Posts Tagged ‘Charity Navigator’

Haiti Lifelines…

15 Jan 2010
by MjM

In an attempt to consolidate earlier posts, below is our updated list of organizations providing aid to Haiti.  We would also like to remind you that there are some bad guys out there taking advantage of folks, so check in with Charity Navigator to make sure an organization is legit before you give.

Ken Berger, Charity Navigator CEO

>>> Texting Options:

  • Text HAITI to 90999.  $10 will be charged to your cell phone bill and given to the American Red Cross.
  • Text HAITI to 45678. $5 will be charged to your cell phone bill and given to The Salvation Army.
  • Text SAVE to 20222 (US Only). $10 will be charged to your cell phone bill and given to Save the Children.

>>> Twitter people/orgs/lists to follow for latest accurate updates:

>>> US and International Organizations

American Jewish World Service- dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world.

American Red Cross- pledging an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by this earthquake, and is prepared to take further action as local responders assess the situation.

AmeriCares- provides immediate response to emergency medical needs – and supports long-term humanitarian assistance programs – for all people around the world.

Artists for Peace and Justice- supports an orphanage, medical clinics, street schools, and a pediatric hospital—the only free hospital serving the children of one of the largest slums in the western hemisphere.

Beyond Borders- working to coordinate their response with other organizations. If you have medical skills or the ability to translate from English or Spanish into Haitian Creole, they may be able to connect you with a group sending teams to Haiti.

CARE- leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty.

Catholic Relief Services- official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community of the United States.

Church World Service- working with partners in the U.S. and around the world to build interfaith and intercultural coalitions to eradicate hunger and poverty and promote peace and justice.

Clinton Bush Haiti Fund- for immediate relief and long-term recovery efforts.

Concern Worldwide- targeting extreme poverty.

Direct Relief International- provides medical assistance to improve the quality of life for people affected by poverty, disaster, and civil unrest at home and throughout the world.

Doctors Without Borders- international medical humanitarian organization.

Food for the Poor Haiti Earthquake Relief- providing emergency relief to earthquake victims.

GlobalGiving.org- providing emergency assistance and critical necessities including water, food, shelter, and medical care.

Haitian Health Foundation- provides health care, development, relief, and the hope of a future to more than 225,000 of the poorest people in over 100 rural mountain villages in southwestern Haiti.

Hope for Haiti- supporting education, nutrition, and healthcare programs.

International Medical Corps- relieves the suffering of those affected by war, natural disaster and disease, by delivering vital health care services that focus on training.

Madre- international women’s human rights organization.

Medical Teams International- has two disaster relief teams ready to go to Haiti. The first team leaves January 14.  They are also are mobilizing shipments of medical supplies and distribution other emergency aid as needed.

Mercy Corps- exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities.

International Relief Teams- dedicated to organizing volunteer teams to provide medical and non-medical assistance ot the victims of disaster and profound poverty worldwide.

Operation USA- helps communities at home and abroad overcome the effects of disasters, disease and endemic poverty by providing privately-funded relief, reconstruction and development aid.

Oxfam America- providing clean water, shelter, sanitation and helping people recover.

Partners in Health- bringing the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need and working to alleviate the crushing economic and social burdens of poverty that exacerbate disease.

The Salvation Army- preparing to send more than 44,000 lbs of pre-packaged emergency rations to the country, along with emergency disaster teams.

Samaritan’s Purse Haiti Earthquake Relief- dispatched a team just hours after the quake to help with water, shelter, medical care and other emergency needs.

Save the Children- with offices in Port-au-Prince, is racing to provide immediate life-saving assistance, such as food, water, shelter and child-friendly spaces.

UNICEF- provides children with health care, clean water, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and more.

Water Missions International- provides clean, safe water to people in developing countries and disaster areas through a variety of technologies.

World Concern- provides emergency aid, medicine, clean water, food, education, and livelihood programs to refugees and survivors of war, extreme poverty, disease and famine – all around the globe.

World Vision- dedicated to working with children, families, and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.

>>> Facebook Groups and Pages

>>> The State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747.

In addition, the International Committee of the Red Cross has set up a website to help locate family members.

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Posted in General, Good, disaster relief | 8 Comments »
MjM

Choosing Charities

06 Dec 2009
by MjM

Here at WhatGives!? you’ll often find us standing on our chairs and banging pots with spoons trying to get your attention and encourage you to support worthy causes.  Sometimes, though, it’s difficult because the multitude of charity choices are daunting, and the research process can stop people from getting involved altogether.

