What is the Best Charity for Hurricane Harvey?

Sep 4, 2017 | self

[where's_the_Outrage?]

I am trying this again, phase 2. Governor Abbot said to give to a specific Texas charity, what are the overhead rates.

Funny how with a quick search I could not find that website, but I have confidence Freepers will provide.

I want the most bang for my buck. So far Samaritans Purse seems to be leading.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

But GOV Abbot said to give to a specific fund that is not readily found.

Which is best?

[vooch]

catholic church - All parishes are collecting over next 2 weeks

[boycott]

I don’t believe you can go wrong with Samaritans Purse. Eight Days of Hope is another good organization.

[cyclotic]

We gave to Samaritan’s Purse due to their stellar track record.

They have a program called Operation Christmas Child that provides Christmas gift boxes and Gospel message to millions of kids worldwide.

Americans buy gifts and fill the boxes and send them to a local pickup place. (Chick-fil-A is one of them)

Samaritan’s Purse posted that they lost a ton (many tons) of materials that were stored in Houston and are asking people to pack an extra box this year.

We know a girl who was raised in India and now lives here. She actually still has some of the gifts she received as a child in her OCC boxes.

[phil1750]

Catholic Charities.

[Segovia]

I always go with the Salvation Army. They’ve always seemed to be the most efficient provider of help to those who really need it.

[Warriormom]

Samaritan’s Purse. They have an excellent track record and donations go to help the people, not some huge corporate support structure

[knarf]

Your pastor knows reliable men in Texas ... get him involved.

Yesterday, our pastor announced two men we know (of) and asked if we wanted to donate, put money in an envelope marked "Harvey Help"

If you can't trust your pastor, get out of that church.

Every penny will be used for Harvey needy ... which just might be a church.

[exit82]

Samaritan’s Purse—by far.

Salvation Army is also very good.

Never to the Red Cross.

[achilles2000]

As a Houstonian, I’d say don’t give to Houston. There is more relief here than is really needed. The places that need help were hit by the hurricane (unlike Houston), and they are places you’ve probably not heard of, such as Refugio, Rockport, and other areas within 50-75 miles of Corpus Christi. That’s where help is needed.

[achilles2000]

As a Houstonian, I’d say don’t give to Houston. There is more relief here than is really needed. The places that need help were hit by the hurricane (unlike Houston), and they are places you’ve probably not heard of, such as Refugio, Rockport, and other areas within 50-75 miles of Corpus Christi. That’s where help is needed.

[libertymaker]

Samaritan’s Purse. By far the most effective and efficient.

[Bratch]

BBB and Give.org Offer Tips on Helping Texas in the Aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

Donate only to trustworthy charities, be cautious of crowd-funding efforts and “storm chasers”

August 28, 2017

Arlington, VA – The Better Business Bureau and BBB Wise Giving Alliance are advising people to help as much as they can in the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, but to do so with caution and make sure their donations get to the people who need it most.

“The devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey prompts us to do what we can to help as soon as possible,” said H. Art Taylor, president and CEO of BBB Wise Giving Alliance (BBB’s Give.org,) “but donors need to be aware of some key cautions so that their generosity will get to those in need quickly.” 

The National Weather Service reports that Hurricane Harvey has brought over 20 inches of rain to portions of southeast Texas and the volume of flooding is unprecedented for this area. And, another 15-25 inches of rain is anticipated in the days to come. As the impact of this storm on Texas communities is heart wrenching, many will seek to contribute to help those in need. 

BBBs are already seeing crowdfunding appeals of a dubious nature, and in the days ahead expect to see “storm chasers” looking to make a quick buck off of clean-up efforts (bbb.org/storm). Consumers can report suspected scams to BBB Scam Tracker (bbb.org/scamtracker) or the Texas Attorney General’s hotline (800-621-0508 or consumeremergency@nag.texas.gov).

BBB Wise Giving Alliance suggests that donors keep the following tips in mind to help avoid questionable appeals for support:

