PRESS RELEASE
Following a slower than normal start for Alaska’s premiere charitable giving campaign, Pick.Click.Give. is experiencing an increase in giving in the average pledge amount per donor.
“People across the state are literally coming out to support local philanthropy,” said Pick.Click.Give Manager, Sofia Fouquet. “Alaskans in the Chilkat Valley, Fairbanks, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Sitka, Seward, Petersburg and Anchorage have held rallies to raise awareness of Pick.Click.Give. and the role non-profits serve in their communities. We are definitely seeing results from those grassroots efforts in pledge growth during the past month.”
By the end of January, the average pledge per donor was $95.45 and the average pledge per gift (each gift represents the amount a donor spends per non-profit organization) was around $58.66. As we rush into our first full week of March, dollars per donor sits at $102.57 and dollars per gift comes in at $61.21.
The current average pledge per donor has increased nearly $5 from this time in 2015, which has been the most successful Pick.Click.Give. campaign on record.
“When the economy dips, we see demands on non-profits rise,” said Katie St. John, Alaska Community Foundation’s Director of Programs & Grants. “And when demands on non-profits rise, Alaskans have traditionally reached deeper into their pockets to help. I think this helps explain why donors are being so generous this year.”
“We really want to encourage Alaskans who can just do $25 to do so,” said St. John. “We often hear the reason people don’t give is because they don’t think their smaller gift can have an impact and that is absolutely not true. Small gifts add up, and the value of establishing a relationship with an organization that provides important services in your community pays dividends for years into the future.”
Based on the number of filers from 2016, about 40% of Alaskans have yet to file online for their permanent fund dividend. If each Alaskan yet to file made a $25 donation through Pick.Click.Give, nearly $7 million would be raised for non-profits in March alone.
“We know that’s overly ambitious,” said Fouquet. “But it does show you what’s possible if we all work together.”
Alaskans have until March 31st to file online for the permanent fund dividend. As of March 6th, 385,946 Alaskans have pledged $1,847,450.
Although overall numbers are down from the first week of March in 2016, we are seeing an upward trend in giving. 4.7% of Alaskans who have filed for their PFD have chosen to Pick.Click.Give. in 2017.
Alaskan may choose to make a contribution even after filing for their PFD by clicking the green ‘Add or Change your Pick.Click.Give. Donation’ button at pfd.alaska.gov. This year Pick.Click.Give. has 667 participating non-profits focusing on the following causes: Youth and Education, Emergency, Humanitarian, Animals, Arts and Culture, Health and Community.
