Considered Compassion: Giving to Haiti
January 22, 2010
By Elizabeth Ü
When a crisis hits, one’s desire to respond in relief of the suffering of fellow human beings is often quite clear, but the path to an appropriate response can be a lot muddier. Choosing a few criteria to guide your decision-making process can help prevent either Donor’s Remorse or Analysis Paralysis while ensuring that your much-needed aid reaches the area that needs it as quickly as possible.
How many appeals have you received since last Tuesday’s devastating earthquake in Haiti from organizations asking you to support their relief efforts? Should we: Respond to the first ones that reach the inbox? Give only to organizations with names we recognize? Personally research which organizations have the lowest overhead, or the most experience in the country in question?
If these and other questions sound familiar, try replacing the “Should we…” above with “Would it feel right to me to…” and see if that changes the tone of the inquiry for you. (For an interesting examination of the dangers of the word “should,” see Marshall B. Rosenberg’s excellent book, Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life.)
The first email I received with specific suggestions about where to donate came from Grantmakers Without Borders (GWB) via several contacts. Though I recognized the names of several of the organizations they recommended, I was most struck by the thoughtful criteria they used to compile their list, including their transparency in listing those criteria.
Knowing that I tend to overanalyze giving decisions, I encouraged myself to act quickly, even if it made me uncomfortable. I also challenged myself to give more than I felt comfortable, reminding myself that, ultimately, comfort is a privilege (and in this case a choice) that I have to make, and that the earthquake survivors did not. I personally chose to give to a handful of different organizations, which I narrowed down based on the following, in chronological order:
- Because it was the first thing I had to read and digest, I started by checking out the organizations Grantmakers Without Borders suggested.
- I have several friends who were actively involved in responding to the crises following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and have been committed to social justice while rebuilding that part of the Southern U.S. ever since. What do they recommend? (On Facebook, friends have been buzzing with specific suggestions – and critiques – so this part was easy.)
- RSF has an active community of donors. Which organizations have they supported via RSF Donor Advised Funds?
- Which organizations has RSF itself supported through Seed Fund grants?
- The 21st Century Foundation (an organization whose mission is “to lead, innovate and influence giving for black community change” and whose Gulf Coast Organizing, Advocacy and Leadership initiative I have supported since Katrina), sent an email with more suggestions based on specific criteria gleaned from their experience, so I cross-referenced those with the ones above.
- My friend Ruth Bender happened to be visiting Haiti when the earthquake struck, and was stuck there through Saturday; she had been reporting from Haiti and you may have seen her on CNN. What does she suggest?
Grantmakers Without Borders’ initial list included three organizations that donor advisors in the RSF community have supported: Madre, Grassroots International, and Partners in Health. I’ve also been hearing about the Lambi Fund of Haiti (also recommended by GWB). All four of these organizations appeared in the 21st Century Foundation’s list of suggestions.
And finally, my friend Ruth suggested Inveneo, an organization that is bringing internet connectivity to NGO’s in Haiti. This seems fitting, given that the only reason we have been able to learn anything about Ruth’s condition is because she’s had internet access the whole time!
This is just one personal example of the process of deciding how to respond in a time of need; it’s by no means the only way to come up with a plan. Caitlyn Kowalczyk, of RSF Philanthropic Services, also mentions these organizations that have received grants from RSF: MercyCorps (recent RSF Seed Fund grantee), Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders, and the Global Fund for Women (which all were also included in the 21st Century Foundation’s list), plus the International Rescue Committee.
Which organizations have you chosen to support, and why? Do you have specific criteria that you find useful in deciding where and how to give? Have you found other resources that have helped guide you in your process? Please comment below so we can all learn from each other as we support the people of Haiti!
Meanwhile, if you would like to recommend grants to any non-profit organization by opening an RSF Donor Advised Fund, please contact Kelley Buhles at kelley.buhles@rsfsocialfinance.org or 415.561.6152.
