How You Can Help the Relief Efforts in Haiti

Update – Donations may be tax deductible for 2009 taxes. The House recently passed a bill that will make certain donations for the Haiti earthquake relief efforts tax deductible for 2009 taxes. Please read more in this article: Haiti Relief Donations are Tax Deductible for 2009.

If you’ve even turned on the TV or radio once this week, chances are that you heard about the earthquake in Haiti. The earthquake leveled parts of the country and several large aftershocks have added to the destruction and confusion. The need is large and urgent – and you can help.

How you can help the Haiti earthquake relief efforts

Giving assistance in this day and age is easy – many charities allow you to make monetary donations online via a bank draft or credit card payment, via text message, or you can send in a check. Some local charities are also organizing drives to gather food, clothing, medical supplies and other items that will greatly assist in the relief efforts. In short, you can donate time, goods, money, or a combination of these. Just as important is giving your thoughts and prayers to those affected by this disaster and the relief workers who have gone to help.

Avoid charitable scams

Unfortunately, there are opportunists everywhere, and any major disaster brings about people looking to take advantage of the good intentions of others. Before giving money or other donations, you need to verify you are donating to a legitimate charity. Good resources to verify a charity’s legitimacy are:

• Charity Navigator.
• American Institute of Philanthropy.
• FTC Charity Fraud Guide.

Another tip to avoid charity scams is to say no to unsolicited phone calls, door to door solicitors, or other unsolicited donation requests, especially from a charity with which you are not familiar.

Where can you donate to the Haiti relief efforts?

There are many great charitable organizations out there, but this is one time where you should look at the scope and reach of the organization you are considering donating to. Right now time is of the essence, so larger organizations will most likely have the best ability to put your donation to use quickly.

• Doctors Without Borders.
• American Red Cross International Response Fund. You can also donate $10 directly to the Haitian relief fund by texting HAITI to 90999. Keep in mind that while this is quick and convenient for you, it takes longer for the American Red Cross to process these forms of donations (up to 90 days).
• The World Food Programme.
• UNICEF USA Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.

This list is not all-inclusive, but limited to charities that I am familiar with, and that have the organizational scope to make a large impact quickly. My wife and I chose to donate to Doctors Without Borders, which provides medical relief in all areas of the world.

Here are some more articles with similar messages about how you can help the relief efforts.

• Safe Donations to Victims of the Earthquake in Haiti.
• How To Donate To The Haiti Earthquake Relief Effort.
• Please Donate To Haiti Earthquake Victims.
• Safe Ways to Help Haiti.
• Haiti Earthquake Relief – How You Can Help!.

Feel free to leave the name and contact information for other recommended and legitimate charities in the comments section.

Tagged as: charities, donations