Pick. Click. Give. program sees another drop in charitable donations

By
Suzanne Downing
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3

The Permanent Fund dividend application deadline was March 31.

An early look shows Alaskans are giving less through the Pick. Click. Give. program than they did last year — or in the three years before that.

Just 24,155 Alaskans made pledges totaling $2,533,575 to 634 nonprofits during this year’s filing season, according to the Alaska Community Foundation, which manages the program.

Pick. Click. Give. encourages Alaskans to donate all or some of their annual dividend to nonprofit organizations. The program started 10 years ago.

Percentage-wise, it means for every 100 Alaskans who participated in 2015, only 72 chose to participate this year, a 28 percent drop. It’s also a 24 percent decrease in dollars pledged.

The decline in Pick. Click. Give. participation shows a trend that follows the recession Alaska is experiencing:

  • 2015: 33,421 Alaskans pledged a record $3.3 million to Alaska nonprofits. The dividend was $2,072, paid to 641,561
  • 2016: 29,543 Alaskans pledged $3.1 million for Alaska nonprofits. The dividend was $1,022, paid to 638,178 people.
  • 2017: 26,128 Alaskans pledged $2.7 million to Alaska nonprofits. The dividend was $1,100, paid to 615,590 people.
  • 2018: 24,144 Alaskans pledged $2.5 million to Alaska nonprofits. The dividend may be $1,600 this year, and will likely be paid to about 600,000 Alaskans, if the trends continue as they have since 2015.

The Permanent Fund Division usually knows by the end of April how many people have applied for the dividend. Usually tens of thousands apply who are not eligible for a variety of reasons. For example, in 2017, some 670,706 applied but only 615,590 received dividends, a difference of 8 percent.

The Pick. Click. Give program had expected about 26,000 Alaskans to participate, according to a March 29 press release. It anticipated $2.5 million in donations. While total participants fell short of program forecasts, actual dollars donated came in right on target.

This year’s top pledge recipients include public broadcasting, charities assisting the poor and those in emergency situations, and organizations devoted to animals.

WHAT IS PICK. CLICK. GIVE.?

Pick. Click. Give. is the option given to Alaskans who qualify for a dividend, which is a share of the State’s earnings on its Permanent Fund, which has been built largely through deposits of State oil royalties over the past 40+ years. Participants can choose from a number of prequalified charities with which to share some of their dividends.

Alaskans can still make a pledge or adjust their current pledges until Aug. 31, 2018 at pfd.alaska.gov. Dividend checks are disbursed in October.

 

3 COMMENTS

  1. Some people speculate that both the Walker recession and population dynamics as effectuated by Walker, Seaton and others are the reasons program receipts continue decline. The people leaving the state do not represent a statistical cross-section of the population but instead those leaving are working families while those who are enrolled in income-replacement programs like SNAP, WIC, Medicaid and the like remain and become better represented. Also, among retirees those with better incomes tend to leave in greater proportion than do those with lower incomes. If the speculation is correct then the impact on this one program is the least of our worries. The Walker-Bernie Sanders social engineering may help Walker find votes but there are negative implications for both the Alaska economy and the Alaska culture. Once Mike Dunleavy is sworn in to replace Walker we expect to see Alaska once again become a place of opportunity for those looking for better jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.

  2. I have a question. How much do the ceo’s, managers, higher ups of all of these non-profits earn?? It seems as if all of these non-profits have a whole raft of higher ups running around trying to gather funds, and yet how much is actually spent of helping those who seem to need help?

  3. Come on all you government supporters soon if Sen. Wilson’s bill passes you get to put your PFD where your mouth is… but don’t wait to pony up…it go’s to a good charity…GOVERNMENT

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