Pick.Click.Give. entered its 10th year on January 1, 2018. This philanthropic milestone gives reason to pause as we look at Alaska’s philanthropic landscape over the last decade.
What started as a program to increase Alaskan philanthropy by spreading awareness of the good done by the nonprofit sector and by acting as a tool for increased contributions and donor support, has turned into a largely recognizable household name. In 2017, 86% of Alaskans polled recognized the name “Pick.Click.Give.” and over 26,000 Alaskans chose to make a pledge through the program. Pick.Click.Give. has been the conduit for over $18.5 million in donations to 944 individual nonprofits since the program’s inception in 2009. While those numbers are striking, $18.5 million is a far cry from what our philanthropic landscape would look like if everyone who could afford to give, did.
As I continue to work closely with Pick.Click.Give. nonprofits across the state I am continually amazed by the good-hearted nature of those working hard to serve their clients and further their missions. Nonprofits have long held the reigning title of organizations best at ‘doing more with less’ but we rarely stop to consider what this means. Hundreds of organizations are working nonstop across our state to make our community a better place to live. Despite ever-shrinking budgets, they work every day to battle incredibly complex community issues. No one is in the nonprofit industry to get rich. They’re in it because they care.
It’s no secret that Alaska’s economy has seen better days. The Pick.Click.Give. program has seen a decline since 2015, and nonprofits across the state are tightening their already constricted belts in order to keep serving their clients with less. It’s crucial to acknowledge the financial hardship many of our fellow Alaskans face. Not everyone is in a position to contribute $25 to a local nonprofit they care about, but through Pick.Click.Give., every Alaskan can participate in local philanthropy without a disruption to their annual budget. The beauty of Pick.Click.Give. is that it offers a sum of money from which any eligible Alaskan can contribute before their PFD even hits their pockets.
Pick.Click.Give. is focused not only on increasing contributions to the nonprofit sector, but increasing the number of Alaskans who can consider themselves philanthropists. Our hope is to reach out to potential donors who have yet to give, and offer them an easy, safe way to support a cause they care about. With Pick.Click.Give. anyone can be a philanthropist. When you want to impact change within your community, consider a donation through Pick.Click.Give.
Sofia Fouquet manages the Pick.Click.Give. program at The Alaska Community
You can find out more at pickclickgive.org or make a donation now at pfd.alaska.gov
To learn more about choosing AK Child & Family when you Pick.Click.Give., visit: https://akchildorg.presencehost.net/pick-click-give.html
