How to donate to Harvey relief efforts: When and what to give
NEW YORK — Charities are stepping up their donation requests in the wake of Harvey, a severe, Category 4 hurricane that has devastated South Texas and could still lead to worse flooding in the days ahead.
But this is not an excuse to clean out your closet. Money is the quickest, most effective contribution most people can make during times of disaster, charities and philanthropy experts say. And donating directly through a website gets money to a charity faster than a text donation, even though the text might seem easier.
Here’s how to make sure you are giving in a way that matters the most.
GIVE TO ESTABLISHED RELIEF AGENCIES
GuideStar’s website has a database that lets you vet charities. You can find information on a charity’s expenses, assets and revenue, as well as its programs.
Stacy Palmer, editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, also suggests looking at a charity’s website for information on how it will use donations. And look through local news reports for information on a charity’s work, or contact the local United Way and the local Community Foundation — in this case Houston’s.
It’s up to you whether to go with a local charity that might know the area better, or a national charity that has wider reach. Palmer says “both kinds of organizations have their place right now.”
TEXTING TO GIVE?
It might be tempting to make a donation through text and have the phone company charge it on your phone bill. It’s easy, and it might feel as though it’s the quickest way to get money to a charity.
But Palmer says that’s not the case, as charities have to wait for the phone companies to release the money.
The quickest way to give is to go to the charity’s website and donate directly, using a credit or debit card. That said, relief agencies will need money beyond first few days or even weeks, so if the ease of text donations appeals to you, tap away. To donate $10 to the Red Cross via text, send a text message saying “REDCROSS” to the number 90999.
Apple users in the U.S. can also donate to the American Red Cross through the company’s iTunes and app stores. Amounts range from $5 to $200, and you can’t use store credit.
TIMING
Donations often pour in immediately after disaster strikes but peter out during the long recovery process. While there are a lot of immediate needs, Palmer says, “charities are going to need support on the long haul.”
Consider saving some of your money so you can donate again in a few weeks or months. Better yet, set up a recurring donation to support your chosen charity over time.
Some charities will say when they have raised enough for a particular disaster and use any extra money for their general fund, Palmer says. This isn’t bad.
“One of the things this disaster shows is that it’s important to have resilience,” she says. “It’s smart to just give and say that it can be used wherever it’s most needed.”
CROWDFUNDING
Group fundraising services such as GoFundMe let people raise money for friends, families, neighbors or themselves — as well as for charity. As always, do your homework before giving to a stranger or cause online.
GoFundMe has a special page for Hurricane Harvey pleas for charities, individuals and families. GlobalGiving, a crowdfunding site for charities, is trying to raise $2 million for local relief and recovery efforts.
Remember that donations are tax-deductible only if they go to a registered non-profit or charity. Otherwise, they are generally considered gifts.
HOLD OFF ON MATERIAL DONATIONS
Donating food, clothing and household items can complicate and even hinder relief efforts, experts say. After Superstorm Sandy in 2012, for example, reports cited relief agencies not knowing what to do with the piles of clothing and other unsolicited items pouring in.
The U.S. Center for Disaster Information says such donations “require transportation — which is expensive and logistically complicated — and a pre-identified recipient on the ground who will receive the shipment, pay customs and other fees, sort and distribute the items.”
Unsolicited goods, the agency says, are “never required in early stages of response, and they compete with priority relief items for transportation and storage.”
It doesn’t mean there will never be a time or place for such donations — check with relief agencies as time passes.
CONSIDER SPECIAL NEEDS
Seniors, the disabled, children and even pets are particularly vulnerable during disasters. Consider donating to charities that focus on their needs.
The Texas Diaper Bank, for example, says diapers (whether for babies or adults) are not provided by disaster relief agencies. Again, these charities need money — not boxes of diapers you picked up at Costco.
CHECK OUT MATCHES
Facebook says it will match every dollar raised through its service, up to $1 million, for the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s Hurricane Harvey Recovery Fund. The money will support local recovery and rebuilding efforts. U.S. Facebook users are getting a message at the top of their news feed on how to donate.
Google, meanwhile, is matching $1 million in donations to the American Red Cross. To donate, go to http://www.google.org/harvey-relief . The company also matched donations from employees and said Tuesday it donated $750,000 between its nonprofit arm, Google.org, and employee contributions to organizations such as the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and Save the Children.