ApplesOrangesLike many of you, I’ve often relied on Charity Navigator to help find the “best” choices in a particular category of causes.  They use the tried-and-true overhead ratio (dollars spent on programs versus dollars spent on admin and overhead) to rate the effectiveness of the charity.   However, PhilanthropyAction.com, recently reported that with all the new metrics available, Charity Navigator and other evaluation websites are looking for better ways to judge an organization’s efficacy.

After all, the internet has changed the way we give.  We micro-give with a dollar here and five dollars there.  We forward fruitcakes and tweet hashtags and show our support in dozens of different ways, all in support of charities old and new.  With that desire to spread around our donations, comes a need to quickly and clearly understand to whom we are giving.  Some new websites have emerged that are looking to take advantage of the expanding amount of information available to help us judge a nonprofit.

Next year you’ll be seeing revamped ratings at Charity Navigator that emphasize effectiveness and transparency.  GreatNonprofits.org invites givers to review a charity and it’s programs.  Philanthropedia gathers opinions and information from nonprofit professionals. GiveWell.net solicits detailed information from the charities themselves.  All of these newer sites still have a long way to go in terms of the size of their databases.  They have the same problem we as donors – an ever-expanding universe of worthy (and not-so-worthy) 501c3s.

So, while those websites may help us narrow our choices, many of us will be gathering additional information on our own.  Which is where many nonprofits – especially those that have been around a while – drop the ball.  They’re slow to make use of the online tools and the online people who are driving this new way to give.

Scott Henderson at Rally The Cause wrote a great post about today’s “Cause Consumers” and how they relate to the “Cause Amplifiers” that have evolved in the social media universe.  Nonprofits need to recognize the influence and passion of the Amplifiers – who often make the best use of social media – and to harness their power to raise awareness for their cause.

Eventually, all sides will do better by sharing their skills.  Once a grassroots charity grows to a certain point, they’ll have to “cross over” into a more structured administration.  That successfully expanding organization will have to begin the juggling act between staying nimble and accessible, and managing their larger programs and staff.  At the same time, a decades-old institution needs to find ways to re-connect on a more personal basis with their donor base.  In both cases, the young organization and the old war horse have one thing in common – the need to engage those passionate Cause Amplifiers who can help reach and support the Cause Consumers.

One of my family’s favorite organizations has long been the Salvation Army.  At over 150 years old, they’ve survived every technological revolution and are still going strong.  I happen to think it’s those bellringers.  Every year, the Salvation Army is personified by the nice man outside of Nordstrom who always has a smile for everyone whether they put a buck in his bucket or not.  It’s still personal for them.  They’ve added credit/debit card readers to a few of those buckets, along with a website that allows you to give in many ways with the click of a mouse.  They’ve even got an iPhone ap for people who’d like to do a little bellringing on their own.  They may be one of the oldest charities in America, but they’re still changing, evolving, and adapting.

And as one guy who really knew how to upset social media once said, “Adapt or perish.”

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Posted in General, Good | 1 Comment »
MjM

Veterans Day $upport Opportunitie$

12 Nov 2009
by MjM

Fisher_House_logoYou didn’t have to look very hard this Veterans Day to discover the many ways you can support the men and women in our armed forces.

USA Today had a great list of ways to donate, support, or get involved.

Huffington Post suggested some immediate ways to help those devastated by the Ft. Hood shooting.

And Charity Navigator had its four-star recommendations up:

Special Operations Warrior Foundation

National Military Family Association

Homes for our Troops

Fisher House

Fisher House is getting a special boost this week from State Farm with their ThanksForBeingThere.com campaign.  Every time someone posts a “thank you” on the website, State Farm will donate one dollar to this great organization that supports military families whose loved ones are undergoing treatment at military or VA medical centers throughout the country and overseas in Germany.

Every thank you message is accompanied by a picture or a video.  You can personalize it for someone special who served, or just send a shout out to the entire Marine Corps if that’s your preference.  There are a couple of steps involved and a waiting period until your thank you posts, but it’s worth a little extra effort to support Fisher House.  State Farm is pledging up to $50,000 towards this “home away from home” that families need when someone is hospitalized in a distant location.

You can also give directly to Fisher House, and even mark it as a memorial to a service member if you’d like.  Or if you’re a frequent flyer, consider donating some of those extra miles to their Hero Miles program.

I know it’s a lot of information and a lot of options.  There are so many great charities for so many great causes.  Sometimes it can be daunting.  Just keep in mind that a few dollars from a lot of us adds up quickly. Five bucks really can make a difference. So let’s get busy, people!

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Posted in General, Good, holiday | No Comments »
MjM
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