Last week I watched a video from Blackbaud about online giving. It gave statistics on how online giving has risen as a percentage of total donations – especially in organizations under $1 million. The video was over a year old and while I should have checked the posting date before watching it, I realized my mistake as soon as he spoke about the spike in online giving for disaster relief in Haiti and how that skewed the numbers for the year. That idea stuck with me as I considered 2011, from the earthquake in Japan to Hurricane Irene to the intense storms. Of course, this week brings new horrors as much of the East Coast is plunged under water and without electricity, public transportation, or any sense of normalcy.
My thoughts have now turned to how we, as development professionals and volunteers can help aid the relief efforts. A quick Google search lead me to the following sites that will help you or others to donate needed goods, services and, of course, financial contributions. I’m sure there are many more, but at least this is a place to start:
From the Huffington Post:
How To Help The Victims Of Hurricane Sandy
and
From ABC News:
How to Help Hurricane Sandy Victims
From CNN:
How to help after the superstorm