Rescue boats fill a flooded street as flood victims are evacuated as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise on Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Armando Bustsamante walks along the street over Buffalo Bayou as flood waters from Tropical Storm Harvey flow toward downtown Houston Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. More than 17,000 people are seeking refuge in Texas shelters, the American Red Cross said. With rescues continuing, that number seemed certain to grow. (Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Erik Peterson and his son, Carlos, 10, are rescued from their house to a dam on the Addicks Reservoir as waters rise from Tropical Storm Harvey in west Houston on Tuesday Aug. 29, 2017. More than 17,000 people are seeking refuge in Texas shelters, the American Red Cross said. With rescues continuing, that number seemed certain to grow. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
AmeriCorps NCCC members gather tents in the gymnasium of the AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region campus before leaving to travel to Dallas to serve with American Red Cross relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Tuesday, Aug 29, 2017, in Vicksburg, Miss. (Courtland Wells/The Vicksburg Post, via AP)
AmeriCorps NCCC member Steven Driest works to set up a cot before leaving to travel to Dallas to serve with American Red Cross relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Tuesday, Aug 29, 2017 at the AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region Campus in Vicksburg, Miss. (Courtland Wells/The Vicksburg Post, via AP)
Children and adults wait to get into the George R. Brown Convention Center after evacuating during Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Alexis Hernandez holds her daughter Faith as they make their way into the crowded George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, after they were evacuated from the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Highways around downtown Houston are empty as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey overflow from the bayous around the city Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Water from Addicks Reservoir flows into neighborhoods as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Highways around downtown Houston are empty as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey overflow from the bayous around the city Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
This undated photo provided by Anheuser-Busch shows rows of canned water in Cartersville, Ga. The brewery is shipping canned drinking water to the American Red Cross to help Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in Texas and Louisiana. (Anheuser-Busch via AP)
President Donald Trump, flanked by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and first lady Melania Trump speaks during a briefing on Harvey relief efforts, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, at Firehouse 5 in Corpus Christi, Texas. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Residents wade through floodwaters near the Addicks Reservoir as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Residents ride in the bed of an emergency vehicle carrying them to safety following flooding to their homes late Monday night, Aug. 28, 2017 in Lake Charles, La. Almost constant rain over the last two days from Harvey, overcame the city’s drainage system, flooding several subdivisions and necessitating home rescues. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Residents wade through floodwaters as they evacuate their homes near the Addicks Reservoir as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Residents wade through floodwaters as they evacuate their homes near the Addicks Reservoir as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Residents wade through floodwaters near the Addicks Reservoir as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Evacuees make their way though floodwaters near the Addicks Reservoir as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Water from Addicks Reservoir flows into neighborhoods as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Water from Addicks Reservoir flows into neighborhoods as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Water from Addicks Reservoir flows into neighborhoods as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Cars sit in floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Residents wade through floodwaters as they evacuate their homes near the Addicks Reservoir as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Residents wade through floodwaters as they evacuate their homes near the Addicks Reservoir as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Water from Addicks Reservoir flows into neighborhoods as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Highways around downtown Houston are empty as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey overflow from the bayous around the city Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Water from Addicks Reservoir flows into neighborhoods as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Highways around downtown Houston are empty as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey overflow from the bayous around the city Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Water from Addicks Reservoir flows into neighborhoods as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Water from Addicks Reservoir flows into neighborhoods as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
AmeriCorps NCCC member Skye McKelvey works to set up a tent before leaving to travel to Dallas to serve with American Red Cross relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Tuesday, Aug 29, 2017, at the AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region Campus. in Vicksburg, Miss. (Courtland Wells/The Vicksburg Post, via AP)
AmeriCorps NCCC member Dre Davis works to set up a cot before leaving to travel to Dallasto serve with American Red Cross relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Tuesday, Aug 29, 2017, at the AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region Campus in Vicksburg, Miss. (Courtland Wells/The Vicksburg Post, via AP)
A young boy stands with others at the George R. Brown Convention Center after evacuation from the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Joe Tijerina works to salvage items from his home that was destroyed in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Rockport, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Felix Tijerina, right, and Andy Guerra, left, try to salvage items from their family home that was destroyed in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Rockport, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
A woman is wheeled by first responders into the George R. Brown Convention Center that has been set up as a shelter for evacuees escaping the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
People rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center that has been set up as a shelter for evacuees escaping the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
People line up for food and at the George R. Brown Convention Center that has been set up as a shelter for evacuees escaping the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
People sleep on the floor at the George R. Brown Convention Center that has been set up as a shelter for evacuees escaping the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
A man helps a woman get covered up at the George R. Brown Convention Center that has been set up as a shelter for evacuees escaping the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Ezekiel Lyons, left, walks with his wife at the George R. Brown Convention Center that has been set up as a shelter for evacuees escaping the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Evacuees are helped as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
President Donald Trump talks with supporters outside Firehouse 5 in Corpus Christi, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, following a briefing on Harvey relief efforts. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, holds up a Texas flag after speaking with supporters outside Firehouse 5 in Corpus Christi, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, following a briefing on Harvey relief efforts. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott shakes hands with President Donald Trump during a briefing on Harvey relief efforts, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas. First lady Melania Trump is at right. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive take part in a briefing on Harvey relief efforts, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, at Firehouse 5 in Corpus Christi, Texas. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas in Corpus Christi, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk rom Marine One to board Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, for a trip to Texas to get an update on Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump talks with supporters outside Firehouse 5 in Corpus Christi, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, following a briefing on Harvey relief efforts. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Supporters of President Donald Trump cheer outside Firehouse 5 in Corpus Christi, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, as the president received a briefing on Harvey relief efforts. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)