Dramatic news videos of the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan early today have prompted many Americans to consider making donations to charities that provide relief to survivors.
The Better Business Bureau warns consumers to be cautious because fraudulent charities often crop up to take advantage of their sympathy for earthquake victims.
“When a disaster happens anywhere in the world, you can count on Americans to be generous with both their time and money,” said Pam King, BBB president/CEO. “Donors want to be sure their money goes to competent relief organizations that are equipped to handle the unique challenges of providing assistance in a disaster zone.”
The best way to help is to donate money to a reputable humanitarian organization such as the American Red Cross, a BBB Charity Seal holder. The American Red Cross has a long history of responding to local, national and international disasters.
The BBB offers the following tips to help you decide where to direct donations:
• Rely on respected experts to evaluate a charity. Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers, because they may not have fully researched the listed relief organizations. The BBB provides a Wise Giving Guide to charities at www.bbb.org/charity. The guide shows which charities are accredited by the BBB and whether they meet the BBB’s 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.
• Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations assist victims. All charities have fund-raising and administrative costs. Even a credit-card donation will involve, at a minimum, a processing fee.
• Be cautious when giving online to unfamiliar charities. Be wary of spam messages and e-mails that claim to link to a relief organization. After the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster in 2004 and the earthquake in Haiti last year, many websites and organizations that were created overnight allegedly to help victims turned out to be scams.
• Find out if the charity has a presence in the impacted areas. Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to get new aid workers into the area to provide assistance. See if the charity’s website clearly describes what they can do to address immediate needs.
• Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups. You may want to avoid the middleman and give directly to charities that have a presence in the region. Check out the ultimate recipients of the donations to ensure that the organizations are equipped to effectively provide aid.
• Gifts of clothing, food or other in-kind donations may not be appropriate. Unless the organization has the staff and infrastructure to distribute such aid, the donations may be more of a burden than a help. Ask the charity about their transportation and distribution plans. Be wary of those who are not experienced in disaster relief assistance.
Start With Trust. Visit wynco.bbb.org or call 970-484-1348 or 800-564-0371 for reliable consumer tips and information.
About the BBB
The Better Business Bureau, founded in 1912, is a champion for ethics and trust in the marketplace. Only businesses that meet the high BBB standards are invited to become BBB Accredited Businesses. Today, 123 BBBs across the United States and Canada rate more than 4 million local and national businesses and charities with scores ranging from A+ to F. Only a BBB Accredited Business may elect to participate in BBBOnLine, one of the most trusted and recognized Internet seal programs in the world.
The BBB serving northern Colorado and Wyoming topped 1.1 million instances of service to consumers and businesses in the last 12 months. These services include reliability reports on local companies and charities, access to companies that can be trusted by industry, help with dispute resolution, and trustworthy information on consumer and business topics.
Luanne Kadlub, BBB media relations manager, 970-488-2044 lkadlub@wynco.bbb.org