Alaskans donate nearly $1 million to Pick. Click. Give. program

The number of donors, pledges and dollars raised through the 2011 Pick. Click. Give. campaign have exceeded last year’s totals, and Alaskans still have eight weeks until the March 31 Permanent Fund Dividend filing deadline. Alaskans have doubled their participation in the PFD Charitable Contributions Program in half the time.

As of Feb. 3, some 325,219 Alaskans had applied for their PFD online. Of those, 11,855 individuals have made 17,332 pledges for a total of $928,700.

This time last year, 330,953 had applied, with 5,593 individuals making 8,268 pledges worth $499,675.

In 2010, about 9,500 individuals pledged a total of $923,000 during the entire PFD application period. In 2009, 5,500 individuals gave $545,000.

Organizers of the Pick. Click. Give. campaign have set a goal of raising $1.5 million this year and appear to be on track to that goal, if about 3.8 percent of those applying online continue to choose to participate in the Pick. Click. Give. program. Alaskans have until March 31 to apply for the dividend.