Charitable Guidelines
Hurricane Relief
Tips on how to make the most of your donation dollars...
It's difficult to choose where to help and we'd each like to make sure our donations make it to their intended targets. As individuals, we also have preferences about immediate assistance or long-term care, medical care or housing, children or animals, etc. It's okay to choose a charity based on your preferences and the tips and links below may help you decide.
Give To An Established Charity
Find a charity with a proven track record. Avoid charities created specifically to deal with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts unless you know and trust someone personally involved or can verify their arrangements. Even well-meaning new organizations will not have the infrastructure and knowledge to use your gift efficiently.
Designate Your Gift
By designating your gift specifically for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, you'll ensure that your donation will be used for the victims of this particular disaster. Many charities try to encourage donors not to designate their gifts so that they can decide how best to utilize the money, but depending on your confidence in their ability to make that determination, you may want to tell the charity exactly how to use your gift.
Avoid Telemarketers
Be wary of fundraisers who pressure you via phone or email. Never divulge your credit card information to someone soliciting you. Instead, ask the fundraiser to send you written information that you can use to research it's activities.
Research And Follow Up
Please, take the time to find a charity you can trust. Use several sources and learn about their rating methods so you can make informed choices. And be sure to follow up with the charity in a few months to find out how your donation was put to use and if they need additional support to complete the recovery effort.
The Internal Revenue Service has valuable guidelines, a new disaster relief brochure and useful tips, including links to verify a specific organization qualifies for deduction. They also have recommendations to prevent Katrina scams.
Charity Navigator offers a list of highly-rated charities working in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
The American Institute of Philanthropy is another useful site with a dedicated page for Hurricane Relief.
Last but not least: Please remember that no one can do it all and it's okay to say "Not at this time" or "I've already donated."
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