# Are you donating to the Haitian Relief Funds? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 15, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028 "2010-01-15T02:12:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/41 "2010-01-16T05:44:20Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I’m donating. I find a good way to make such decisions is to ask myself what Rush Limbaugh would do, and then do something else. > [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > A wise way to approach _many_ of life’s decisions indeed! As you have no idea of what Rush gives to charity, that’s not at all wise. Fortunately, the charities don’t care about the reasons people donate. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/42 "2010-01-16T12:18:18Z")
We donated $250 to [Direct Relief](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_Relief_International). > [@](#): > > Over the past year, Direct Relief again has received among the highest ratings of any U.S. nonprofit from the American Institute of Philanthropy (“A”), Charity Navigator (“four stars”), the Chronicle of Philanthropy (“California’s largest International charity”), and Forbes (“100% fundraising efficiency”).Direct Relief also remains a member of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. [17] According to their web site, each dollar spent by the organization is able to generate between $21 and $35 (wholesale value) of medical material specifically requested by in-country health professionals to care for patients. In 2006, Direct Relief received an unanticipated and unrestricted bequest of more than $34 million from the estate of a longtime donor, Mr. H. Guy DiStefano. This gift will cover 100 percent of its traditionally low administrative and fundraising expenses, and allow Direct Relief to contribute $0 of donated funds to administrative/overhead costs.[18] Very good charity. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/43 "2010-01-16T12:38:54Z")
I sent a couple text messages to 90999. Later, I went online to pay off my Discover card balance and saw that you could give your cash back award to the Red Cross and they match. So I did that too. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/44 "2010-01-16T14:25:56Z")
$10 to Red Cross, $30 to Heifer, and then at least $10 tomorrow at my church’s special Haitian offering. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/45 "2010-01-16T15:10:24Z")
I donated through Red Cross. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/46 "2010-01-16T15:29:27Z")
I do not want to donate even if someone else pays for it. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/47 "2010-01-16T15:33:57Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > As you have no idea of what Rush gives to charity, that’s not at all wise. Fortunately, the charities don’t care about the reasons people donate. I didn’t say I was going to find out what Rush Limbaugh ACTUALLY did and then choose a contrary course of action. _Asking myself what Rush Limbaugh would do_ means _guess what my impression of Limbaugh based on his public persona woudl do_. Because I was, you know, making a jest. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/48 "2010-01-16T15:44:08Z")
I will donate between $200 and $400 at some point this week, I just want to take a little time to decide where to give. My neighborhood Dunkin Donuts ( the owners are great businesspeople and I have had a lot of respect for them for many years, I used to live above one of their stores) will typically start a collection for Save the Children and they match all donations, I may take it to them to leverage my dollars. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/49 "2010-01-16T15:49:54Z")
[Help with Money, Not Stuff](http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/haiti/100113/haiti-earthquake-aid): an interesting article that talks about goods (especially medicine) sent over to Indonesia after the tsunami and the problems that created. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/50 "2010-01-16T15:55:46Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I do not want to donate even if someone else pays for it. May I ask why? It sounds as if you oppose any relief funds being sent there, though of course I could easily be misreading you. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/51 "2010-01-16T18:28:02Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > As you have no idea of what Rush gives to charity, that’s not at all wise. Fortunately, the charities don’t care about the reasons people donate. 1. I didn’t say _all_ of his decisions… just the ones that we hear the most about. 2. And it’s reasonable to believe that he is NOT donating to Haitian relief charities given his latest idiocy. ---
**Author:** ![Visual\_Purple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5daacb/32.png) [@Visual\_Purple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Visual_Purple)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/52 "2010-01-16T18:54:23Z")
I want to put in another word for [Partners in Health](http://act.pih.org/earthquake?source=earthquake&subsource=taf). My sister-in-law, who has been working in international health for some years and knows Haiti pretty well–until the quake, she was going to be flying in today–thinks they do a great job. They are not centered in Port au Prince, which could be a drawback in a way, but it does mean that their facilities are functioning and can take patients from more affected areas. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/53 "2010-01-16T22:58:59Z")
My vote was for don’t want to donate. The American Red Cross is one of my go to charities and I donate several hundred a year so I feel no strong feeling of needing to donate more at this point. But I may at some point. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/54 "2010-01-17T01:18:58Z")
I donated a good bit to the Red Cross through a local TV station drive, figuring that a big raise of funds there would encourage others to give because of the publicity, and to encourage the TV station to always participate in that. My hon’s office manager is from Haiti, and the local Haitian community is trying to figure out where to best put aid, and we will donate again to that effort when it’s set, to support the local group. We’ll donate again in coming months as we can, as often as possible. ---
**Author:** ![luv2draw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@luv2draw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luv2draw)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/55 "2010-01-17T01:32:53Z")
I’m sending the Red Cross a check. A small one. I’m living off of unemployment insurance and can’t really afford extras but I can give up something. Those people are sooooo beaten… If everyone gives $10, it adds up. They’ve gotten over a million via texting, which seems incredible. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/56 "2010-01-17T01:42:59Z")
I donated to the Episcopal Relief and Development fund through my church. The check is earmarked for Haiti. I know that the entire donation will go for relief work in Haiti through the ERD. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/57 "2010-01-17T01:51:21Z")
I donated to the parish of the guy that sits next to me at work, who is Haitian. I will also be giving through work, which matches donations dollar for dollar. And possibly through my Parish, which normally supports a Haitian parish by building and supporting a school, medical clinic and technical school. I don’t know yet if the village of Robillard has been damaged, but these folks have been helped by my parish for years, and will continue to be supported. StG ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/58 "2010-01-17T03:09:34Z")
After lecturing my 18 year old daughter on the dire situation in Haiti for several minutes last night, she calmly informed me that she already donated $100 through some text messaging vehicle. Its not like she’s some current events/political junkie like I am. I’m so proud of her. The wife and I kicked in $100 through the Canadian Red Cross. In a couple of weeks, I want to help out the Clinton/Bush fund. Watching those two together this morning got me teary eyed. Fuck Rush Limbaugh ! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/59 "2010-01-17T04:09:11Z")
Yes - My wife donated $20 to the Red Cross’s fund, and my $20 went to _Médecins Sans Frontières._ ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028/60 "2010-01-17T18:03:55Z")
[Salesforce.com](http://www.salesforce.com/haiti/) is offering matching donations, so if you donate to the Red Cross through their website, they will double your contribution. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-donating-to-the-haitian-relief-funds/525028.md?page=4)