The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) announces its top-rated charities currently offering services to the victims of the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Southeast U.S. Hurricane Katrina devastated major cities along the Gulf coast, including New Orleans, Biloxi and Mobile, with strong winds up to 140 mph in some areas and flooding. Not long afterwards, Hurricane Rita severely damaged small coastal communities including Lake Charles and Holly Beach in Louisiana and Port Arthur and Beaumont in southeast Texas.

Two years after the storms, recovery has been uneven and a great deal of work remains to be done. According to the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, the population of Orleans parish is still less than 50% of what it was pre-Katrina, and the regional unemployment rate has actually increased in the past year. AIP, a leading charity watchdog that issues letter grade (A+ to F) ratings of nonprofit groups, identifies the following relief charities, which are providing aid to the victims. These charities have received an “A” or “B” grade based on the portion of their budget going to program services and their fundraising efficiency.

Charities with a “*” have announced plans to provide aid to victims of Hurricane Rita.

Note: Links will open in a new window

· American Friends Service Committee (A-)
  1-888-588-2372

· American Jewish Committee (A)
  1-212-751-4000

*American Red Cross (A+)
  1-800-435-7669

*AmeriCares (A)
  1-800-486-4357

*America's Second Harvest (A)
  1-800-771-2303

· Christian Children's Fund (A-)
  1-800-776-6767

*Church World Service (A)
  1-800-297-1516

*Direct Relief International (A)
  1-805-964-4767

· Habitat for Humanity International - National Office (A-)
  1-229-924-6935

· International Medical Corps (A+)
  1-800-481-4462

· International Rescue Committee (A)
  1-877-733-8433

*MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger (A)
  1-310-442-0020

· Medical Teams International (A-)
  1-800-959-4325

*Mercy Corps (A)
  1-800-292-3355

· Oxfam-America (A-)
  1-800-776-9326

*Salvation Army (A)
  1-800-725-2769

*Samaritan's Purse (B+)
  1-828-262-1980

*Save the Children (A)
  1-800-728-3843

· Scholarship America (A+) To help displaced students with tuition and other needs.
  1-800-537-4180

· UNCF/The College Fund (A) To help displaced students with tuition and other needs.
  1-800-331-2244

*World Vision (A-)
  1-888-511-6598

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
Americans wanting to help the hurricane victims should send contributions to only those charities with an established track record of helping people in this region.

Tips for Making the Most of Your Donation:

· Give to newly created charities only if you have reliable third-party verification of their credibility and/or have knowledge of and trust the officers and directors of the new group.

· Do not assume that a claimed celebrity endorsement is real or that the celebrity has adequately scrutinized the charity.

· Give with check or credit card instead of cash. There is little assurance that coin or currency donations will actually go to the intended beneficiary.

· Be cautious about giving to individual disaster victims that show up on covers of magazines or on television. Unpublicized victims may be more in need than publicized victims who are often flooded with gifts.

· Be cautious about giving in response to a telemarketing call. If you decide to donate, make sure you have reviewed all the information from the charity and ask what percentage of your contribution will fund the pertinent programs. For more tips on giving click here.

SEND A CHECK, NOT GOODS
The best way to help is by sending a check. Cash donations enable charities to buy the most needed types 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 in southeast Asia, boxes of donated winter coats, scarves and fuzzy hats, completely useless items in tsunami stricken nations with tropical climates, were sent to these nations.

CONSIDER GIVING TO CHARITIES NOT INVOLVED IN RELIEF EFFORTS
Unfortunately, donations to aid survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita may mean less donations to other charities, especially social and human services charities. Charities that aid the poor, the disabled and the homeless are suffering from three straight years of declines in contributions.

The public's focus on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is likely to divert much-needed funds away from charities not involved in Katrina relief efforts. AIP urges donors to consider giving to these charities because there are many others still in need outside of the Gulf Coast region.