I am a PCG donor, are you?
I give to my favorite charities through Pick.Click.Give. because it is easy, secure and fun, and for me, a chance to support my local community. It is also a great way to instill family values by helping your children to select causes that matter to them.
The Alaska Permanent Fund charitable check off program known as Pick.Click.Give. launched in 2008, and since then almost $17 million has flowed to Alaskan communities through their local nonprofits. Pick.Click.Give. allows you to direct $25 — or up to all of your PFD — to your favorite charitable organizations. The organizations must apply to be included each year, and the Pick.Click.Give. program vets the organizations to ensure they meet the required IRS, governance and reporting criteria. PFD applications are available Jan. 1 through March 31, but donors can add and/or change contributions through Aug. 31.
Did you know that there are 20 nonprofit organizations in Homer that participate in Pick.Click.Give.? This list includes the Homer Foundation, the organization that I have the pleasure of directing. That is one reason why I like to suggest to folks that they “give where they live” when they Pick.Click.Give. There are nineteen more good reasons, as you can see from the following list, and the ad on page 19 of this newspaper.
When you Pick.Click.Give. where you live, you can support public radio, the environment, arts and culture, health and social services, sports and recreation, youth, seniors, and our four-legged friends right here in our community. Each of these local organizations participate in Pick.Click.Give.:
Bunnell Street Arts Center
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies
Cook Inletkeeper
Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks
Homer Animal Friends
Homer Hockey Association
HoWL
Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic
KBBI Public Radio
Friends of the Homer Public Library
Homer Council on the Arts
Homer Foundation
Homer Senior Citizens
Hospice of Homer
Independent Living Center
Kachemak Heritage Land Trust
Pier One Theatre
Pratt Museum
South Peninsula Haven House
SPROUT Family Services
Whether you choose to join me and give locally, or you choose to give statewide, it’s easy to find your favorite organizations on the Pick.Click.Give. website: pickclickgive.org. There you will be able to search organizations on the list by name, city, or cause. You can also use the new “PICK TOOL” that helps you narrow in by interest areas, and you will find helpful FAQ’s about the program.
One frequently asked question is regarding the 7 percent coordination fee that is assessed at the aggregate level to each participating organization (donors are credited for 100 percent of their tax-deductible contribution). The fee helps cover the cost for statewide marketing, nonprofit tools and resources, and minimal program administration. These fees contribute to the sustainability of the program while making it possible for all nonprofit organizations, no matter their size, to benefit from the statewide marketing campaign, a luxury few organizations in Homer could afford. We also recognize there is a cost for any outreach and overhead for processing all donations. From my perspective, the Homer Foundation has benefited from participation in Pick.Click.Give. through increased awareness, donor participation, and the introduction to new donors.
Knowing you are supporting the causes you care most about should be incentive enough to Pick.Click.Give., but don’t forget the Double Your Dividend Sweepstakes. You could be one of five random winners who will be given the chance to donate a dividend to their favorite Pick.Click.Give. nonprofits. All you have to do is remember to Pick.Click.Give. between Jan. 1 and March 3t, when you apply for your PFD. Please consider our local nonprofits when you do!
Joy Steward is the Executive Director of the Homer Foundation and a ten year Pick.Click.Giver.
