DON'T SEND STUFF! << as we come to grips with the horrible damage left by Hurricane Helene and brace for Milton's projected devastation, I'm issuing this public service announcement on behalf of all disaster orgs.
People have a tendency to believe that collecting and sending things - clothes, diapers, formula, canned food, etc - is inherently more valuable and empathetic than simply cutting a donation of cash.
I can totally understand that. Swiping your credit card online feels impersonal, whereas collecting and touching and boxing and sending THINGS feels more human. You can literally see the impact you're providing.
But you're also providing a logistics and supply chain nightmare!
Here's the reality: unless you've coordinated directly with an organization or agency on the ground to receive your stuff, and unless that same agency has indicated precisely what it needs (by precisely I mean quantity + make/model/type), then you're more likely than not to cause drag than lift. Every disaster responder can recall seeing a literal mountain of cold weather coats collected and sent to a warm weather climate after a hurricane.
Stuff needs to be sorted. It needs to be quality controlled (is it washed? is it used?). It needs to be stored. It needs to find a terminal recipient. This is harder when the stuff is ad hoc.
What organizations REALLY need is money so that they can buy EXACTLY what they need, in the quantity and type that they need it, packaged and palletized so that it can be easily stored, accounted for, and accessed. They need money so that they can rent the facilities to store it and trucks to deliver it.
Again, I understand the human desire to send stuff. It makes sense. But that desire is borne of YOUR desire to feel better about your action. My challenge to you is to think rationally and objectively about what maximizes impact on the ground, because that's the only thing we should care about.
When you are inspired to help in the moment, remember this: cash is king.
Caveats: There are absolutely instances where sending stuff is appropriate. If you already have a relationship with a foodbank that is used to processing in-kind donations, go right ahead. If you own a car dealership and want to provide responding teams with free truck rentals for a few weeks, obviously that's an in-kind donation that directly saves $$ that would otherwise be spent. But again, these are examples of things that are directly coordinated and like-for-like what an org would otherwise spend money on.
#CSR #socialimpact #disaster #EMA #teamrubicon #helene #milton #hurricane #donation #philanthropy #nonprofit
Immense gratitude for these additional potential lifesavers! Assisting fellow mariners in distress is a noble act and obligation that transcends all other considerations and binds maritime peoples across our planet without regard to nationality, cultural differences or political beliefs. #Amver #SAR