WASHINGTON — The one-two punch of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma has left many people in need in the U.S. and Caribbean. With needs shifting from minute to minute, one of the best ways to help is through money donations, but some homework needs to be done before wallets are opened.
“Find the groups that have a track record of being able to help with other disasters, that also operate efficiently,” said Daniel Borochoff, the president of Charity Watch, an organization which ranks charities.
Borochoff said when ranking organizations, his group looks for ones which use 75 percent or more of their budget on programs and services for those in need. Borochoff said you should consider giving to organizations which have plans to help in the recovery process over the long term.
Scammers look to take advantage of situations such as the one the Southeast is in now, and one tool they use is social media. With the rise of crowdfunding, some campaigns which claim to help those in need could be fake.
“You’ve got to be really careful: Unless you know the people involved personally, don’t give,” Borochoff said.
Just because someone shared a campaign on Facebook, he said, that doesn’t mean they have vetted those behind it. He added that many of the crowdfunding sites don’t do a lot to police the groups and individuals who use their sites.
CharityWatch has assembled a list of the highest-ranking organizations helping victims of the storm.
