In Search of the Red Cross' $500M in Haiti Relief
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Re: In Search of the Red Cross' $500M in Haiti Relief
#2This makes me think if they will repeat this all over again in Nepal.
Re: In Search of the Red Cross' $500M in Haiti Relief
#3I stopped giving to 'big charities' twenty years ago and since then have only helped people locally where I can see what happens to the money. That's a real pity because of course on a relative scale those are probably much less in need than the people in Haiti (and Nepal and other areas devastated by natural disasters). But the red cross - once a paragon of virtue - and a number of other big time charities that were very successful at raising capital but extremely poor at spending it well - if at all - except on themselves are directly to blame for this and I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only person that feels that way.
They'll never get another cent out of me until at least one of their large scale disaster responses works out well. If they can't spend a few million in a direct, useful and efficient way then I don't see how they could spend orders of magnitude more.
Governments are similarly inept at spending their money efficiently (well, maybe not quite this inept but there is plenty of incompetence there too), but we can't avoid paying into the tax coffers and where applicable we do get roads, healthcare, education, national defence, a police force and social security in return.
Because of the total lack of end-to-end accountability with organizations like the red cross and others like it there is nothing to stop them from squandering what they rake in. It would be a lot more efficient to mail an envelope with cash to a random address in a disaster area than it is to expect these organizations to make a go of it. They really ought to be ashamed of themselves rather than belligerently defensive such as illustrated in the article.
Security situation indeed, I think he meant 'job security'.
Re: In Search of the Red Cross' $500M in Haiti Relief
#4Sadly this kind of mismanagement and questionable decision-making isn't new [1] [2] [3].
It really seems like a lot of big charities are simply in the business of raising money rather than helping people. One wonders how that money is actually spent.
It seems very much like good local charities are a far better conduit for charitable gifts.
[1] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Red_Cross#September_...
[2] http://www.cbsnews.com/news/red-faces-at-the-red-cross/
[3] http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-09-28-katrin...
Re: In Search of the Red Cross' $500M in Haiti Relief
#5This organization is doing good work in Haiti, check it out: http://mohhaiti.org/
They get a stellar rating; to my recollection, 96% of donated funds go to the cause (4% overhead).
They're an overtly Christian organization, which may or may not be your thing. But they're doing good work.
Disclaimer: A company I worked for did some work for them a couple of years ago. I'm no longer affiliated in any way.
Re: In Search of the Red Cross' $500M in Haiti Relief
#6Sadly this kind of mismanagement and questionable decision-making isn't new [1] [2] [3]. It really seems like a lot of big charities are simply in the business of raising money rather than helping people. One wonders how that money is actually spent. It seems very much like good local charities are a far better conduit for charitable gifts. [1] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Red_Cross#September_... [2] http:…
To add to that, another article from NPR about Red Cross mismanagement after Hurricane Sandy: http://www.npr.org/2014/10/29/359365276/on-superstorm-sandy-...
Re: In Search of the Red Cross' $500M in Haiti Relief
#7I'm building an app that utilizes people giving to charities - red cross seemed like an obvious choice to include, but now there's no way.
This has been helpful in sleuthing out reputable charities: http://www.charitynavigator.org/
Re: In Search of the Red Cross' $500M in Haiti Relief
#8$500M sound like a large sum. It is if that is you personal wealth. However for Haiti with a population of over 10M it is only $50 per head.
According to the article the Red Cross built shelters for 130,000 people. The would be $384 per shelter if that was all the Red Cross did. But they also fed people, provided clean water, medical aid...
It is easy to attack big charities. You get support from people who feel guilty for being mean bastards, for people who don't like foreign organisations, from big business who want to profit out of natural disasters...
Re: In Search of the Red Cross' $500M in Haiti Relief
#9$500M sound like a large sum. It is if that is you personal wealth. However for Haiti with a population of over 10M it is only $50 per head. According to the article the Red Cross built shelters for 130,000 people. The would be $384 per shelter if that was all the Red Cross did. But they also fed people, provided clean water, medical aid... It is easy to attack big charities. You get support from people who feel guil…
You didn't read the article did you...
Re: In Search of the Red Cross' $500M in Haiti Relief
#10This organization is doing good work in Haiti, check it out: http://mohhaiti.org/ They get a stellar rating; to my recollection, 96% of donated funds go to the cause (4% overhead). They're an overtly Christian organization, which may or may not be your thing. But they're doing good work. Disclaimer: A company I worked for did some work for them a couple of years ago. I'm no longer affiliated in any way.
I don't agree that the modern Red Cross has anything to do with Christianity. I've never heard of them evangelizing or take any position on religion. Why do you think that?