PFD donations setting records across state

This editorial originally appeared in the April 10 edition of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Much of Alaska’s news of late has been consumed by the negative. The gloomy fiscal outlook for the state and cuts that have resulted in the Legislature’s budgeting process have spread the unhappy news to many of the aspects of Alaska life that state spending controls, such as education, capital construction projects and pay rates for public employees.

Amid all the bad news, it was good to be reminded this week that Alaskans are still people who help look out for one another. This year, state residents contributed more money than ever to nonprofit organizations and charities through the Pick.Click.Give. program.

Pick.Click.Give. is an optional contribution program allowing Alaska residents to donate a portion of their Alaska Permanent Fund dividend checks to worthy causes. The program was started in 2009 and initially funded by a grant from the Rasmuson Foundation.

At first, adoption of the program was slow, with just 1 percent of dividend recipients opting to take part. Donation rates have increased every year since, however — this year, 6.1 percent of Alaskans are opting to participate. Their donations total $3.3 million that will help organizations provide essential community services.

Donating to worthy causes can be a hard thing to do in times of financial uncertainty for the state. But it’s also a time when it’s especially important to do so.

Because of the state’s multibillion-dollar budget deficit, money the state allocates to Alaska nonprofits and charity organizations is being reduced or eliminated entirely. For many of those organizations, private support can mean the difference between being able to continue offering services and being forced to scale back operations or shut down entirely. So it’s good to see residents continuing to support Pick.Click.Give. with greater levels of donations each year.

A giving rate of 6.1 percent also means there’s plenty of room for donations to keep increasing. That can start as soon as this year: Although the application period for the permanent fund dividend is now closed, it’s still possible to add or alter donations through Pick.Click.Give. until Aug. 31 online at pickclickgive.org. Depending on the recipient of Pick.Click.Give. donations, they can even be tax-deductible.

Budgeting on a personal level can be difficult, but choosing to donate what you can to local service organizations is a great way to make a positive difference in the community. … Even in difficult times, we can all help make that funding number greater, this year and in the future.