tips on donating to japan disaster relief

I haven’t posted anything about the Japan earthquake & tsunami yet, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been paying attention. Rather than posting a series of scary images and stats, I wanted to give you a resource to help you make educated donation decisions. Giving is giving no matter how you split it, and at the end of the day it shouldn’t come down to whether or not you give, but to whom you give. So read up, pick one, and whip out your PayPal login. Every bit counts!

CharityNavigator (great non-profit source, btw) has compiled a list of the non-profits with the best track record for providing disaster relief. Aka, the best bang for your buck (they analyze financial health and efficiency). Among the charities with four star ratings are Action Against Hunger, AmeriCares, Direct Relief (a personal favorite of mine), Doctors Without Borders, and Save the Children.

CN also provides some helpful tips on how and when to give your money – waiting a few days after the disaster to donate so charities have a more calculated response plan, carefully considering exactly where you want your money to go (children? supplies? medical relief?), thinking before you text-donate, and double-checking the website of a charity before giving, to name a few.

As tempting as it may be to just text donate and take a quick ten bucks off your cell phone bill, I highly suggest taking the time to research the .org to which you’re giving your hard earned money. ♥ Now go, give!

“You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.”

- Golda Meir

Photo: makosy