We’re a better people than we sometimes give ourselves credit for, as shown by the depth of concern and level of support for victims of the Haitian earthquake. But I can’t shake a lesson learned after 9/11, when billions of dollars in donations poured into the American Red Cross. It was a scam.
We are ever-vigilant of scammers always at the ready to take advantage of anyone willing to open his wallet to help those in need. But we fully expect that an institution like the American Red Cross can be trusted to use donation to help those in Haiti to go to that purpose. Remember the name Bernadine Healy? She was the Red Cross head at the time, oozing empathy and collecting the massive donations from a well-meaning public prepared to do everything they could to help. She subsequently resigned in disgrace.
The plea for donations by the American Red Cross for the victims of the earthquake is patent on its website, smeared with images evoking the need for help. But your donation will go wherever the American Red Cross wants it to go, such as the more than $450,000 a year salary paid Red Cross CEO Healy when 9/11 was the cause, if they have their way.
Note the carefully worded solicitation by the Red Cross.
 | International Response FundYou can help the victims of countless crises, like the recent earthquake in Haiti, around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster, please do so at the time of your donation by mailing your donation with the designation to the American Red Cross… |
The first sentence suggests that donations to the International Response Fund will help Haiti, but obviously its use of the word “like” qualifies it to be an example, not a promise. Buried in the paragraph is the need to specifically designate the donation to a “specific disaster,” a reform that followed Healy’s 9/11 scam.
The expectation that few will read beyond the first sentence, or note that the solicitation qualifies the use of the money, creating the expectation that it will go to Haiti without any assurance that it will. And no, the American Red Cross has no qualms about using the money in whatever way it deems best, your intentions notwithstanding. And if you click on the International Response Fund, the next page will ask for a wealth of information to facilitate your donation, but nowhere does it have a space to designate it for any specific disaster.
Sadly, this is the first fund recommended by Consumer Reports for Haitian donations, primarily because of the institutional nature of the American Red Cross. Big is easy. It’s not necessarily accurate. While well-intended blawgers urge caution against scammers by donating to “reputable charities,” it’s not that easy.
Please donate to help the victims of the Haitian earthquake. Just make sure that your donation goes where you intend it to go.
One easy thing to do is check a charity on http://www.charitynavigator.com. You can instantly see an overall rating, as well as the percentage of donations that go to program expenses (i.e., actually helping people).
The site also currently has a page listing charities directly responding in Haiti, along with ratings.
While Charity Navigator (as well as Charity Watch) are good sites to see how much of a donation goes to administrative costs rather than helping people, please bear in mind that it’s only one of the issues raised. The other is whether the donation goes to the dedicated cause or toward general funds, which is outside of Charity Navigator’s purview.
If you want to be sure your money goes to Haiti, local organizations are a safe bet. If you’re willing to take the recommendation of a lurker, I’ve personally worked with ORE, a local NGO based in the south of Haiti: http://oreworld.org/donate.htm
Doctors Without Borders is probably a safe choice as well, I’ve never heard a bad word about them from the folks I know in the NGO business.
I’m unfamiliar with ORE, but will leave up the link based on your recommendation. As for Doctors without Border, I’ve known about them for a long time and am a big supporter. As far as I know, they do a great job whenever and wherever needed.
If the Red Cross is giving x-amount of dollars to a current crisis from its existing funds, donating to them now will replace those funds, etc. I love the idea that my money goes directly to Haiti but I also know it’s not realistic it will follow a straight line from point A to point B. If it replenishes the coffers, I’m OK with that, too. Kind of like giving blood. Your blood doesn’t go to a designated recipient.
If you have faith in them (not withstanding the disgrace over 9/11) then I wouldn’t spend too much time overseeing the dollar’s journey from point A to point B.
I, too, highly recommend Doctors without Borders.
That’s not at all how it works, but if you’re happy with the Red Cross and not to picky about facts, then by all means donate.
Scott, you quoted the International Response Fund option for donations. If you go to the next option it is specifecally earmarked for the January 12th earthquake in Haiti.
Haiti Relief and Development
On January 12, a series of earthquakes measuring 6.5 to 7.3 on the Richter scale devastated Haiti. The American Red Cross is working with its partners in the global Red Cross and Red Crescent network, including the Haitian Red Cross, and other partners to assist those affected by this disaster.
Your gift to the American Red Cross will support emergency relief and recovery efforts to help those people affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Assistance provided by the American Red Cross may include deploying personnel, sending relief supplies, and providing financial resources.
It seems pretty clear you can earmark your donation for this specific crisis. When you go to the next page it’s pretty simple.
I personally, did Doctors Without Borders, but Red Cross does indicate pretty clearly you can donate directly to Haiti relief effort.
Much closer this time, though still not quite right. It really pays to both find out what you’re talking about beforehand, and not to jump to baseless conclusions. That, Susan, was the point of this post, and you’ve shown how people assume things that are false and how easily people are fooled into believing that their donations will be used in the manner intended. Your first comment was entirely wrong. Your second is partially wrong. And your initial rush to assumption (and subsequent effort to bail out of your mistaken assumption) demonstrates the problem. People want to help, and shouldn’t assume or be tricked into believing falsehoods.
Despite having looked, I find nothing that states that the texted donations will be dedicated funds for Haiti. If people are happy donating toward for general use rather than the specific intended use, then that’s fine. As long as they know what they are doing, and realize that there is no assurance that their donations will be put to use in Haiti, and in fact are likely not to go toward Haitian relief at all.
Scott, the point I’M making is unless you go to Haiti yourself and hand money out to individuals on the street, you have to have a certain amount of trust for an organization which has a long history of doing good around the world. I’ve seen too many people stop giving because they want to micromanage their dollar’s journey and simply stop donating. If you don’t trust them, don’t donate to them. And, of course, I’m waiting on your final word 🙂
Have you really seen “too many people stop giving because they want to micromanage their dollar’s journey?” I’ve haven’t seen that at all. What I do see are a lot of people who are deeply disappointed by the fact that their intent was not fulfilled because of charities that mislead them at to the use of donations.
And that’s why I try to make sure on my blawg that people don’t act rashly or run around posting false, baseless assumptions on the internet. Even if they write three comments. Maybe even four when they don’t get to wiggle their way out of their initial erroneous comments. Isn’t it funny how people work so hard to spin their way out of their own foolish words, when they could have either gotten it right in the first place by using a little thought rather than just making stuff up, or just said nothing at all? But some people feel compelled to post their beliefs, even if they are utterly baseless and would rather just spout nonsense than learn what they’re talking about.
I can’t wait for you to identify all these people you know who are behaving in a way so fundamentally different than all the people I know. Please tell me all about them. I’m fascinated by your personal anecdotal experience, that differs so dramatically from mine. You always seem to know unnamed people who uniquely support your position in contrast with others who use actual facts to support what they say.
Ever the charmer 🙂
Nah, I’m not much on charm. That’s why I stick with honesty and accuracy.
[Ed. Note: comment deleted. I realize that you can’t bear the thought of being wrong, but that doesn’t mean you get behave like a three year old and post foolish comments ad naseum. If you want a soap box to save face, do it on your own blog. Four tries is enough, and you’re done here.]
[Ed. Note: And this comment (number 6) is deleted as well. A little obsessed, Susan? Incapable of letting go perhaps? Will you post 100 comments until you get to vindicate yourself?]