGE, Wednesday, September 23, 2009 – 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.

According to Elizabeth Ripley, Executive Director of the Mat-Su Health Foundation, one of the newest donors to the Pick.Click.Give. public awareness campaign, the first year of the program was a success.

“More than 5,100 Alaskans generously contributed approximately $545,000 to their favorite nonprofit organizations,” Ripley said.  “We appreciate every donor who gave a share of their dividend check to help better their community.  We look forward to even greater participation in 2010.  Pick.Click.Give. is an excellent way to make a first contribution to a nonprofit or to increase current giving.”

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.
 

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.

excerpted from a letter from Dennis McMillian to Foraker Partners:

Pick.Click.Give. kicked off during one of the most disastrous holiday sales seasons in recent memory. And while it is too early to announce a total, in our first effort to ask Alaskans to Pick.Click.Give., more than one-percent of all individuals who filed for their PFD online opted  to support a nonprofit of their choice. Based on other campaigns that primarily use PSAs to raise money, response of potential donors to the Pick. Click. Give. campaign is at least ten times the average expected from similar campaigns.

The PFD Charitable Contributions Program has already secured the second largest number of potential annual individual donors for any campaign in the state in its first year!

Social media has been part of the overall strategy to reach out to Alaskans to make them aware of the new way they can give to Alaska nonprofits via their online PFD application form.

Don't forget you can connect with us on

Facebook

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How did you connect to Pick. Click. Give.?

There are 330+ nonprofits that qualified this year for the PFD Charitable Contributions Program. Many of them are leveraging the Pick. Click. Campaign. and efforts and the program itself to reach out to constituents to let them know there's a new way to give.

Here are some examples:

UAA - Green and Gold Daily - A message from UA's president on their daily blog.

Alaska Zoo - The Alaska Zoo put a notice on their home page leading to a more.

Anchorage's Promise The Alliance for Youth - Wrote about Pick. Click. Give. on their site with a link from their home page as well.

Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center - Explains the program on their site.

Girl Scouts Susitna Council - Added Pick. Click. Give. to their Giving page.

TBA Theatre, Inc. - Featured an article about Pick. Click. Give. on their site.

Friends of Alaska CASA - Not only included information about Pick. Click. Give. in the News section of their site but also embedded the PSA that aired on TV.

The added benefit to these organizations for leveraging the Pick. Click. Give. campaign in their fundraising efforts online is that their web sites show up in a Google search for "Pick Click Give." Just one more way to attract attention to their organizations, their sites, and their missions.