1. Verify the trustworthiness of soliciting relief organizations by visiting Give.org to access free reports that specify if the charity meets the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability.
2. See if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas. Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to bring in new aid workers to provide assistance quickly. See if the charity’s website clearly describes what the charity can do to address immediate needs. 
3. Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups. Some charities may be raising money to pass along to relief organizations. If so, you may want to consider “avoiding the middleman” and giving directly to those that have a presence in the region. Or, at a minimum, check out the ultimate recipients of these donations to see whether they are equipped to provide aid effectively. 
4. Be cautious about gifts of clothing, food or other in-kind donations. In-kind drives for food and clothing, while well intentioned, may not necessarily be the quickest way to help those in need – unless the organization has the staff and infrastructure to distribute such aid properly. Ask the charity about its transportation and distribution plans. Be wary of those who are not experienced in disaster relief assistance. 
5. Understand crowdfunding. Keep in mind that some crowdfunding sites do very little vetting of individuals who decide to post for assistance after a disaster, and it is often difficult for donors to verify the trustworthiness of crowdfunding requests for support. If you decide to contribute via crowdfunding, it is probably best to give to people who you personally know that have posted requests for assistance. For more Give.org tips on crowdfunding, check out this Wise Giving Wednesday post.
6. Phases of disaster relief. Remember that every disaster has several phases – rescue, emergency relief, and recovery. Each part relies on public support and continuing funding for success. The need for donations doesn’t stop when the headlines do.
7. Recovery time line. For many communities, recovery will be a long-term activity that can take many months or years to accomplish, depending on the extent of the damage. Those truly concerned about helping communities bounce back will have many opportunities to help.
8. Disaster planning. Although it may seem obvious, no one wants to experience a repeat performance of a disaster. Areas that work toward recovery will probably also need to develop plans to better respond to a similar storm in the future. Even those that already had measures in place can find ways to improve based on experience.

 

The following is a list of BBB Accredited Charities (i.e., organizations that meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability) that are raising funds for Hurricane Harvey relief assistance. This list will be updated as additional relief efforts come to BBB WGA’s attention. 

ALS Association / Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association  

American Red Cross

AmeriCares

ASPCA / American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Church World Service

Communities in Schools

Direct Relief

Episcopal Relief and Development

Feeding America

GlobalGiving Foundation

Habitat for Humanity

Houston Food Bank

Houston Humane Society

Humane Society of the United States

Islamic Relief USA

MAP International

Operation USA

PetSmart Charities

Salvation Army

Save the Children

United Methodist Committee on Relief

United Way of Greater Houston

United Way Worldwide

World Vision

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ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2016, people turned to BBB more than 167 million times for BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.2 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. The Council of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for the local, independent BBBs in the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as home to its national and international programs on dispute resolution, advertising review, and industry self-regulation

ABOUT BBB WGA: BBB Wise Giving Alliance (BBB WGA) is a standards-based charity evaluator that seeks to verify the trustworthiness of charities by completing rigorous evaluations based on 20 holistic standards that address charity governance, results reporting, finances, fundraising, appeal accuracy and other issues. National charity reports are produced by the BBB WGA and local charity reports are produced by local Better Business Bureaus – all reports are available at Give.org.

 

[grania]

An acquaintance from the town where I had my teaching career contacted a public school in Houston and asked to be contacted with their music supervisor. What she's going to do is get a list of the needs of her program and students to replace what has been lost in the hurricane. She and those of us who respect her endeavor are going to donate to fulfill those needs.

What's my point? We're giving in a way that will directly impact the long term needs of those who suffer over the long term. We know the money will be used for and appreciated by those receiving our support.

[catnipman]

Many of us have researched the best charitable organizations for disaster relief and which spend the greatest percentage of their donations directly helping people. Of the large organizations, probably the very best is the Salvation Army, and one of the worst is the Red Cross.

https://www.forbes.com/top-charities/list/

Red Cross Fraudulent Statements:

https://www.propublica.org/article/red-cross-ceo-has-been-misleading-about-donations

Salvation Army was founded in 1865 and operates in 127 countries and diaster relief is one of its major areas of expertise:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salvation_Army

You can donate specifically for Harvey relief here:

https://give.salvationarmyusa.org/site/Donation2?df_id=27651&mfc_pref=T&27651.donation=form1

[deoetdoctrinae]

So far Samaritans Purse seems to be leading.

That is my feeling as well. Some charities seem to spend a lot of their incoming funds on more fund-raising, but my impression is that Samaritan's Purse puts the vast bulk of it where it is actually needed and does the most good.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

I wish I could donate to the Cajun Navy and all the individuals that actually helping.

They are America!!! And they are ones I really wish I could give my money.

[Liaison]

Tip Salvation Army is one of the best. I stopped giving to the Red Cross. During Katrina the RC in New Orleans detoured money to rebuild thier swank offices. The SA lived out of RVs and tents and spent the money helping people first.

[goodnesswins]

Samaritans Purse, as others have said.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

Here is the site that Gov Abbot recommended:

https://www.rebuildtx.org/

But what are the overhead rates?