My teenage son asked me the other day whether we had donated to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. I was impressed that he was concerned and it gave me an idea to write about how to give. We’ve heard that the disasters have brought out the best in people, but there are also scammers out there too.
And, short of scammers, you want to give to the charities who can do the most with your donation. Here is some basic criteria:
- Select a charity that is a direct provider, not a middle man.
- Select a charity that is in the best position to do what you want done.
- Select a charity that uses a high percentage of funds to help (limited administrative and marketing costs).
There are charity watchdogs that sift out scammers and rate the best charities to give to. Charity Navigator rates charities and has Top 10 lists. Charity Watch also rates charities and has a list of charities with the highest CEO compensation. Both sites do in-depth analysis. You can do a search for a specific charity to check them out. Also, you can select among charities that either have religious affiliations or address specific issues (like animals).
For Hurricane Harvey, Charity Navigator is recommending:
Houston SPCA
Houston Humane Society
Houston Food Bank
Food Bank Of Corpus Christi
San Antonio Humane Society
Charity Watch is recommending (they list more; these are A+ rated):
All Hands Volunteers
Catholic Relief Services
Petsmart Charities
United Methodist Committee On Relief
As you likely know, President Trump personally donated $1 million. Here are the charities he donated to. Presumably, they must be well-scrubbed selections, but may also have some political influence.
Reach out America
Red Cross
Salvation Army
Samaritan’s Purse
ASPCA
Catholic Charities
Direct Relief
Habitat for Humanity
Houston Humane Society
Operation Blessing
Portlight Inclusive Disaster Strategies
Team Rubicon
After reviewing these options, I have decided to donate to All Hands Volunteers because they specifically focus on assisting the recovery and rebuild of communities struck by natural disasters around the world, with maximum impact. This is their stated mission. A high 94% of funds go to programs with only 6% to overhead. Cost to raise (marketing) is only 3%. The organization is powered by volunteers.
