THE
BEST WAY TO SUPPORT RELIEF EFFORTS IN BANGLADESH
On November 15, 2007, Tropical Cyclone Sidr struck
the coastal regions of Bangladesh with torrential rains and 150mph
winds, resulting in a storm surge that left thousands dead, millions
homeless or without power, and many areas cut off and unable to
request help or even report the scale of destruction. The damage
to livelihood, housing and crops from Sidr will be "extremely severe,"
U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs John Holmes
told the Associated Press.
The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) announces
its top-rated list of charities involved in Bangladesh 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:
Note: Links will open in a new window
All of these charities perform favorably in relation
to AIP’s benchmarks:
1) A charity should spend at least 60% of its budget on program
services.
2) Charities should spend no more than $35 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 cyclone
relief efforts should send contributions to only those charities
with an established track record of helping people in this region.
Though these crises are not highly publicized, disreputable, fly-by-night
“charities” always exist 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 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.
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