I'm writing this because I have gotten so many great questions regarding choosing the right charity to donate to. First, thank you. It shows that you care about where your donation is going and that it will do the most good.
The situation after a disaster can be chaotic, there is the initial rush of international, national, and local organizations as well as individuals trying to help. Then there is the phase where people get burned out on hearing of the devastation and fundraising eases up. Regardless, you're seeing images of suffering and and you want to do something but you also don't want to add to a bottomless vast of donations that go nowhere. Many people, feeling this helplessness, will resign to just not doing anything at all.
With 1.2 million registered nonprofits in the United States alone, choosing the right one to give to can be confusing. And a with new one registered every 15 minutes (and usually a friend starting the said charity), there are many organizations vying for your attention and resources. Here are some general guidelines I hope will help. If you'd like for me to expand on any of these, please let me know!
Consider Presence-
Look for organizations that work together with local NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations) and communities, don't treat those affected as helpless victims and work to facilitate unmet needs. As soon as possible during relief, let affected people manage own situations, make own decisions, take ownership of own present and future. How relief is handled will determine in good part how recovery, reconstruction, rehab, development are handled. Get it right the first time around.
Nonprofits that were established in the area before the disaster strikes have the staff, local knowledge, presence to be able to help quickly and efficiently. Those just coming in are going to take longer to get everything in place to start work and will need more time to develop local knowledge and contacts.
Agencies that are experienced in disaster relief and response will also have the knowledge, experienced staff, supplies, and procedures to be able to competently respond quickly.
Consider Fraud-
Of course we are all too aware of 501 (c) (3) fraud.
After the tsunami in Asia, Katrina and even 9/11 there were several fake charities created. A week after I returned from Haiti, I was sent a link to a charity event that benefited an organization I had never heard of. I went to their site and was absolutely horrified to see that EVERY single one of the photos they had on their site was taken off myfacebook. They used photos I had taken while in Haiti and used them as their own. It took less than 3 hours to verify that they were not even registered as a 501 (c) (3) and that they had no intention of helping in Haiti but unfortunately took 3 full weeks to have their site and operation shut down. That is 3 weeks they had to solicit to donors and raise money.
I'd also caution against giving to charities that are started right after a disaster unless the founder and staff has considerable development or disaster relief experience. While good intentioned, charities that do not understand disaster relief can get in the way of other relief efforts and makes coordination even more difficult than it is already.
Be Cautious of Funding Orphanages-
Understand that orphanages are attractive to donors.
How can your heart not break when you see an image of a suffering and helpless child? Con artists that work behindexploitative non-profits understand this all too well. There are surprisingly many 'orphanages' that have been set up just to funnel money through. The orphanages are, of course, kept in horrible conditions so that donors see the 'dire needs' and give. Yes, these facilities purposefully maintain substandard conditions to attract foreign donors.
Many of these places will even allow donors to visit and interact with the children because it makes the donors want to do more. Can you imagine being a child in one of these orphanages where strangers come in and out for very short visits holding you with pitiful looks on their faces? These places emotionally destroy children. Any orphanage that allows you to walk off the street and interact with the children should be suspect. In addition, you should be cautious of funding any orphanage that relies heavily on foreign volunteers or staff if they do not have the ability to develop long term, meaningful relationships with the children
I'm not saying that all orphanages are bad, there is a place for them. But be careful, not all orphanages are needed nor are they necessarily the best way to help. Funding poorly run or unnecessary orphanages will hurt the child far more than it helps them. In many third world countries, I truly believe that funding orphanages contribute to creating orphans. I'll write more on this in the near future as this is an issue that is very near to my heart.
Joachim Theis, UNICEF head of child protection said this:
"Donors are attracted to orphanages because they appear to be a simple solution. You have a building, you house children in it, it is easy to count them. And they are easy to fund raise for. It is a model that has been used for a long time. But it is the wrong model."
Last month there was a study published in the New York Times that recommended orphanages be used only as a last resort due to the negative impact institutionalization has on the emotional and intellectual development of children.
I'm starting to get into international development issues here :)
Yes, the children in Haiti need help right now. Here are the main issues for the children.
-There are still a large number of children that have not been reunited with loved ones that are looking for them.
-Children need post traumatic stress therapy and evaluations and treatment to ensure long term emotional health
-Many children who suffered physical injuries need rehabilitation or future operations (An example would be amputee children. As they continue to grow, their bones will need to be shaved down periodically).
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If you are thinking of helping fund an orphanage, look into how long the orphanage has been in operation. Get background on the founder and staff. Look at their programs and their policies on volunteers and visitors. What are their standards of living and educational structures.
Some questions to ask:
Is the orphanage legally registered and monitored?
Does the orphanage have an active family reunification program? (The orphanage should provide information on the work they do to establish and maintain family contacts so the children may eventually be reunited with their family.)
Does the orphanage keep siblings together in a family unit?
Is the orphanage located in the same community as the child previously lived?
Does the orphanage have long-term, trained, and well supervised staff?
Does the orphanage respect and accommodate each child's cultural / religious beliefs and
Don't Choose Based on How They Market their Admin Costs-
While it seems logical that the less a charity spends on administration the more of your donation reaches the people that need it the most, it's not as simple as that. In reality the amount that a charity spends on administration costs is a meaningless and potentially harmful indicator. Unfortunately and fortunately, the most effective non profits are run as a business. The amount or percent spent on administration is no indication of the quality of work done by the organization, whether projects were successful, or if they were even necessary. Cheap programs are not necessarily better programs and can often be just the opposite.
Here are some of my favorite LARGE organizations that have presence in Haiti:
Partners in Health (PIH): PIH is mobilizing its logical team and medical staff of more than 100 doctors and 500 nurses and nursing assistants to respond to the urgent needs of those Port-au-Prince.
Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS): HAS is currently a major site receiving patients suffering from traumatic injuries from the earthquake.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): Members of Doctors Without Borders are already in Haiti treating the injured. They have four tented hospitals already in operation, and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of an inflatable hospital that is pre-packed with beds, trays, respirators, and essential medicines.
UNICEF: UN partners and UNICEF are involved mainly with providing supplies to survivors, such as temporary housing, water storage containers and purification tablets, and cooking supplies and food kits.
The Salvation Army: have had a long term presence in Haiti long before the Earthquake. Has food and relief suppliespre-positioned in Haiti. Has embedded staff that live and work with Haitians and staff include locals.
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): The ICRC and the American Red Cross are mobilizing resources and staff to respond to the earthquake including search and rescue and medical supplies.
By the way...
Don't Earmark Your Donation-
Although it seems like earmarking your donation would ensure that your money goes straight to the cause, earmarking or restricting charitable donations is not a good idea. Instead of ensuring that your money is well spent, it can actually prevent the organization from using your donation where it can do the most good and may force them to overspend in areas where there is less need.
As I mentioned in my very first blog, I personally like to support CBOs (Community Based Organizations) as they have been in the community long before the disaster and have programs, staff and trust already built in. There are some incredible small organizations that are in Haiti and I hope you'll feel empowered to learn more about them before you give. Sometimes good intentions are not enough. Humanitarian aid is not as simple as providing food, water and shelter. There are long term ramifications of foreign aid to consider, but for me, I cannot ignore immediate survival needs of another human being. Pain and suffering does not know the boundaries of the borders of nations and politics.