Elizabeth Ü is Manager of Strategic Development at RSF Social Finance.
- Published by Elizabeth U
- Categories: Donor Advised Funds, Giving, Money, Seed Fund
I found this listing of criteria interesting & helpful. In my case, I avoided analysis-paralysis by donating quickly to World Vision International. I’d done research previously and made contributions because they have long experience, a high percentage of funding goes to programs and, although a Christian organization, they provide help to all regardless of spiritual orientation. Their mission is to simply help those that are most vulnerable – particularly children. Thanks for the thoughtful article.
Comment by Bette Mc Donnell — January 25, 2010 @ 1:28 pm
We in Auroville, India, were first off the mark when Tsunami struck in 2004. So when the crisis in Haiti hit the screens, i held back. Because what those of us who were living and working in the area found was that the Relief Organisations, despite their goodwill and resources, had a different set of objectives than we residents did. Their bottom line was to disperse funds as quickly as possible, show success to their donors, and move on to the next disaster. Although there were valiant attempts to coordinate these multiple efforts and prevent duplication, i don’t think it was successful. The established NGOs operating in the area had another mission — different because long-term. Their mission was to turn the disaster into an opportunity for community growth. But we found that the larger organisations (be they international, or national or state, but non-local) were actually a detriment after the first week or so. They were dumping, duplicating, and competing to get local people to join their programmes. This had a detrimental effect on the people, who moved from awe and gratitude to trying to make the most out of it, and undermined out efforts to develop community. Therefore, if i had significant funds to donate, i would search out not a relief organisation but a sincere local social development organisation to support, and give them years of support to work with the people to transform the crisis into a rebirth.
When the earthquakes hit Gujerat, India, one local agency took up networking and coordinating the local groups, to very good effect. They were able to help in the worst hit tsunami sites, sharing their expertise. Perhaps we should look for a similar group emerging in Haiti.
Comment by Bhavana — February 2, 2010 @ 8:29 am
We are working with Homeopaths without Borders who will be going to Haiti soon to establish a homeopathic clinic similar to the one in Indonesia after the 2004 Tsunami.
Their website is http://www.homeopathyworldcommunity.com/page/donations-advertising
We are also getting together heirloom seeds, biodynamic preps, and tools so Kaviraj who is heading the mission can take these along with him in hopes of getting a community garden established with vital seeds and vital food…
Here is an email I sent out yesterday to various seeds people…
Thank you RSF for this article,
All Blessings,
barbara and woody
Hello All:
We are getting together a donation for Haiti of heirloom garden and sprouting seeds which will be taken to Haiti by Kaviraj ,- a homeopath without borders and is going
to be establishing a homeopathic clinic there, as was done in Indonesia after the 2004 Tsunami.
He will be needing small amounts, bulk packages, of southern and subtropical varieties such as corn,beans and squash(3 Sisters), spinach, lettuce,carrots, beets, onions, cress and what ever subtropical plants grow in the Dominican Republic and Cuba(a similar bioregion and soil) so that at least one community garden could be established with vital, life-affirming plants and real food…
At present the Haitian Peoples have no food except white rice brought in by the UN which is probably genetically modified so Monsanto and corp are already in the door…
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Haiti could be totally independent like Cuba? Let’s break this evil pattern of a monsantized Planet for the sake of the next 7 generations and plant some seeds of Hope
Please help the good, true and beautiful become a reality in Haiti.
In gratitude to All of you … may the milk of human kindness flow and flow….
