The thinking person's guide to relief org donations.
Last night my beloved Minneapolis and my former neighborhood of North was hit hard by a tornado. Today people are mobilized to help in any way they can, and I thought this might be a good time to share some of the information that I've gained over the last year concerning relief organizations and efforts.
First, the Red Cross - whether local, national, or international - is an incredible organization that does it all, and is often the first on the ground. However, as they are the most prominent and automatic-go-to when people want to contribute to disaster relief, they tend to shadow other organizations who are just as worthy but not as prominently known.
The Salvation Army is second on my list for organizations I would trumpet (get it? I said trumpet when talking about the Salvation Army. If you don't know much about them then you won't get that joke) when it comes to disaster relief. They typically have an army of passionate, enthusiastic, and helpful volunteers who will be there, day and night, to help. They also tend to fill the needs that others miss - handing out meals at all hours, providing children with books and notebooks and toys to give them a sense of comfort in upheaval, etc. They are excellent, and are often overlooked.
Habitat For Humanity: Okay. The misinformation out there is that Habitat For Humanity will help people rebuild their homes after natural disasters. This is not true. Habitat does not build houses for free, nor will they donate crews to just help you rebuild your house. They do have crews of volunteers that will help with clean-up, etc, but this is largely out of the volunteers own volition and/or mobilization of a local, engaged chapters. Habitat For Humanity will only build houses that the homeowner has signed a mortgage for (albeit an amazingly reasonable mortgage). It goes against their charter to "give" houses or rebuilding labor/material for free.
The local chapters of Habitat For Humanity are worthy organizations, and will definitely be trying to help people get back on their feet and they will be there long after other organizations have moved onto other projects. However, if you'd like to contribute to them, please send your money directly to the local chapter of the community affected. If you send the money to Habitat For Humanity International, that local chapter will not see those funds (in fact, each local chapter is required to give a portion of their income to Corporate, but cannot receive funds back from Corporate). These stipulations are in their charter, and regardless of how much scrutiny they got and credibility Habitat For Humanity lost during Katrina, they have no interest in changing this policy (background information: When Katrina happened, thousands of people donated money to Habitat For Humanity International, thinking that it was the most efficient and centralized place to donate funds to ensure that homes would be rebuilt. HFH In'tl did nothing to dissuade people from doing this, and it only came out after that, due to the stipulations in their charter, they can't give funds to local chapters, ...so basically New Orleans saw none of that money. Hence why the rebuild has been so slow, and why Brad Pitt started his own - very excellent - home rebuild program. The CEO told the Disaster Corps this lovely "here's where the money went" story during training, framing it as a "woe is us, all these people donated all this money to us because they didn't know any better and we couldn't give it to the local chapters!" - charming, right? So give that money to the local chapters - they'll funnel towards disaster relief training and efforts, home rebuilds or new homes for eligible families, and training crews of volunteers in a wide variety of skills.
Also, please consider donating to your local shelters - both for people and animals. These are often overlooked in favor of relief organizations, and they do so much good to help save and shelter humans and animals that have lost their homes. Local food shelves are also incredible places that will be feeling a burden after local disasters, and rarely see generous donations unless it's during an organized food drive.
If anyone else knows of other organizations that play a integral role in relief and rebuild after natural disasters, please send them up in the comments!
-------
EDIT:
Also, if you're interested in donating manpower and elbow grease, please call organizations to see if they need help first. Often, and especially during the first few days after a natural disaster, they're overwhelmed with volunteers that they cannot effectively or safely manage. I know it makes you sad that you can't help, but if they tell you to stay home, the best way to help them is to stay home.
Other fun ideas gathered on the internets today:
1) If your yard has an overwhelming amount of tree debris that you have no idea how you're going to clean up...post that shit up on Craigslist as kindling and firewood, free to whomever can come and pick it up from your yard. I'm totally serious about this - Memorial weekend is coming up, which means that tons of people are going to want firewood for their campfires, and you're saving them money on bundles of firewood while also saving you time and clean-up headache. It will also ensure that that wood does
n't just end up in a landfill somewhere.
2) I hope your home didn't sustain damage, but if it did and you need to renovate, the Green Institute's The ReUse Center is a fantastic resource both for utilizing your old doors, tiles, house structures, etc, and for finding a fantastic deal on renovation materials. Door handles, tiles, countertops, trim...that place is a wonderland for the sharp-eyed renovator, project-builder, and prop master.
3) Groucho Sports Supply has sent out a challenge to fellow small business owners to match us in a $250 donation to the TC Red Cross. Individuals and large businesses are welcome to jump in, too. Stuff like this is just one of the many reasons why I'm so proud to be a part of Groucho.
