

Support The Victims of Japan's Earthquake With Your Loose Change - SteliE
http://blog.swipegood.com/support-the-victims-of-japans-earthquake-with

======
light3
I wonder where all the money will go to, and whether a developed country like
Japan really need help to handle the disaster in this situation, given their
history with such events.

Its really hard to find where the money will go to, the swipegood site doesn't
even link to world vision, I had to get there through google. The world vision
site says:

"Your gift will help us rush emergency supplies like life-saving food, clean
water, medical supplies, and shelter to survivors."

Your gift will help World Vision respond to this and other disasters around
the world including:

A devastating drought and food crisis is threatening more than 7 million lives
in the Horn of Africa. Increasing numbers of children are severely
malnourished and at risk of disease in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Millions
of displaced children and families are struggling to survive in Sudan after
decades of civil unrest. The recent Referendum has brought hope for peace, but
malnutrition, disease, and poverty remain at critical levels. Heavy monsoon
rains have caused widespread flooding in Sri Lanka, displacing more than
200,000 people from their homes and impacting 1.2 million. World Vision is
continuing to support earthquake survivors in Haiti, rebuilding their
communities and meeting essential needs for food, clean water, and healthcare.
World Vision urgently needs your support to help children and families
suffering from these and other disasters around the world.

So by donating here you're implicitly donating to other disasters too.

~~~
ronnier
I know somebody who works with retirement plans for charity organizations. I
was shocked after seeing the salaries and pension plans of the people in some
of these organizations. They are only required to donate a very small
percentage of the money collected.

~~~
cheez
I've been saying this for years.

~~~
lubos
they are required to donate 5% of their equity each year to retain their tax
exempt status with IRS. most charities do it this way including the biggest
one - bill and melinda gates foundation.

~~~
edge17
bill and melinda aren't asking me for money though

~~~
lubos
the point is that charities are run for the benefit of people who control
them.

~~~
mistermann
I tend to agree...but would you apply that statement to the Bill and Melinda
Gates foundation as well?

~~~
lubos
it's important to say that Bill Gates doesn't give charity his own taxed
income... by moving his equity into his foundation, he is essentially avoiding
capital gains tax and dividend tax. I'm not saying that taxes are good but we
all have to pay them. super-rich have all these smart schemes to pay in taxes
as little as possible.

As long as Bill Gates foundation spends 5% of his equity on charity annually,
you can't call him philanthropist since 5% rate is exactly what IRS requires
charities to do as long as they want to keep their tax exempt status. When
Bill Gates starts giving to charity more than he is legally required, then
I'll change my opinion.

------
sthatipamala
For full disclosure, WorldVision is a Christian evangelical organization that
only hires Christians for its staff:
[http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/about/hr-
requirements...](http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/about/hr-
requirements?Open&lpos=lft_txt_Qualifications)

I don't mean to deter anyone from donating. I just thought people might like
to know about the charity before they donate.

~~~
Xurinos
This comment struck me as a bit ugly. Here is why.

First, it includes the word "evangelical", but nothing in the HR requirements
says, "You must also spread the Word to those you help." I understand that
some sects of evangelical Christians have been getting into the news for the
last 10 years in negative ways (and I understand the reaction), but I have not
yet seen a relationship between those extremists and this group.

Second, it promotes hate against a group. Why did you think this statement was
important or relevant? You pose it, and the question that comes to mind is,
"Wait... should we care?"

If you are going to post about a charity's effectiveness, post something
relevant, such as documentation about where the money is going, what actions
the group has actually taken. What a sad world when it is acceptable -- an
upvoted comment! -- to judge a group by their religious preference rather than
by their actions.

------
melling
There are so many relief organizations. I often wonder which ones are the most
effective and most efficient. I also wonder which one's would be most
effective in Japan at this time.

I Googled and got a list.

<http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20473235,00.html>

People like to help but I think we could all do more if we understood the
problem better. Often donated money isn't used for the current disaster but is
used for another one.

~~~
SteliE
I completely get your point & at the same time it's really important not to be
paralyzed by the need to make "the perfect choice" and act quickly in a moment
of urgency.

There needs to be balance between taking some time to make an informed
decision and acting today rather than pushing it away for later!

~~~
melling
That's right there needs to be balance. There currently isn't any. I'm asking
the HN crowd if they have any insight into the most effective ways to donate.

I found this site that seems to be reputable.

<http://charitywatch.org/>

[update]

I found a direct link on the site related to the earthquake in Japan. World
Vision is listed along with others.

<http://charitywatch.org/hottopics/JapanTsunami2011.html>

This site does say people should wait to give while the situation is being
assessed.

~~~
jaredhansen
Another useful site I've found for helping you figure out where the money
goes, etc. is <http://www.charitynavigator.org> \-- IIRC, I first heard of it
in the wake of the 2004 tsunami off of Thailand, and it's been a helpful
resource ever since.

------
WorldMover
Using disasters as an opportunity for marketing/promoting doesn't feel right
to me (given swipegood is a for profit business)

------
bound008
Its hard to understand the magnitude of this situation.

------
arik64
Great program! The least we can do!!!

