Among the first things racing through my mind after hearing about the devastating 7.0 earthquake that killed an estimated 50,000 Haitians and left some 3 million more homeless in Port-au-Prince earlier this week is something you are probably struggling with too: Where can my family make a donation to a legitimate charity that will do the most good?
Not surprisingly, the FBI, national security experts and the various media have already reported signs of Haiti relief scams to come, many of them requests you'll be receiving in your e-mail boxes and cell phones texts in the coming days. If you feel the need to help, here are three safe havens that will ensure your donation helps the needy, not the greedy:
* The only problem you'll have with TisBest Philanthrophy -- an organization that carefully vets the fiscal and social footprints of the charities it represents -- is to pick just one. For those of you who live in a time-starved world -- who doesn't -- TisBest does the leg work for you.
* If you'd prefer to do your own research, Charity Navigator and the American Institute of Philanthropy tracks some 6,500 charities combined based on a plethora of criteria. For those who like reading financial statements, Charity Navigator provides a wealth of detailed data.
Reuters January 15, 2010
ABC News.com January 14, 2010