Sarah Ford | November 14, 2014

Best Strategies for Disaster-Relief Giving

By Daisy Maxey

In the era of social media, charity begins the moment disaster hits.

And that isn’t always a good thing—at least for some donors.

The onslaught of man-made and natural disasters in recent years and accompanying pleas for aid can create pitfalls for well-meaning philanthropists. Giving quickly without prior planning could mean donors veer from their desired financial and charitable objectives, give to an organization that isn’t effective, or fall for a scam.

Donors can be particularly vulnerable when pleas come on the heels of a disaster in one’s own city or town. A big reason Boston’s mayor and the governor of Massachusetts launched One Fund Boston the day after the Boston Marathon bombing was to beat an expected crush of competing funds, and prevent donations from getting “into the hands of bad actors,” a fund spokeswoman says. One Fund Boston aided victims of the 2013 attack.

Rethinking Efforts

“There’s a phenomenon in the disaster-philanthropy world known as pop-up organizations—organizations that pop up sometimes for good purposes, and sometimes not-so-good purposes, during and after a disaster,” says Robert Ottenhoff, president and chief executive of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, a Washington, D.C.-based charity.

>> Continue Reading

Get Our Fundraising Insights Straight To Your Inbox

Explore More Articles

Staff Accountant

March 19, 2024

Position: Staff Accountant Department: Finance Reports to: Assistant Controller Overview of the Role: America’s Charities is seeking a high-performing and dedicated Staff Accountant to join…

Read Article

Pay It Forward Day, April 28

March 7, 2024

Pay It Forward Day and it’s a day to celebrate the power of kindness and generosity. Pay It Forward Day is an international day of…

Read Article

National Stress Awareness Month

March 7, 2024

  April is National Stress Awareness Month, a time to recognize the importance of managing stress and promoting mental health. Stress is something that we…

Read Article

Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox

Receive our monthly/bi-monthly newsletter filled with information about causes, nonprofit impact, and topics important for corporate social responsibility and employee engagement professionals, including disaster response, workplace giving, matching gifts, employee assistance funds, volunteering, scholarship award program management, grantmaking, and other philanthropic initiatives.

newsletter-mock