America’s Charities and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy Launch Innovative Disaster Recovery Fund

Washington, D.C. – May 23, 2016 – America’s Charities, the leader in workplace giving and philanthropy, and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), a trailblazer in the transformation of disaster giving, have partnered to enable strategic, long-term disaster recovery and increase social impact. Marked by the launch of their new fund, the America’s Charities Disaster Recovery Fund presented by Center for Disaster Philanthropy, they are working to help donors more effectively respond to the life cycle of disasters by driving dollars to the nonprofits who are meeting long-term needs.

“We all instinctively give with our hearts, which means when disaster strikes, we give immediately and intuitively,” said Jim Starr, COO and chief business development officer of America’s Charities. “Yet that doesn’t always help in the long run, and we are not always sure if our donations are really improving the lives of people in need. Our new fund is meant to leverage American generosity by enabling immediate donations and using the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s expert analysis to dictate how those funds should be allocated over the long-term. We could think of no better partner than CDP to help shift the focus of disaster giving in this country and help donors have a greater, longer-term impact.”

Within 24 hours of a major disaster, America’s Charities will set-up a specific web page that reflects the needs and challenges of the impacted community. Over the entire arc of the disaster, CDP will conduct in-depth research to identify the short- and long-term needs of the impacted community and the nonprofits who are meeting those needs. America’s Charities, which has processed $675 million in funds for more than 10,000 nonprofits since 1980, will disperse the donations according to CDP’s analysis and keep donors apprised along the way of the community’s needs, the nonprofits working to provide solutions, and the stories of just how donations are being used to support recovery efforts. America’s Charities will also make the fund available for employers to use in their workplace giving campaigns in order to increase giving across the spectrum.

“We know that Americans deeply want to make a difference, and they want to make the most out of each dollar they donate,” stated Bob Ottenhoff, president and CEO of CDP. “If we can capture donors’ immediate attention while focusing on long-term recovery efforts, we can do both of these things, and do them well. Our new fund makes that possible. America’s Charities was a natural partner for this initiative due to their long history in dispersing charitable donations to the nation’s most trusted nonprofits. Together, we can help donors spend their money more wisely, improve the lives of people in need, and collectively increase social impact.”

For more information or to donate, visit https://www.charities.org/funds/disaster.

About America’s Charities

America’s Charities is a national mission-driven organization that connects public and private sector employers with charities to engage employees in greater giving. The organization operates as a strategic consulting partner for philanthropic organizations, nonprofits and the business community to increase social impact, and has been at the forefront of employee giving since 1980. America’s Charities’ experience combined with an accountable and transparent process has resulted in raising more than $675 million for more than 10,000 charities addressing a range of causes including education, human rights, hunger, poverty, research, animals, veterans, disaster relief and health services. Information about America’s Charities can be found at www.charities.org, as well as on our social media networks.

About Center for Disaster Philanthropy

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s mission is to transform disaster giving by providing timely and thoughtful strategies to increase donors’ impact during domestic and international disasters. For more, please visit: disasterphilanthropy.org

With an emphasis on recovery and disaster risk reduction, CDP aims to:

• Increase the effectiveness of contributions given to disasters;
• Bring greater attention to the life cycle of disasters, from preparedness and planning, to relief, to rebuilding and recovery efforts;
• Provide timely and relevant advice from experts with deep knowledge of disaster philanthropy;
• Conduct due diligence so donors can give with confidence; and,
• Create plans for informed giving for individuals, corporations and foundations.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Lindsay Nichols

America’s Charities

lnichols@charities.org

703-674-5359

Kathy Gutowsky 

Center for Disaster Philanthropy

Kathy.Gutowsky@disasterphilanthropy.com

812-679-9353