Last Saturday’s 7.2 earthquake, coupled with the flooding rains of Tropical Storm Grace, has devastated Haiti and impacted an estimated 1.2 million residents. As relief efforts rush to the scene to help, generous donors also want to help by supporting various charities that are raising funds for assistance. We love to encourage folks to give, but give wisely. The Better Business Bureau is here to help you evaluate organizations that are assisting with earthquake relief through our charity evaluation arm, BBB Wise Giving Alliance.
BBB’s Wise Giving Alliance is a standards-based charity evaluator that works to verify the trustworthiness of nationally soliciting charities by completing rigorous evaluations based on 20 standards that address charity governance, results reporting, finances, fundraising, appeal accuracy and other issues.
National charity reports are produced by BBB’s Give.org and are offered at give.org, along with local charity reports from BBBs throughout North America.
WGA and your BBB are offering the following tips for donors to consider. As we encourage generosity to help the victims in Haiti, we caution donors to avoid questionable appeals by keeping the following tips in mind:
Does the disaster relief charity meet BBB Charity Standards? You can verify a charity’s trustworthiness by viewing an evaluative report completed by BBB Wise Giving Alliance. See the list provided below of charities that are soliciting relief assistance for Haiti and that also meet BBB Standards for Charity Accountability. (These standards can be viewed at give.org).
Is the charity experienced in providing disaster relief? Experienced disaster relief charities are the best bet to help deliver aid quickly and effectively. New entrants may have difficulty following through even if they have good intentions.
Does the appeal make exaggerated financial claims such as “100% will be spent on relief.” Charities have fundraising and administrative expenses. Any charity claiming otherwise is potentially misleading the donating public. Even a credit card donation will have a processing fee.
Can the charity get to the impacted area? Not all disaster relief organizations will be positioned to provide relief quickly. See if the charity already has a presence in Haiti.
Should you send clothing and food? Local drives to collect clothing and food to send overseas are not practical. Disaster relief organizations are better equipped to obtain what is needed, distribute it and avoid duplication of effort.
Watch out for unsolicited appeals through emails, text messages or social media ads. This is a prime time for scammers to attempt to draw individuals into fake sites in hopes of stealing your identity or taking your money under false pretenses. Be careful to only visit safe sites. BBB recommends payment by credit card for added protections.
The following is a list of BBB Accredited Charities that indicate they’re raising funds for disaster relief in Haiti and have been found to uphold WGA’s 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability.
This list will be updated as additional efforts come to the BBB’s attention and the updated list can be viewed at give.org in the article titled “”Helping Victims of the Earthquake in Haiti.” In the article, you’ll find links to WGA’s report on each charity.
Americares: americares.org
CARE USA: care.org
Catholic Relief Services: crs.org
Church World Service: cwsglobal.org
Cross International: crossinternational.org
Direct Relief: directrelief.org
Food for the Poor: foodforthepoor.org
Global Impact: charity.org
Heart to Heart International: www.hearttoheart.org
International Medical Corps: internationalmedicalcorps.org
Medical Teams International: medicalteams.org
Operation USA: give.opusa.org
Project HOPE: projecthope.org
Save the Children: savethechildren.org
World Vision: worldvision.org
For more information, please visit us at bbb.org or contact our team at 423-266-6144.
Michele Mason is president of the Better Business Bureau in Chattanooga