Global Giving is a fast easy way to get money to relief efforts in Japan. You can pay by credit card, pay pal or check. It's easy. Global giving lets you decide where the money goes. To victims of the disaster, to relief organizations, to rebuild Sendai, to the children - you choose. Or, maybe you want to support flood victims in Pakistan? Cholera victims in Haiti? Hunger victims in Chad? Wherever your heart and your urge to help lie, it's as easy as a couple of clicks, and much less stressful than watching the news unfold, helpless so far away.
Or, if you'd rather receive something for your dollars, try Joseph Gordon-Levitt's HitRecord store, which is donating proceeds of pin sales to Japanese relief funds.
The internet connects us all. And if all you can do is watch and care, hope or pray, well that counts too.
XO
Post Script: 3/17/11
I've been reading about charities and how best to help and there is so much conflicting information that my head is spinning. One article said the Japanese Government has specifically stated they do not need outside help and have sufficient funds to take care of themselves. Another article mentioned Global Giving as a less than stellar choice to donate to relief efforts. Great. Now they tell me. I used charitynavigator.org to check them out, and they rate 3 out of 4 stars, with slightly higher than normal admin costs, and CEO salaries in the 150K and up range, which always startles me for charity organizations. But the primary criticism is the claim to direct funds to specific relief efforts such as rebuilding Sendai, are only conceptual at this point, and no real action plan is in place to ensure donor's funds go where they are intended. I came across a particularly heated debate over the Send Socks to Japan web effort, with as many commenters howling that this is a ridiculous waste of money as those saying they have cold feet and need the socks. But at 34 dollars shipping for several pairs, one wonders how much food the shipping costs would buy, especially when you consider the economies of scale that large operations like military or Red Cross could bring to providing clothing.
I did find the Japanese Red Cross Web site that thanks donors for their help and provides the direct bank address to donate funds to them here.
So, what to do indeed.
As with everything in life, nothing is easy or simple.