Barbara and Woody of Aurora Farm
Barbara Scott
http://www.soulmedicinejourney.com
“If we do not permit the earth to produce beauty and joy, it will in the end not produce food either.” Joseph Wood Krutch
Comment by barbara m.v. scott — February 2, 2010 @ 8:48 am
I have personally made donations and investment loans, as well as followed the impressive upward progress of FONKOZE, the alternative Haitian peasant bank. Begun approximately 15 years ago as the idea of Fr. Joseph Philippe, it has grown to serve over 200,000+ clients today. Fr. Joseph originally recruited Anne Hastings, an American, to create and oversee this endeavour. She has done so and is today the Financial Director (still living in Haiti) with an all Haitian staff. There are over 40 branch offices; the initial impetus was micro-lending to small cooperatives of women (primarily). The organization did recently lose a few offices in Port-au-Prince, but most others are intact, the money is safe and they are already LENDING AGAIN. Hundreds of Haitian staff make it possible for the poorest of the poor to not only borrow to begin a business, but to receive the financial literacy training they need and even health care to stabilize the home situation. Other Haitians use the bank to simply save money safely or receive money transfers from relatives and friends in the US (at low cost and safely). After the hurricane a few years ago, the organization rose to new levels of service, innovation and creativity. They will do so again.
Since the hurricane they have been stabilizing their operations by following up on all staff members and their family situations, and assessing daily how best to restore operations on the ground. They are LENDING AGAIN NOW, and will help all clients who have lost their businesses to get back on their feet.
The website, http://www.fonkoze.org has frequent updates from the US President and Board Chair, along with instructions on how to DONATE or make an INVESTMENT. Contact information for Leigh Carter, Director of the Washington DC office are also there.
Peg Rosenkrands
Comment by Peg Rosenkrands — February 2, 2010 @ 6:20 pm
an organization that i have a lot of faith in is The
Center for Mind-Body Medicine. i just received a description of what they plan to offer to the haitians to help relieve trauma.
Bringing Psychological Healing and Hope
CMBM Goes to Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI—-James S. Gordon MD, a Georgetown Medical School Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, and a team from his non-profit The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM, http://www.cmbm.org), are in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti from February 11th-17th, 2010, to take the psychological pulse of the Haitian people and to bring to traumatized children and adults and their caregivers CMBM’s scientifically proven model of population-wide psychological self-care and mutual help.
Its model includes such mind-body approaches as meditation, guided imagery, biofeedback and yoga; self-expression in words, drawings and movement; and small group support. CMBM has trained some 3,500 clinicians, teachers, clergy and community leaders in the US and around the world. Its model has been successfully used with populations traumatized by war in Kosovo, Israel and Gaza, in post-Katrina New Orleans and with US military returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and their families.
Dr. Gordon and his team will be establishing partnerships with government and non-government organizations and local churches, hospitals and schools in Port-Au-Prince and the surrounding areas. They will be having consultations and leading workshops for traumatized children and adults and for those who care for them.
CMBM uses a “train the trainers” model which creates an easily accessible, user-friendly, sustainable program for large numbers of people. Because local clinicians, teachers, and community leaders learn to work with groups and in classrooms as well as with individuals and families, they are able to successfully reach and significantly help tens or even hundreds of thousands of people in a relatively short period of time. In Gaza, the CMBM trainees provided intensive psychological care to some 25,000 children and adults over 2 years. This year alone, more than 200 Gazans have trained CMBM model and will be available to 70,000 people. In Haiti, CMBM hopes to train 1,000 within three years and to make its program available—in hospitals, clinics, schools and churches—to more than 200,000 Haitians.
CMBM model has been validated in several scientific studies—including the first ever randomized controlled trial (the gold standard of medical research) of any intervention with war-traumatized children. This study, undertaken in post-war Kosovo, was published in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in 2008. It showed an 80% decrease in symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, which was successfully maintained at three months follow-up.
For further information, contact Rosemary Murrain (in Haiti) at -11+509 37070947 (intl. phone, only until Feb. 17th), 202-374-9279 or rmurrain@cmbm.org and Erin Goldstein (in the US) at 202-537-6837 or egoldstein@cmbm.org.
The Center for Mind-Body Medicine
202-537-6837
egoldstein@cmbm.org
Comment by jane hein — February 12, 2010 @ 10:49 am