Japan has had more large-scale disasters than a Michael Bay movie in the past week. Given the magnitude of the crisis, it's only natural to want to help out. We enthusastically encourage folks to do so, but have a few tips to ensure those donations help out the Japanese people as much as possible.
- Give to organizations with a long track record of helping overseas
- Leave it up to them to decide how best to spend the money--do not designate your donation to only be used within Japan. It's a developed nation, so there is sure to be a surplus of donated funds that go unused and if designated only for Japan, cannot then be used for other countries equally in need later.
- Do your homework--look up the organization you intend to give to on GuideStar or CharityNavigator to ensure they have a proven track record and reputable practices.
We wish the people of Japan the best in this crisis and will be involved in a number of local events to help raise money for our favorite charity working during this crisis: Japan.