It’s hard to believe but we are once again looking at a catastrophic hurricane.
Irma carved a path of destruction across the Carribbean before slamming into Florida with Category 4 force this weekend. It’s still going, in fact, as a tropical storm battering northern Florida and Georgia.
The full extent of the damage remains unknown, but many of our donors are already clamoring for ways to help.
Our donation platform is now live in Florida, giving donors access to nearly 50,000 nonprofits across the state via our mobile app. Those nonprofits are all Charity Navigator-rated, meaning you can trust you are giving to a legitimate nonprofit and not getting sucked into a scam.
We will update the blog with specific nonprofits in need of donations as soon as we can.
Until then, the New York Times has put together some useful guidelines for giving during times of disaster, as well as some national and international nonprofits that are already collecting donations. Here are the highlights:
- Cash is king when it comes to donating after a disaster. Although donations of goods, such as toys and blankets, can seem like a more immediate help, the Times writes that "transporting, storing and sorting donated goods can divert resources away from more pressing work."
- GlobalGiving has created an Irma relief fund that is already accepting donations. The organization distributes donations to organizations in need, vetting those organizations beforehand and prioritizing local nonprofits. However, in the early days after the storm, GlobalGiving will be routing donations to larger entities, such as Save the Children.
- Donating to the American Red Cross is always a good option.
Stay tuned for more information about local nonprofits in need! And to all those impacted by the storm, our thoughts and prayers are with you.
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