Collegiate Times

The tragedy in Haiti is overwhelming, as is the generosity of regular people worldwide who have donated and continue to donate to those currently in need after the disaster. Unfortunately, it’s not highly publicized just where that dollar or donation goes. As you start — or continue — to add to the efforts for Haiti, protect yourself and make sure that as much of your donation as possible is going directly to the cause.

Plan your donation in advance. Look through Web sites, consider what kind of aid you’d like to give, and donate to the ones you trust most. If you want to make sure most of your money is actually going to the people rather than to executives, it’s essential to look before you give. Also, keep the records of how much you’re donating and to what organization for tax purposes later.

Look for well-established charities. While it’s not necessary to give to the major organizations, do your homework thoroughly before giving money to any organization, especially obscure or new ones. It’s very hard to get a new charity off the ground, and disaster relief takes a lot of organization, people and resources that smaller charities may not have available yet. Also, remember that scammers may contact you pretending to be a smaller, lesser-known organization.

Do your research. The Web site CharityNavigator.org reviews more than 5,000 different charities and you can check those that you give to regularly. You can see how much each charity donates annually, the annual income of their executives, and even how much of the dollar goes to those in need.

Partners in Health, the organization working with Virginia Tech, gives 94.8 cents to aid for every dollar. The American Red Cross uses 90.1 cents per dollar for aid. It’s a small difference, but one worth noting when deciding where to give your money.

Avoid telemarketers. Instead, focus on looking online or working directly with a charity.

Ignore e-mails unless they are from an organization you already give to. Never open attachments from any organization you are unfamiliar with.

According to CharityNavigator.org, it’s safer to give money instead of supplies. While it does feel much better to pack up clothes, buy bottled water and make care packages to send than to write a check or type your credit number, it’s just not as efficient.

Money for the shipment of these supplies can be better spent giving directly to organizations already established in Haiti. Even though there are organizations that take and distribute care packages, giving money to larger groups that get essentials distributed en masse is more efficient overall and will reach more people quicker.

We’re not saying the donations just support scams. It’s encouraging to see how many students are getting involved with Hokies United and channeling support to Haiti, and how quickly efforts were organized. But don’t sacrifice a smarter effort for a rapid one.

The editorial board is comprised of Debra Houchins, Sara Mitchell, Peter Velz and Bethany Buchanan