Comments on: What's the best way to donate to tsunami victims?

Question: What's the best way to donate to tsunami victims?

donovan — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 01:10:23 -0800

What's the most effective way to help Tsunami victims with a donation? CNN lists 25 groups willing to take a donation. How do you decide who to give to?

By: asnowballschance

asnowballschance — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 04:37:05 -0800

Catholic Relief is located across the street from me. My company has done a lot through them, and they're just great people, in general. I've volunteered with the IRIC before, and my experiences were also fantastic. I'd say go with the organization whose goals and aims you identify most with.

I'm gonna ask these here, but shoot me down if I should have just AskMe'd separately. What are your experiences with collecting $ for donations through PayPal? Are there organizations collecting non-monetary donations (blankets, clothing, toiletries, etc)?

By: profwhat

profwhat — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 06:31:36 -0800

Charitynavigator.org attempts to "rate" charities, based on things like how many administrative expenses they have and how much of your money is actually spent on programs. It gives the American Red Cross 4 stars.

By: bradhill

bradhill — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 07:49:26 -0800

The American Institute of Philanthropy provides a list of their top rated charities doing tsunami relief work here:

http://www.charitywatch.org/hottopics/tsunami_asia.html

They give the American Red Cross, Lutheran World Relief and Mercy Corps an A+. FWIW, I give to Mercy Corps.

You also might want to contact your employer to see if they have approved charities for which they will match your gift.

By: icontemplate

icontemplate — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 07:54:27 -0800

I was just going to ask this question.

Being Christmas and all, I've gotta make room for new toys my daughter received. She's got a lot of stuffed animals and dolls she no longer cares for, and she's amazingly willing to box stuff up to give away. I've read about the number of children lost in the disaster, and the number of children who are now orphaned as well. I'm looking for a charity that will specialize in sending toys out to those kids. I've read that same list in several newspaper, and now online. savethechildren.org (which also received a 4 star rating from charitynavigator) looks like it would be a start for my intentions, but it looks like they only accept monetary donations as well.

Looking forward to answers...

By: mosch

mosch — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 08:41:26 -0800

I also give through Mercy Corps. I give through them mostly because they have fairly low overhead, and they make it easy to target a particular disaster relief effort.

By: Medieval Maven

Medieval Maven — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 08:54:06 -0800

Given that disease is the Next Big Disaster for them, I've given to Doctors Without Borders, but both www.doctorswithoutborders.org and www.msf.org seem to be down. :(

By: bradhill

bradhill — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 09:10:10 -0800

icontemplate, I admire your and your daughter's charitable spirit, but to help give money, not in-kind gifts. These communities are in desperate need of doctors and medical supplies, clean food and water, shelter, clean up, burials for the dead and the most basic of household goods (a cook pot, etc). Many of these needs will go unmet. A teddy bear is really the last thing they need and the cost to a charity to collect, transport and distribute a donation of that kind could literally save a child's life if spent where most needed. With matching donations and leveraged spending to enable volunteers and communities to help themselves, pennies can go a long way in a place like Indonesia.

Cash donations allow exactly the most needed items to be sent, which is especially critical in this disaster since with airports, roads and harbors destroyed few goods can be sent to the places hardest hit.

By: jacobsee

jacobsee — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 10:40:19 -0800

I also donated to Mercy Corps yesterday and am glad to see them on this list, but just for acuraccy, the AIP gives them a B+

By: billsaysthis

billsaysthis — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 13:03:16 -0800

icontemplate, while the toys may not be great donations for the tidal wave survivors, i guarantee you can find a local to you charity which would love some late Xmas gifts to distribute. Still a worthwhile charity.

By: thomcatspike

thomcatspike — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 13:18:38 -0800

The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami
The SEA-EAT blog for short. News and information about resources, aid, donations and volunteer efforts.

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 13:29:27 -0800

Amazon.com has a link to the Red Cross donations effort on their front page.

And, icontemplate, what bradhill said about the toys. Toys will just get in the way right now--I suggest, instead, donating your daughter's extra toys to a local children's hospital or outreach program for homeless families.

By: icontemplate

icontemplate — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 13:59:59 -0800

It looks like we'll be donating the toys to a local charity, and sending money for relief efforts. I'm choosing savethechildren.org

By: cali

cali — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 03:20:28 -0800

I would highly recommend Direct Relief, they provide medicines and doctors and have an astonishingly low percentage of overhead (only 1%). I've worked with them personally, it's an all-volunteer effort.

By: dhruva

dhruva — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 21:03:15 -0800

The SEA-EAT blog is now on a wiki.

By: ericb

ericb — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 21:37:33 -0800

"Outpouring: Donors overwhelm Web sites with donations for Asia" (Newsweek)

By: ericb

ericb — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 21:46:01 -0800

"A partial list of agencies accepting donations to aid tsunami victims in South Asia"

By: hardcode

hardcode — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 04:31:50 -0800

In the UK the Disasters Emergency Commitee is co-ordinating all the charities that are accepting donations, you can find links there.

By: ericb

ericb — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 11:30:38 -0800

The Center for International Disaster Information explains on its Web site that "financial contributions allow professional relief organizations to purchase exactly what disaster victims need most urgently and to pay for the transportation necessary to distribute those supplies." The Web site provides a list of agencies working to aid victims of the tsunamis, along with contact information.

By: ericb

ericb — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 14:22:58 -0800

Bloggers without Borders launched last night - Tsunami Outreach, etc.

By: WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot

WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 15:37:45 -0800

Another way to give: frequent flyer miles.

By: bluno

bluno — Fri, 31 Dec 2004 07:41:24 -0800

yesterday i was looking for an organization to give my lingering paypal funds to. Today I found it.
Karuna Trust

By: ericb

ericb — Fri, 31 Dec 2004 07:48:45 -0800

Network For Good - to donate to multiple organizations.

Guidelines for choosing a chairty - GuideStar

By: ericb

ericb — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 02:34:40 -0800

*charity* / NGO / "non-profit" / relief organization ...

By: diff:eye:ant

diff:eye:ant — Sun, 02 Jan 2005 18:20:23 -0800

Money is the best way to help, I just read this on www.charitywatch.org For example, during the Bosnian War (1992–1996), 37.5 million pounds of inappropriate medicines were donated.
The people I work with want to organise a sponsored event to raise money for the fund, however as we all work in a cinema, we are open seven days and need an event that can be done by us all, but not on the same day. As a new addition to metafilter I would be grateful for any ideas.