THE
BEST WAY TO SUPPORT RELIEF EFFORTS IN THE AFTERMATH OF CHILEAN
EARTHQUAKE
An 8.8 magnitude earthquake shook
Chile on Saturday morning, February 27th. The death toll has climbed
to the hundreds and more than a million people have been displaced.
The damage in Chile is has not been as severely catastrophic as
the damage in Haiti, in part because Chile is a more developed
country with stronger building codes and more experience preparing
for and dealing with earthquakes. The Chilean government has cited
specific relief needs in the aftermath of the quake: field hospitals,
water purification plants, rescue workers, and temporary bridges.
Other needs will be identified as the damage is assessed.
The American Institute of Philanthropy
(AIP) announces its top-rated list of charities currently involved,
or preparing to become involved, in Chilean earthquake relief
efforts. AIP, a leading charity watchdog that issues letter grade
(A+ to F) ratings of nonprofit groups, identifies the following
charities, which are providing aid to the victims that receive
an “A” or “B” grade based on the portion of
their budget going to program services and their fundraising efficiency.
Contact the organizations below for information of specific relief
operations now underway.
Note: Links will open in a new window
Top-rated charities perform favorably
in relation to AIP’s benchmarks:
1) A charity should spend at least 75% of its budget on program
services.
2) Charities should spend no more than $25 to raise $100.
Contact your favorite charities to
find out if they provide the specific types of aid that you would
like to fund, e.g., emergency relief, health care, infrastructure
development, education, etc.
DONORS BEWARE
As with any charitable contribution, Americans wanting to help
Chilean relief efforts should send contributions to only those
charities with an established track record of helping people in
this region.
Donors should be wary of unsolicited
emails and text messages from individuals claiming to be victims
of the disaster. AIP advises against giving directly to such individuals
and urges donors to contribute to charities involved in disaster
relief efforts. The charities are better equipped to identify
individual victims and direct assistance and aid appropriately.
As always, exercise precaution when
donating online. To ensure that the website is legitimate, verify
that the organization's website address is the exact same address
that is displayed in your browser's address bar. Even the slightest
variation (such as the use of underscores instead of dashes between
words) may indicate an imposter. If there is any doubt, call the
charity to confirm the correct website address. It is best to
manually type in the organization's website address in the address
bar because simply clicking a link in an email or on an unfamiliar
website may take you to a fraudulent website.
Look for a padlock icon (your browser
may use another symbol) on the bottom right hand corner of your
screen to determine whether a site is secure for credit card donations.
If there is any concern about the site's legitimacy or security,
call the charity. Some charities may use an outside Internet credit
card vendor to process credit card donations. Again, the donor
should verify this before contributing online.
It is best to contribute to only those
charities with an established track record of helping people in
this region. Due to the magnitude of this disaster, it is important
to be especially aware that disreputable, fly-by-night “charities”
are set up to take advantage of the public’s generosity.
SEND A CHECK,
NOT GOODS
The best way to help is by sending a check. Cash donations enable
charities to buy the most needed type of food, medicine, clothing,
shelter materials and other supplies. By buying relief products
locally or regionally, charities can reduce shipping costs and
more rapidly deliver assistance. Before sending any goods, first
contact the charity to find out if they are appropriate and if
it will be cost effective to distribute them. For example, after
the 2004 Asian tsunami, boxes of donated winter coats, scarves
and fuzzy hats, completely useless items in tsunami stricken nations
with tropical climates, were sent to these nations.
Related Articles:
AIP's
Tips for Giving Wisely
What
You Need to Know to Donate Safely Online
