Helping Haiti
Jan 15th, 2010 by mingyi
Everyone should know by now the horrific earthquake that killed tens of thousands in Haiti. Charlie jumped to help and donated already, would you please join in the effort?
Before donating, there are some things to note first:
- Check if your company matches the donation! This could easily double or triple the funds the charity receives. Make sure your company matches the charity you donate (and the charity accepts match - sometimes they don’t due to conflict of interest).
- Don’t be scammed. Use reputable funds, and note that should direct funds to areas you want to help. To select charities, go to http://charitynavigator.org and you can find out the top charities, their program expense vs. administration expense etc. For example, CARE and American Red Cross both support Haiti relief, but CARE is a higher rated organization and help the basic survival area (food, water …), which is sorely needed now.
- Don’t let the credit card company take a chunk off your donation (use the options described in the article): http://www.creditcardguide.com/creditcards/news/credit-card-issuers-profit-haiti-donations-185/ .Alternatively, you can check if your company’s direct giving site tells you that your company would pay for the credit transaction fee (my company does, and giving there also takes care of 100% matching right away).
- Phone text mesg donation is not subject to transaction fee, but it sometimes won’t be matched by your company. Also don’t be scammed. Choose reputable sources.
Thank you for your help in advance!