Did Katrina Spur Fast Pace of Haiti Donations?

WASHINGTON (Jan. 19) -- Americans are looking past their own recession-racked circumstances at heartbreaking images of Haiti and sending hundreds of millions of dollars in donations at a pace close to that of the largest disasters in recent history.

About $231 million had been donated for earthquake victims by today, according to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. The figure had been about $190 million by Sunday, compared with $207 million for the first five days after the Asian tsunamis in 2004 or the $226 million in the first five days of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, according to director of research Una Osili.

"Even with the economy as it is, people know the people in Haiti are worse off than here," said Suzanne Brooks of the Center for International Disaster Information. Haiti is closer to home than the tsunamis, she pointed out, and the United States has many Haitian-American residents.

Ellen Benjamin, an associate professor at DePaul University who specializes in nonprofit management, said her department drew up a collection motivated in part by having a Haitian colleague. Personal connections are a big motivator for charitable giving.

Giving for Haiti is on a fast pace partly because of the cultural lesson learned from Katrina, Benjamin said. Americans are sometimes quick to debate whether victims are partly to blame. Katrina, she said, sensitized many people that disaster can strike even in places like the U.S. that have government and nonprofit systems that should have dealt with disaster. "Katrina really drove home in America that disasters can happen that are not the fault of the victims," Benjamin said.

The American Red Cross alone had raised $112 million by Tuesday, not including its part of $7 million raised for the Red Cross and UNICEF by a Larry King fund-raiser, according to Red Cross spokesman Roger Lowe.

About $24 million of that $112 million came from people who texted the word "Haiti" to 90999 to donate $10. Lowe called that outpouring "unprecedented and jaw dropping. We were blown away." A texting campaign after 2008 hurricanes, by comparison, brought in about $400,000 for the Red Cross, he said. The NFL promoted the idea last weekend during playoff games, and the money started flying in at half a million dollars per hour, he said.

But philanthropists warn Good Samaritans to be mindful in how they donate.

Don't send "stuff," warned Brooks. Cash donations are more useful than medicine or clothes selected by individuals. "They take up space on the plane" that could go to water and critical supplies selected by relief agencies. And transportation on the ground is still difficult. The relief agencies, she said, buy in bulk and know what foods or medicines can be distributed best and fit with local diets.

Make sure to investigate where you are donating your money, said Eileen Heisman, head of the National Philanthropic Trust, which advises families and other charitable accounts on donations.

"You have to really vet it, like if it were something you were buying," she said.

Heisman said the advent of Twitter, cell phone texting and other simple Internet methods of making small donations has changed the landscape. But even with a $5 donation, she said, it's important to get the cash to an organization that can use it best. Donors should think about the charity's track record in disasters and whether it already has resources in Haiti that can be used to distribute aid.

Heisman suggests waiting a few weeks to evaluate who's in the best position to help Haitians. Even if the money isn't sent now, it still will be useful as the country rebuilds houses, takes care of orphans, fixes schools, deals with ongoing health needs of amputees and others, and gets the economy restarted.

Osili said one important lesson from the Haiti disaster is the rise of small donors. As Haiti enters a long period of rebuilding, having many people "engaged" in what happens there will be helpful, she said.

About 30 percent of U.S. households gave money after the tsunamis, with an average donation of $130. Osili said she expects the percentage to be even higher for Haiti because of the many small donations motivated by social media and texting. (After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 66 percent of U.S. households made a donation, with an average amount of $134. After Katrina about 63 percent of households donated, but no average is available.)

Philanthropy experts said the aid to Haiti could top $1 billion. American individuals, corporations and foundations gave $7.37 billion after the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes, according to Giving USA Foundation, which tracks charitable giving.

Lowe said the Red Cross is not done with its fund-raising – or its aid. "Haiti is going to require a massive long-term relief and development program, and the Red Cross is going to be there to help."