Want To Help Earthquake Victims? Check With The BBB Before Donating

St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 13, 2010 – News photos of the devastation wreaked on Haiti by the Jan. 12 earthquake have prompted many Americans to consider making donations to charities that provide relief to survivors. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) in St. Louis warns consumers to be cautious because fraudulent charities often crop up to take advantage of their sympathy for earthquake victims.

“Whenever there is a major natural disaster, there are two things you can count on: The first is the generosity of Americans who donate time and money to help victims, and the second is the appearance of poorly run and, in some cases, fraudulent charities,” said Michelle L. Corey, BBB president and CEO.
 
“Donors want to be sure their money goes to competent relief organizations that are equipped to handle the unique challenges of providing assistance in a disaster zone.”

The best way to help is to donate money to a reputable humanitarian organization, such as the American Red Cross, a BBB Charity Seal holder. Look for an organization that has a long history of responding to local, national, and international disasters. According to the American Red Cross in St. Louis, the organization already has relief workers in Haiti and is mobilizing to raise $1 million in aid for earthquake victims.

The BBB offers the following tips to help Americans decide where to direct donations:

• Rely on respected experts to evaluate a charity. Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers, because they may not have fully researched the listed relief organizations. The BBB provides reports on charities at www.bbb.org/charity or www.stlouis.bbb.org. The reports show which charities are accredited by the BBB and whether they meet the BBB’s 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.
• Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations assist victims. All charities have fundraising and administrative costs. Even a credit card donation will involve, at a minimum, a processing fee.
• Be cautious when giving online. Be wary of spam messages and emails that claim to link to a relief organization. After the tsunami disaster in 2004, many websites and organizations that were created overnight allegedly to help victims turned out to be scams.
• Find out if the charity has a presence in the impacted areas. Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to get new aid workers into the area to provide assistance.  See if the charity’s website clearly describes what they can do to address immediate needs.
• Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups. You may want to avoid the middleman and give directly to charities that have a presence in the region.  Check out the ultimate recipients of the donations to ensure that the organizations are equipped to effectively provide aid.
• Gifts of clothing, food or other in-kind donations may not be appropriate. Unless the organization has the staff and infrastructure to distribute such aid, the donations may be more of a burden than a help. Ask the charity about their transportation and distribution plans. Be wary of those who are not experienced in disaster relief assistance.

For more information about charities or to get a BBB Reliability Report, check with the BBB at www.bbb.org, www.stlouis.bbb.org or by calling 314-645-3300.

Contacts: Michelle Corey, President & CEO, 314-645-3300, mcorey@stlouisbbb.org or Jim Judge, Director of Charity Information Service, 314-645-3300, communications@stlouisbbb.org.