Disaster Relief - Donating Wisely

When a disaster strikes, many of us want to help. Unfortunately, some charities sound really good in name but sadly will put very little of your donated $$ to actual use in helping anyone. There are scam artists running fraudulent charities that sound like legitimate organizations. [currently of 2,300 Katrina related online sites, an FBI investigation identifies 800+ as scams ! Fraud charities are, to quote an FBI official, "popping up faster then we can pound them down" !]
Want to make sure your $$ is going to a good charity ? That your donation actually will reach those disaster victims in need ?

Then these sites might be useful

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Charity Navigator.org - CharityNavigator has a database of over 4,000 charities rated by several factors that include what % of your donation actually goes to the intended recipients. You might be surprised to see some organizations that "sound" legitimate spend 90% or more on "administrative" costs ! If you want to make sure your dollar is going to count, this is a very good site to bookmark for the future. They even have a special section: How You Can Help the Victims of Hurricane Katrina

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Give.org: "Investigate before you donate". Give.org is the website for the BBB Wise Giving Alliance: they collect and distribute information on hundreds of nonprofit organizations that solicit nationally or have national or international program services. Those charities that either do or don't meet standards are indicated, as are ones who refuse to provide information about their accountability.

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The American Institute of Philanthropy: Helping you give wisely to charity. AIP is a nationally prominent charity watchdog service whose purpose is to help donors make informed giving decisions. They also include information on the specific organizations.

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So, who can you donate to ? there are plenty of websites listing charities

MSNBC has a section How to Help Katrina's Victims, get information. Their site gives links to a number of agencies and organizations working to assist victims of the hurricane.

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CNN's Hotlines: Where to Get and Give Help includes links to federal and state agencies, as well as organizations.

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Washington Post and FEMA provide a list of 16 agencies in the article: Where to Donate. The Post provides free registration for articles.

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FEMA Press Release FEMA News: Cash Sought To Help Hurricane Victims, Volunteers Should Not Self-Dispatch - the release includes list of phone numbers set up solely for cash donations and/or volunteers, and links to websites of the agencies.

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Three charities with excellent, nay outstanding! records and ratings, already on the storm ravaged scene helping Katrina victims are

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http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/ . . . . Salvation Army
Donate online, or mail donations to:
. . . . . Salvation Army
. . . . . PO BOX 4857
. . . . . JACKSON, MS 39296-4857
. . . . . Attn: disaster relief
note: the Salvation Army has been described as the "gold star" of charities - you can be sure your donations are going to benefit those most in need - they can make $$ go further then just about anyone else

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http://www.secondharvest.org/ . . . America's Second Harvest - national organization, with local affiliate
. . . . . America's Second Harvest of the Big Bend
. . . . . 4016 NW Passage
. . . . . Tallahassee, FL 32303
. . . . . Attn: disaster relief
another incredible program doing so much good across the country and right here in Leon County as well

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http://www.redcross.org/ . . . The Red Cross
. . . . . American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund
. . . . . 187 Office Plaza Drive
. . . . . Tallahassee, Florida 32301
Red Cross, international in scope, helping around the world. The American Red Cross has been a first responder for decades when disaster strikes locally. These folks know what they are doing, they just need the resources

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There is also the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund Governor Jeb Bush established the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund following the devastating 2004 hurricane season in Florida. Please note, the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund cannot accept donations on behalf of our sister states.

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Newly established Monday, 9/5, former presidents Clinton and Bush, who teamed up to fundraise for Tsunami relief now take on a new focus, the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund.This fund will serve as an umbrella organization for the three special funds established by Governors of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi and will focus on collecting donations to assist in the long-term recovery plan for the states affected by this terrible tragedy.

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If you want to help,

there is no time better then now !

Give wisely and generously.

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Animal disaster relief organizations

Humane Society of the US The Humane Society of the United States is on the ground in the most devastated areas of the Gulf Coast. The animals are counting on us, we are counting on you. Hundreds of animals have already been rescued, and the search continues house by house.

Noahs Wish is a unique animal welfare organization dedicated exclusively to rescuing and sheltering animals in disasters throughout the United States and Canada, and other locations. They have a web section specifically about their rescue work with Katrina animals.

Louisiana State Univ School of Veterinary Medicine, Hurricane Katrina Emergency Animal Shelter. LSU is sheltering animals that were left with vets, kennels, and other locations that were unable to care for animals due to storm damage and animals recovered from the storm area.

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If you are wondering about INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, in addition to the Red Cross then Doctors Without Borders is an incredible organization - "international independent medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and exclusion from health care." They were the first to aid Tsunami victims, they are in the Sudan and all over the world, doing amazing work for the neediest.

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