Groups use texts, social media for Japan donations

NEW YORK (AP) -- Cash. It's the easiest donation to make and it's what the relief agencies working in Japan need most right now. Organizations are asking those who want to help to focus on monetary donations in the aftermath of last Friday's earthquake and tsunami in Japan. With 430,000 people displaced from their homes and another 24,000 stranded, disaster response right now is focused on providing necessities such as food, water and medical care. But gathering donations of canned goods or bottled water in your neighborhood isn't the most efficient way to help. "It is extremely difficult and expensive to ship in-kind donations overseas from the U.S. to Japan," the Salvation Army's website explains. "It is more efficient for disaster relief agencies to purchase needed resources locally and for immediate distribution (within) the disaster area." The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross are among the groups accepting $10 donations via text message. To donate to the Salvation Army, which has had a presence in Japan since 1895, text "Japan" or "Quake" to 80888. Text "RedCross" to 90999 to donate to its fund set up in response to the disaster. The American Red Cross is coordinating with its Japanese counterpart, which is leading the organization's efforts in the disaster area. Still a relatively new way to accept donations, texting took off last year after the earthquake in Haiti. The Red Cross says more than 3 million contributors used text messages to donate $32 million to relief efforts following the Port-Au-Prince quake. Accepting text donations broadens an organization's reach and makes it easy for occasional donors to offer help, said Rachel Wolfe, a spokeswoman for World Vision, a humanitarian agency that focuses on helping children and families. "You want to do something immediately, and that's where text giving is beneficial," she said. Text 4JAPAN to 20222 to donate $10 to World Vision. Still, although quick and easy for donors, text donations have limitations, Wolfe said. The first is the dollar limit -- text donations are typically capped at $10, and most mobile phone providers also cap the number donations per month. That's done mainly to prevent abuses, such as donations by family plan users who may not be paying the bill. Text donations can also be delayed by a month or more, because organizations typically do not receive the cash from the phone company until after donors pay their bills. For those who want to have a more immediate impact or can afford to donate larger amounts, visiting a charity's website is a more efficient method. Many groups are also using blogs and social media posts to provide updates on their response in Japan and to solicit donations. Doctors Without Borders, for example, is posting details on its Facebook page about its efforts caring for the ill and wounded at evacuation centers in the hardest-hit areas of northern Japan. Clicking on a post will lead you to the group's website, where there is also a spot to donate. Online donations can reach groups faster than a check dropped in the mail, but be careful before entering credit or debit card information. That's particularly true for those reached via a click on social media. Fraudsters have been known to set up false sites that mimic the websites of well-known charities. Most charities will also accept donations via telephone. While some groups have set up special funds to accept donations for the response in Japan, others are drawing on their general funds. That's a question you should ask, if it's important to you that the donation be targeted. Right now, most groups are not accepting volunteers to go to Japan. That may change in coming months as the needs of the affected communities are assessed, but local volunteers are likely to be sought first. "The resources that are in Japan are scarce right now," said Kip Scheidler, the director for global disaster response work at Habitat For Humanity International. "We have no intention to send in extra people that are going to be consuming the limited resources." Some groups may turn to international volunteers as the relief efforts move from immediate response to addressing long-term needs. Would-be volunteers should continue to check for updates in the coming weeks and months. For more information about a particular charity's operations, for instance the percentage of its funding that goes toward programs rather than administration, check the group on www.charitywatch.org , the website of the American Institute of Philanthropy, or www.guidestar.org , which tracks nonprofit groups. Published: Wed, Mar 16, 2011