Japanese Tragedy, Global Disaster
Terror in Japan
8:53 am EST, Saturday, March 12, 2011
If one had any access to the news, it was impossible not to hear of the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan yesterday.
Because of their magnitude,
tsunami warnings were then issued for at least 50 countries and territories, including the U.S. West Coast.
Today I woke up to read more about the aftermath of the earthquake, with an explosion at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, though it seems the explosion did not actually occur at its reactor.
Filed under Personal, Philanthropy, Shonali Burke | Tags: #tsunami, charity, japan relief efforts, Philanthropy | Comments (7)Haiti: Aftershocks of a Different Kind
You should read this terrific post that Geoff Livingston has written for Mashable on social media lessons from the Haitian earthquake. There’s a ton of food for thought there.
But I’m following the Wyclef Jean/Yéle Haiti story closely and today saw this report in Gawker.
While I’m not jumping to conclusions (I’ll leave that to the appropriate authorities), I do think there are enough valid questions to make me think that non-profits should be extremely concerned about the long-term impact on fundraising.
Which, let’s face it, determines whether they get to carry out their mission effectively or not.
Filed under Philanthropy, Shonali Burke, Social Media | Tags: charity, fundraising, gawker, geoff livingston, haiti, mashable, nonprofits, Social Media, wyclef jean, yele haiti | Comments (6)Go Social, Give Wisely
The way philanthropic organizations have been mobilizing social media in recent years to raise funds isn’t really “shiny new stuff” any more. Still, the recent waves of donations after the earthquake have been coming at lightning speed.
In light of that, I’ve been intrigued by The Smoking Gun’s scrutiny of Wyclef Jean’s charity, Yéle Haiti (also reported on in today’s Washington Post). Having run communications for the ASPCA during some critical events in the animal welfare arena, I know how generous people can be with their money when tragedy strikes, even when they don’t have a lot to give. I also know how important it is that that money reaches the right hands.
I honestly don’t know what the deal is with Mr. Jean’s charity and am not going to play a guessing game. If you’ve been following the story, you can view his video response on YouTube, which Mashable picked up pretty quickly (h/t Lindsay Allen for finding it for me). I do think he is to be commended for springing into action so quickly after the earthquake hit and being a very public face for the poorest nation in the Americas.
What I will say is that regardless of who you’re going to give your money to, you should do your research and give where you trust that your donation will be wisely used.
Charity Navigator is a good place to start, and usually my first stop when I’m researching a non-profit organization (you can read their take on Yéle Haiti and why they don’t currently rate it here).
Filed under Philanthropy, Shonali Burke, Social Media | Tags: 12for12k, charity, charity navigator, guidestar, lindsay allen, mashable, Philanthropy, red cross, Social Media, wendy harman, wyclef jean, yele haiti | Comments (7)
