I’ve given some money to Katrina relief, and now I’d like to donate to a charity that will help build new houses for people who lost theirs in the hurricane. Habitat for Humanity is the obvious choice, but Charity Navigator gave Habitat for Humanity International an abysmal rating and doesn’t list any Habitat branches or other similar charities in Louisiana or Mississippi. Does anyone know of a good charity that will be working on building houses for Katrina victims? Thanks for your help!
No, I was surprised to see it, too. A lot of the local branches had good ratings, though, and the ratings are based purely on how they distribute their money*, so it’s not necessarily a judgement on the organization as a whole. I did find Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge, but I haven’t (so far) found their financial information or an organization that rates them.
*On doing charitable work as opposed to fundraising and administration.
One of the things that struck me about that Habitat Entry was that what really through their numbers off was all the money spent on advertising–but that might make sense for a charity that’s so dependent on volunteer labor.
But I’m definitely curious about them now. My church does a Habitat House every year or two…