Suppose you are a victim of a natural disaster and you are in need of shelter. Now suppose people around the world are sending you food that is rotting, flip-flops, and Dr. Seuss books to help.
Donating; it’s done with the best intentions, but is it always helpful? Only if you do it right. People are generous no doubt, but the problem is that they donate what they have and not what people need. In fact, some donations can cause more harm than good.
If you want to help those suffering from natural disasters, the best thing you can do is stop and consider the following. The rule of thumb: if you are going to help, provide help that is effective. Did you know that inappropriate donations can add to the already existing chaos and actually prolong the time it takes for people to receive aid? Inappropriate donations can pile up in ports, making it difficult for needed items to get through and transported to disaster victims. And more often than not, there is no available space to house these donations.
The bottom line: it’s better to donate money than goods. By donating money to disaster relief organizations, these organizations can purchase and store goods near disaster locations. This type of aid is speedier and cheaper because goods won’t need to be shipped from far away (which is a slow, costly process). In turn, the saved money can be used toward what disaster victims really need.
Don’t let this blog post scare you away from donating! Just make sure you do your research before you donate.
So before you send your old sneakers overseas, call up a disaster relief organization like the Red Cross and ask them how you can help. They are the experts on meeting disaster victims’ immediate emergency needs and will help you make the most of your philanthropy.
Sources:
http://blogs.redcross.org.uk/emergencies/2010/01/help-not-hinder-haiti/
http://goodintents.org/core-posts/donating-goods-overseas
Philanthropy Fix 