First, the Red Cross - whether local, national, or international - is an incredible organization that does it all, and is often the first on the ground. However, as they are the most prominent and automatic-go-to when people want to contribute to disaster relief, they tend to shadow other organizations who are just as worthy but not as prominently known.
The Salvation Army is second on my list for organizations I would trumpet (get it? I said trumpet when talking about the Salvation Army. If you don't know much about them then you won't get that joke) when it comes to disaster relief. They typically have an army of passionate, enthusiastic, and helpful volunteers who will be there, day and night, to help. They also tend to fill the needs that others miss - handing out meals at all hours, providing children with books and notebooks and toys to give them a sense of comfort in upheaval, etc. They are excellent, and are often overlooked.
Habitat For Humanity: Okay. The misinformation out there is that Habitat For Humanity will help people rebuild their homes after natural disasters. This is not true. Habitat does not build houses for free, nor will they donate crews to just help you rebuild your house. They do have crews of volunteers that will help with clean-up, etc, but this is largely out of the volunteers own volition and/or mobilization of a local, engaged chapters. Habitat For Humanity will only build houses that the homeowner has signed a mortgage for (albeit an amazingly reasonable mortgage). It goes against their charter to "give" houses or rebuilding labor/material for free.
The local chapters of Habitat For Humanity are worthy organizations, and will definitely be trying to help people get back on their feet and they will be there long after other organizations have moved onto other projects. However, if you'd like to contribute to them, please send your money directly to the local chapter of the community affected. If you send the money to Habitat For Humanity International, that local chapter will not see those funds (in fact, each local chapter is required to give a portion of their income to Corporate, but cannot receive funds back from Corporate). These stipulations are in their charter, and regardless of how much scrutiny they got and credibility Habitat For Humanity lost during Katrina, they have no interest in changing this policy (background information: When Katrina happened, thousands of people donated money to Habitat For Humanity International, thinking that it was the most efficient and centralized place to donate funds to ensure that homes would be rebuilt. HFH In'tl did nothing to dissuade people from doing this, and it only came out after that, due to the stipulations in their charter, they can't give funds to local chapters, ...so basically New Orleans saw none of that money. Hence why the rebuild has been so slow, and why Brad Pitt started his own - very excellent - home rebuild program. The CEO told the Disaster Corps this lovely "here's where the money went" story during training, framing it as a "woe is us, all these people donated all this money to us because they didn't know any better and we couldn't give it to the local chapters!" - charming, right? So give that money to the local chapters - they'll funnel towards disaster relief training and efforts, home rebuilds or new homes for eligible families, and training crews of volunteers in a wide variety of skills.
Also, please consider donating to your local shelters - both for people and animals. These are often overlooked in favor of relief organizations, and they do so much good to help save and shelter humans and animals that have lost their homes. Local food shelves are also incredible places that will be feeling a burden after local disasters, and rarely see generous donations unless it's during an organized food drive.
If anyone else knows of other organizations that play a integral role in relief and rebuild after natural disasters, please send them up in the comments!
-------
EDIT:
Also, if you're interested in donating manpower and elbow grease, please call organizations to see if they need help first. Often, and especially during the first few days after a natural disaster, they're overwhelmed with volunteers that they cannot effectively or safely manage. I know it makes you sad that you can't help, but if they tell you to stay home, the best way to help them is to stay home.
Other fun ideas gathered on the internets today:
1) If your yard has an overwhelming amount of tree debris that you have no idea how you're going to clean up...post that shit up on Craigslist as kindling and firewood, free to whomever can come and pick it up from your yard. I'm totally serious about this - Memorial weekend is coming up, which means that tons of people are going to want firewood for their campfires, and you're saving them money on bundles of firewood while also saving you time and clean-up headache. It will also ensure that that wood does
n't just end up in a landfill somewhere.2) I hope your home didn't sustain damage, but if it did and you need to renovate, the Green Institute's The ReUse Center is a fantastic resource both for utilizing your old doors, tiles, house structures, etc, and for finding a fantastic deal on renovation materials. Door handles, tiles, countertops, trim...that place is a wonderland for the sharp-eyed renovator, project-builder, and prop master.
3) Groucho Sports Supply has sent out a challenge to fellow small business owners to match us in a $250 donation to the TC Red Cross. Individuals and large businesses are welcome to jump in, too. Stuff like this is just one of the many reasons why I'm so proud to be a part of Groucho.
No comments have been added yet.
