One week ago a 7.0 earthquake hit Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, causing considerable destruction throughout.  The death toll is expected to be well in the thousands and a massive response by government agencies and non-profits is underway.

The devastation was huge and there is much need, so how can just one person help? While the damage is so huge and the lives affected are many, it’s important to remember that impacting just one person’s life is totally worth!

Work Smart

It is encouraging to see how so many people throughout the world have reached out through volunteering and generous donations of food, clothes, and money!  With that said, it’s important to work smart.. or else it could quickly turn chaotic and, dare I say, into ineffective effort: Volunteers Moved to Help Haiti, But Goodwill Turns to Organized Chaos.

In the non-profit world there is a saying: Beware of the donation that costs money. Getting the donations is only half the battle. Things need to be sorted, sometimes cleaned, organized (that takes a great deal of manpower) and then of course it is expensive to ship things to Haiti. Then the hard part really begins – getting supplies to those who need it most. In many cases, victims will not be able to seek out assistance themselves — volunteers will need to seek out the victims.

People have big hearts, but sometimes it’s best to leave the mobilizing of supplies and volunteers to those who have the most experience handling these sorts of tragedies. Companies can ship supplies much cheaper and in a more organized fashion then most of these groups who want to help, but lack the expertise to do so [Sak Pasé a commenter on ABC New's blog].

Avenues for Hope

Below are just a few credible organizations that are helping:

• Buy Issue 1 of A Photographic Benefit for the Survivors of the Haiti Earthquake from MagCloud.  All proceeds go to the American Red Cross International Response Fund for Haiti relief.
• You can donate $10 to the American Red Cross by texting “Haiti” to 90999. As of this writing, this tool has raised $3 million for the Haiti earthquake relief efforts.
• Christian relief organization World Vision distributed clothes, hygiene kits, dried biscuits and bottled water to 750 homeless families in Canape Vert and Petionville, Port-au-Prince, over the weekend.
• Doctors Without Borders – Currently treating people on the ground and will be operating an inflatable hospital.

Due Diligence

For those who will donate or volunteer time with an aid organization, take a look at their profile (if they have one!) on Charity Navigator.  The website analyzes a charity’s financial efficiency and gives it a star-rating.

Also see their list of recommended charities to help in the Haiti relief.

Question: How and with what organizations are you volunteering for/giving to for the Haiti relief?  Let wewerenaked know!